April 13, 2011 - Atlanta – The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) signed an articulation agreement on Monday, April 11, 2011 that allows TCSG students to complete their first two years of a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology degreeat any one of 19 state technical colleges that are accredited by the Southern Association of Collegesand Schools Commission on Colleges, which includes Albany Technical College.
The agreement will allow TCSG students to select a pre-engineering technology associates degree program, specializing in electrical engineering technology, industrial engineering technology or mechanical engineering technology. They can take the associates degree courses at an accredited TCSG college, and then either enter the workforce directly or transfer those credits and complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology at SPSU.
In Southwest Georgia, Albany Technical College currently offers several degree program opportunities in the engineering technology arena, with Electromechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics Technology, which includes Biomedical and Telecommunications Engineering.
“This opportunity with SPSU will keep our students who train in the engineering technology fields in Southwest Georgia,” said Dr. Anthony Parker, President of Albany Technical College. “It’s a win-win situation for us and them and we look forward to the partnership.”
The TCSG graduate will enter SPSU with up to 61 semester hours that count toward the 130 semester hours required for the Bachelor of Science degrees. A key difference from other past agreements in that TCSG students receive “one-for-one” credit for courses taken at a TCSG college – meaning that there is a corresponding course at SPSU for each of the 18 articulated TCSG
courses.
“Today’s articulation agreement creates extremely valuable education opportunities for the state’s technical college students,” said TCSG Commissioner Ron Jackson. “Much credit and appreciation goes to President Lisa Rossbacher and her staff and faculty at SPSU who have worked closely with the TCSG to finalize the agreement. We want to create more seamless education pathways for our students, and this pact is another very important step toward that goal.”
Albany Technical College, Augusta Technical College, Central Georgia Technical College in Macon, North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville, and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College in Valdosta will be the first TCSG institutions to offer the pre-engineering technology program, and more will follow.
Albany Technical College will be holding a local signing for its agreement at its campus with SPSU’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Zvi Szafran, in the next few weeks. More information will be forthcoming.
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Pictured (left to right): Dr. Zvi Szafran, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Southern Polytechnic State University; Emmett Griswold, Dean of Academic Affairs, Albany Technical College; Ron Jackson, Commissioner, Technical College System of Georgia; and Dr. Catherine Hornsby, Assistant Commissioner, Technical College System of Georgia.