CCU, HGTC Team Up for Teacher Education
Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College have established
a teacher education transfer agreement aimed at addressing a teacher shortage in Horry
and Georgetown counties. The agreement creates an Associate Degree in Applied Science
in Teacher Education at HGTC, the first of its kind in South Carolina. After completing
the two-year degree, aspiring teachers will be able to transfer to CCU to earn a bachelor’s
degree from the Spadoni College of Education in just two years.
“We are happy to not only strengthen our partnership with Horry-Georgetown with this endeavor, but to also create yet another pathway for students to become qualified, successful educators,” said Ralph Byington, CCU provost.
The partnership smooths the transition for education students and provides substantial cost savings along the way. All the credits earned at HGTC will transfer to CCU. Students who fulfill all the other requirements for enrollment at CCU will be able to complete one of the following programs: early childhood education, elementary education, middle level education, special education (multicategorical) or physical education.
“The coursework students will take at HGTC will fully prepare them for the entrance exams and work they’ll be expected to complete at Coastal,” said Ed Jadallah, dean of CCU’s Spadoni College of Education. He said the program is just one of the ways the institutions are working to prepare more and better teachers for South Carolina schools.
“This program addresses some of the supply and demand issues we are facing in the state of South Carolina when it comes to teachers,” Jadallah said. “Working closely with HGTC, we are making sure that the quality of both programs ensures we are producing highly qualified, effective teachers.”
This is not the first time CCU and HGTC have teamed up. More than 15 transfer agreements already exist between the two schools. The Bridge Program, administered jointly by HGTC and CCU, is a residential program that helps students improve their academic skills and meet the admission requirements of CCU by providing support for the transition from high school to college and emphasizing learning in an active community of teacher-scholars.
“The partnership between HGTC and CCU was created in an effort to combat the teacher shortage South Carolina and our local area are facing,” said Jennifer Wilbanks, vice president of academic affairs at HGTC. “Flexible options will be offered to assist students, including a three-year accelerated cohort option as well as online courses to accommodate busy schedules.”
The program will be available beginning Fall 2019, pending appropriate approvals.
To learn more about the program, contact program chair Becky Hubbard at 843-349-7117 or rebecca.hubbard@hgtc.edu.