General Program Information

General Program Information

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Programs of Study

Northeast State Technical Community College offers university parallel or transfer degree programs designed to meet the needs of students who plan to transfer to four-year institutions to pursue a baccalaureate degree. The college also offers technical degree and academic/technical certificate programs designed to prepare the student for entry into the job market upon completion of the program. The degree and certificate programs at Northeast State Technical Community College are listed in the Curriculum Guides section of this catalog.

Students who intend to earn a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree at a four-year college or university may complete the first two years at Northeast State by enrolling in the associate of arts or associate of science degree programs. The administration, faculty, and staff at Northeast State work closely with the students and neighboring colleges and universities to facilitate transfer. Course-by-course equivalency tables and articulation agreements with some four-year colleges and universities have been developed to ease transfer and assist the student and his/her advisor with academic program development.

Every TBR institution incorporates the 41 semester hours general education core into its degree program requirements and accepts all courses designated as meeting these requirements at other TBR institutions. By ensuring the transferability of courses fulfilling lower division general education requirements TBR has eliminated unnecessary repetition of these courses by students transferring to institutions within the TBR System. Students planning to receive a bachelor of arts or associate of arts degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language as prescribed in the institutional degree requirements.

Articulation and Transfer

Students following an articulation agreement for a particular school or major must notify the Northeast State Technical Community College Office of Admissions and Records and must graduate from Northeast State Technical Community College in order to have the agreement honored. A list of colleges and universities for which articulation agreements have been approved is listed below and is available in the Office of the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs. Students should consult with their advisors or with the transfer institution for more information.

If no program articulation agreement is available for a particular school or major, students may choose to follow one of the University Parallel curriculum guides (associate of arts or associate of science degree programs). These “guides” are suggested courses of study designed to include general education and foundation courses needed for a major in a particular field at the baccalaureate level. Because each school has different requirements, the curriculum guides are not intended to represent requirements for any particular institution. Students should consult the catalog of the senior institution to which they plan to transfer and use it during advisement and registration to make sure that the courses selected meet the first two years’ requirements at the institution. Substitutions to meet requirements at a specific institution may be requested provided the requirements for the associate of arts or the associate of science degrees are met.

All Northeast State students are advised and encouraged to complete the associate degree prior to continuing their education elsewhere.

Northeast State has articulation and/or transfer agreements with the following senior institutions. The listed web address will link to the school’s home page or to a page with information for transfer students.

• Appalachian State University –www.admissions.appstate.edu/process/transfer.htm
• Austin Peay State University – www.apsu.edu
• Carson Newman College – www.CN.edu
• East Tennessee State University – www.etsu.edu
• Emory & Henry College – www.ehc.edu/academics/ or www.ehc.edu/studentlife/
• King College – www.King.edu
• Lees-McRae College (agreement pending) - www.lmc.edu/sites/academics
• Lincoln Memorial University – www.lmunet.edu
• Middle Tennessee State University – (Aerospace) – www.MTSU.edu
• Milligan College – www.milligan.edu/academics/index.html
• Mountain Empire Community College – www.me.cc.va.us/
• Regent’s Online Degree Program – www.tn.regentsdegrees.org
• Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic – (articulation) www.sherman.edu/edu/admissions/transfer.html
• Tennessee/SEC Schools
• Tennessee Technological University – www.TNtech.edu
• Tusculum College – www.tusculum.edu
• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga – www.UTC.edu
• University of Tennessee at Knoxville – www.UTK.edu
• University of Virginia College at Wise (Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center) www.wise.virginia.edu/ or www.wise.virginia.edu/academics/departments.html
• Virginia Intermont College – www.vic.edu

Additionally, students may link to any school in the Tennessee Board of Regents System from this site – www.tbr.state.tn.us/campuses.htm

High School Course Requirements for the University Parallel Program

All students must have completed designated high school course requirements which are listed in the Admissions section of the catalog prior to being awarded the associate of arts or associate of science degree and transferring to a state university. These requirements may be met by completing specifically designated courses at Northeast State with a grade of “C” or higher. Courses at Northeast State which can be taken to meet these requirements are as follows.

A student admitted to a career program is not required to have completed the following units of study during high school. If a career degree program student later decides to attend a state university, he or she must make up the high school requirements prior to being admitted to the university.

*Students having subject area deficiencies in English, Algebra I, and Algebra II must undergo assessment regardless of the ACT or SAT scores or high school GPA. All developmental education courses and program requirements must be completed.

**Students who remove the requirement in U.S. History by taking one of these courses must complete HIST 2030 – Tennessee History to satisfy the general education core requirements.

Note:

College courses taken to remove high school requirements may not be used to meet Northeast State ’s general education core requirements. Approved general education core courses are listed In the General Education section of this catalog.

The divisions of Humanities, Behavioral/Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Sciences provide university parallel programs designed to transfer to senior institutions* and general education courses required in selected technical education academic programs. The divisions of Mathematics and Sciences provide instruction in mathematics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, pre-engineering, and health. The divisions of Humanities and Behavioral/Social Sciences provide instruction in criminal justice, education, English, foreign languages, geography, history, humanities, mass communications, physical education, social sciences, speech, and theatre. Courses in these academic disciplines are designed to offer students a common set of learning experiences which enhance their ability to function effectively in an increasingly complex society.

