Rowan College at Burlington County to Offer Greater Access to BCIT Engineering Students

Rowan College at Burlington County is partnering with the Burlington County Institute of Technology to provide an engineering path for high school students, the college announced Wednesday morning.

It is also offering a new discount on certain online courses to high school students.

The college’s Board of Trustees approved each initiative on Tuesday as part of the college’s new College Head Start in High School, or CH2.

CH2 is aimed at reducing the time and cost required to attain a college degree.

It includes the existing College Acceleration Program, in which high school students earn college credit through high school instruction, and traditional dual enrollment by which high school students receive permission to take RCBC courses outside of their regular school day.

The Burlington County Institute of Technology Board of Education will vote on the measure later this month.
“The College Head Start in High Schools is a wonderful addition to our Rowan University connection that forms one of the country’s first seamless paths from high school diploma to associate and bachelor’s degree,” Rowan College at Burlington County President Paul Drayton said. “Research shows that giving high school students a head start toward their degree increases their grades, chances of attending college and, most importantly, earning a degree. For motivated students, the question is simple, ‘Why wait?’ Earn college credit now.”

Eligible BCIT students can enter the program, the Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology Academy, and earn more than 30 credits, which is more than halfway toward an associate degree in Electronics Engineering Technology.

College courses will be offered on the Burlington County Institute of Technology’s Medford campus, allowing students to complete their high school degree while starting their college degree at a much lower cost than at a four-year college.

Students in the program can graduate from Rowan College at Burlington County one year after their high school graduation.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to get closer to a college degree and a career in technology without high student debt,” incoming Burlington County Institute of Technology Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Nagy said. “We are proud to offer this innovative concept to our students who will get one step ahead toward their post-secondary degree through classroom instruction and hands-on laboratory experience. I thank Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Manno for his visionary leadership and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Todd G. Bonsall for his creative work to implement this extraordinary path for our students.”

Rowan College at Burlington County is one of about 100 community colleges in the nation accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and Rowan University’s Mechanical Engineering program was ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. News & World’s 2015 report for ABET-accredited programs whose highest engineering degree offered is a bachelor’s or master’s.

Burlington County Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio called the new path from BCIT to RCBC a perfect example of how county agencies should work together and share services.

“This is a home run for students,” Garganio said. “When two outstanding institutions team up, our students and their families win and we all benefit through a stronger county and regional economy through a well-educated and better-trained workforce.”

Students interested in learning more about the program can contact BCIT Director of Admissions Dr. Erin Conti at 609-267-4226, ext. 8245 or admissions@bcit.cc.

The college’s Board of Trustees also approved granting a 25 percent tuition discount to high school students taking 15 courses identified as ones that have had excess capacity and are applicable to degrees at Rowan College at Burlington County, Rowan University or other colleges.

“These are real college courses led by RCBC faculty that provide high school students flexibility to earn college credit without missing their regular classes or after-school activities,” Drayton said. “As a bonus, they will pay less than the regular RCBC tuition rate when RCBC is already the most affordable college in New Jersey. This is an incredible head start toward their degree at RCBC, Rowan University or just about any other institution.”

High school students interested in the online discount may contact RCBC’s Office of Outreach and Admissions (formerly Enrollment Services) at 856-222-3911, ext. 1199 or admissions@rcbc.edu.

Courses available in the 2016-2017 academic year include:

• Business (Personal Finance and Money Management, Small Business Management).
• Cinema (American Cinema).
• Criminal Justice (Police Operations and Procedures, Introduction to the Correctional System, Introduction to Court Systems, Criminal Investigation and Legal Rights of the Convicted).
• Education (Historical Foundations of American Education).
• Politics (American Government and Politics, State and Local Government, and Comparative Government and Politics).
• Psychology (Introduction to Psychology).
• Theatre (Introduction to Theatre).

“There is strategic alignment between these courses and featured programs in our Rowan Connection,” Senior Vice President and Provost Dr. David Spang said. “These courses will translate very well into our psychology and criminal justice tracts – both of which are available completely online and will soon be part of our innovative ‘3+1’ program that allows students to stay an extra year at Rowan College at Burlington County before finishing their fourth year at Rowan University.”

Rowan College at Burlington County is on schedule to be the first community college in New Jersey to offer junior-level courses in January.

The New Jersey Presidents’ Council approved the historic program earlier this month and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education is expected to provide input in July.

Psychology and law and justice will be among six initial offerings in 2017. Other programs include liberal studies, biology, general studies and nursing.

This initiative is one of Money Magazine’s top five tuition-discount programs in the country.

To learn more about CH2, visit rcbc.edu/CH2.

To learn more about the “3+1” program, visitrcbc.edu/rowan/3plus1.

The attached image was provided by Rowan College at Burlington County