Workforce Programs

Certificate Programs

Certificate programs are workforce education programs consisting of 15-51 credit hours.

The Level One and Level Two Certificate programs are designed to prepare students with the competencies necessary to enter a technical or professional field and are normally a building block toward an A.A.S. degree.

Level One Certificates (CT1) consist of 15-42 credit hours and are Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Exempt.

Level Two Certificates (CT2) consist of 30-51 credit hours and are TSI Liable.

Level Three Certificates (Enhanced Skills Certificates) are optional certificates associated with an A.A.S. degree program intended to provide advanced skills, identified by a business and industry, which are not part of the degree. These certificates consist of 6-12 credit hours.

Advanced Technical Certificates have a defined associate or baccalaureate degree as a prerequisite for admission and are designed to be focused, clearly related to the prerequisite degree, and justifiable to meet industry or external agency requirements. These certificates consist of 16-45 credit hours.

Associate of Applied Science Degree (A.A.S.)

An Associate of Applied Science degree is awarded upon completion of a prescribed program of study of 60 credit hours in a technical or professional field. A.A.S. curricula are designed to enable the student to master competencies required to enter an occupation with marketable skills upon graduation.

Specialization

Some A.A.S. degrees offer curricula variations that allow students to specialize.  The specialty does not result in a different A.A.S. degree, but allows the student to focus on a specific area within their chosen field.

General Education Requirements

All workforce education students at STC are required to complete a minimum of 15 credit hours in general education courses before receiving an A.A.S. degree.

These 15 credit hours of general education courses must include at least one course in each of the following three areas: humanities/fine arts; social/behavioral sciences; and mathematics/natural sciences.