Pre-Professional Programs curricula are designed to satisfy minimum requirements for admissions to senior institutions offering health professions, engineering, and teacher education programs. Northeast State prepares students to enter professional programs in cardiopulmonary, chiropractic, dental hygiene, health information management, medical technology, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, radiography, engineering, and various teacher education concentrations. Because admissions standards vary from institution to institution, students should see an advisor and contact the school to which they intend to transfer for additional information. Completing an associate of science degree in a pre-professional program does not guarantee admission into a professional degree program at a senior institution.

Academic programs in specific engineering fields are designed to transfer to Tennessee Technological University , which offers programs in chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial and manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, and industrial technology. Students planning to transfer to other universities should see an advisor and contact the school to which they intend to transfer to design an optimal course of study. Engineering programs assume students have adequate preparation in mathematics to begin calculus. Students who have not completed pre-calculus courses including trigonometry and advanced algebra will need these course(s) in addition to those required for the program.

Academic programs in pre-health professions are designed for transfer to institutions offering professional programs in chiropractic, dental hygiene, health information management, medical technology, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, and physical therapy. Students planning to transfer to a college or university to continue their education in one of these programs should consult an advisor and contact the school to which they intend to transfer.

Academic programs in teacher education are designed to transfer to East Tennessee State University, which offers programs in Special Education K-12, Interdisciplinary Studies K-6, Early Childhood Pre-K-3, Physical Education K-12, and Secondary Education. Students planning to transfer to other colleges and universities should consult an advisor and contact the school to which they intend to transfer for specific requirements.

The associate of applied science programs are for individuals who desire to enter a specialized occupational career immediately after graduation. These programs are not designed for transfer to a baccalaureate degree program. However, selected Northeast State Technical Community College associate of applied science degree programs are accepted by some senior colleges and universities.

Associate of Applied Science Degree Requirements

According to Tennessee Board of Regents policy, associate of applied science degree programs require a minimum of 60 semester college-level credit hours. Credit hours earned in remedial or developmental courses are institutional credit and are not applicable to credit hours required for a certificate, associate, or baccalaureate degree. Each student studying for an associate of applied science degree must complete a minimum of 15-16 semester credit hours of general education and a minimum of 45-46 semester credit hours in the technical specialty. Components of the basic core of general education in associate of applied science degree programs consist of a minimum of one course in the following areas*.

*Consult the Approved Courses for General Education section of this catalog for a list of approved courses.

Transferability of the Associate of Applied Science Degree

The associate of applied science degree is intended to prepare a person for employment in a specific field rather than for transfer to a four-year college or university. However, many institutions do accept all or part of the course work taken at Northeast State and apply those courses toward the baccalaureate degree.

Students interested in such a transfer should contact their Northeast State advisor and the appropriate department at the transfer institution.

Academic/Technical certificate programs are designed to prepare individuals to enter a specialized occupational career area immediately after graduation. Each program contains courses specific and relevant to the career area. Credit for successful completion of courses in a certificate program may be applied towards an associate of applied science degree program.

Academic/Technical Certificate Program Requirements

Academic/technical certificate programs require the successful completion of courses in each curriculum. Individual assessment may result in the scheduling of additional courses to overcome deficiencies in English, mathematics, and reading. Credit hours earned in remedial or developmental courses are not applicable to credit hours required in an academic/technical certificate program. Certificate programs at Northeast State are listed in the Curriculum Guides section of this catalog, and include the following:

Behavioral and Social Sciences

• Early Childhood Development

Health-Related Professions

• Dental Assistant
• EMT – Paramedic

Technical Education

• Accounting Technology
• Automotive Service
• Chemical Process Operations
• Computer and Information Science
  
  
  • CISCO Networking Technology
  • Personal Computer Network Technology
     
• Computer-Aided Drafting
• Electrical - Construction Electricity
• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
• Industrial Maintenance
• Machine Tool Operations
• Office Technology
• Welding - Combination Welding

Regents Online Degree Program (RODP)

Northeast State and the Tennessee Board of Regents colleges, universities and technical centers have joined to offer the Regents Online Degree Program (RODP). The Regents Online courses are designed around a typical semester in interactive asynchronous (anytime, anywhere) format. These courses contain the same content and rigor as standard on-campus courses. The RODP program also offers online student services such as advising, library services, and student support services. Technical support for accessing course lessons and assignments are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Instructors may require students to take proctored mid-term and/or final exams. Regents courses are entirely online and transferable among all the participating institutions. For more information about RODP courses, please refer to the Northeast State Web page at www.NortheastState.edu and access the link to Evening/Distance Ed or contact a counselor at 423-323-0214, rodp@northeaststate.edu.

Northeast State Online Degree Programs

Northeast State’s regular schedule of classes includes Internet courses that offer students the opportunity to complete all or part of their course work via the Internet, earn their 41 hours of general education core for transfer programs, or earn a specific degree or certificate.

Northeast State’s online courses are different from the Regent’s Online Degree Program courses in that the classes meet at selected times in a synchronous format, generally on the campus four to six times throughout the semester. These class sessions are for lecture and testing. Some online courses may have a weekly lab associated with them. To complete all requirements for online courses, students must be able to access the Internet through the college’s facilities or secure access on their own. More detailed information about Northeast State’s online courses is available on the Evening and Distance Web Page at www.NortheastState.edu.

Online Degree Programs

• AS in General Education
• AAS in Business Management
• AAS in Computer and Information Sciences (Networking Systems and Internet and Web Development)
• AAS in Office Administration Technology (Medical Office, Legal Office, and General Office)

Online Certificate Programs

• Personal Computer Networking
• Office Technology