Gateway Students Can Pursue Bachelors Degree in Online Program at Bismarck State College

Gateway Community & Technical College and Bismarck (North Dakota) State College have signed an agreement that allows Gateway students who earn an associate in applied science degree in Energy Technologies to transfer to BSCs online bachelor of applied science degree program in Energy Management.

The agreement is one of many new transfer options available to students who graduate from Gateway and provides them with yet another avenue to pursue what I call the value-engineered bachelors degree, said Dr. Ed Hughes, Gateway president/CEO.

Value engineering generally means that experts find ways to re-engineer processes and products to build something better, faster, cheaper and still with high quality, Hughes explained. Because of our affordable tuition and high quality instruction, students can earn an associate degree at Gateway and then transfer to complete a bachelors degree, in many cases faster than usual, but in all cases at less cost and with the same high quality of instruction.

The Gateway AAS degree in Energy Technologies provides students with the foundation to build a long-term future in the energy industry. The degree and related certifications prepare students to work as entry-level utility apprentices, groundpersons, transformer/relay technicians, utility line technicians, outside plant technicians, smart grid technicians, assistant controls system technicians, residential energy auditors, energy managers, and solar/photovoltaic installers.

The BSC bachelors program, offered entirely online, builds upon this foundation and is designed for people who are interested in supervisory and management positions in the energy industry. Such positions in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati area can pay an average of $80,000 to $100,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To enroll at Gateway, call 1-855-3GO-GCTC (855-346-4282) or visit http://gateway.kctcs.edu/Admissions. For information about Gateway's many transfer programs, contact Mike Rosenberg, director of transfer, at (859) 815-7681.

"More and more people are recognizing the benefits of the value-engineering approach to higher education," Hughes said. "Applications to Gateway are a record high."

Gateway's fall semester begins Aug. 18, and the college is currently admitting new students.