June 11, 2008  

Fast-track program puts students ‘AHEAD’ at Pellissippi State

Earning a degree takes hard work and a lot of time. So does raising a family and holding a job. Is it possible to do it all? At Pellissippi State Technical Community College, the answer is, “Definitely!”

Thanks to the college’s Accelerated Higher Education Associate’s Degree program, students can complete their Business Administration degree in 16 months.

Typically, earning an associate’s degree takes two years. For students who take only night classes, completing a degree can draw out much longer.

The AHEAD program, which begins its second year this fall, allows students to get their Associate of Applied Science degree in a shorter amount of time by providing hybrid classes: part of the work is done in the classroom during evening hours, and part is done online during the student’s own time.

Self-discipline is a definite asset to succeeding in the program, says Cynthia Dempster, dean of Business and Computer Technology. But the closeness of the AHEAD cohort has proven to be just as vital. The cohort is a group of students who enter the program and progress through the course sequence together.

“They have really bonded well and stuck together,” she said. “The cohort is a really important part of this program.”

The students even get together sometimes on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons to work together, says Dempster, and their dedication to the program is paying off.

Of the 27 students that started out in the cohort last fall, 20 remain in the program. After completing 18 hours fall 2007, the average AHEAD student’s grade point average was 3.5, she says. The group will finish the program’s degree requirements in December.

AHEAD students take two courses at a time. Most of the classes meet Tuesday and Thursday nights for five weeks, in addition to online or videotaped instruction.

Dempster cautions students not to be misled by the frequency of class time—a significant amount of the work is done outside the classroom.

Yet she is also quick to point out the benefits of working hard for a shorter duration: students graduate having built relationships and learned what they need to get “ahead” in their career—and they’ve done it all in a year and half.

For more information about the AHEAD program, visit www.pstcc.edu/ahead, call (865) 694-6400 or e-mail admissions@pstcc.edu.

Fall registration is going on now through Aug. 20, and the first class is Aug. 26. The cohort must have a minimum of 20 members in order to begin.

To learn more about Pellissippi State or to register online, visit www.pstcc.edu.

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