The institution ( General Degree Program Requirements ) offers one or more degree programs based on at least 60 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the associate level; at least 120 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the baccalaureate level; or at least 30 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the post-baccalaureate, graduate, or professional level. The institution provides a written justification and rationale for program equivalency. ( Program Length )

     X    Compliance         Partial Compliance         Non-Compliance

Narrative: Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCtech) offers eighteen associate degree programs that adhere to the South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBCTE) standards. These standards mandate that Associate Degree programs must consist of a minimum of sixty semester credit hours and a maximum of eighty-four semester credit hours. State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Policy 3-1-101: Structure of Associate Degree, Diploma, and Certificate Programs and the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Procedure 3-1-101.1: Structure of Associate Degree, Diploma, and Certificate Programs require that the range of semester credit hours shall be standardized as follows:

Associate Degree programs: 60-84 semester credit hours
Diploma programs: 41-52 semester credit hours
Certificate programs: 8-40 semester credit hours

Degree requirements for each of the OCtech associate degree programs are fully described on pages 105-183 of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Catalog, 2004. All programs are based on SBTCE program models and the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Catalog of Approved Courses. All final OCtech program models have been approved in writing by the SBTCE. Further evidence that OCtech successfully adheres to these requirements and approved state and local models is found in the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Program Evaluation for OCtech.

OCtech provides written justification and rationale for program equivalency through its defined and published policies for evaluating and accepting academic credit as found on pages 20-31 of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Catalog, 2004. The published policy is consistent with the OCtech Mission and the South Carolina statutes regarding transfer as defined in the Regulations and Procedures for Transfer in Public Two-Year and Public Four-Year Institutions in South Carolina.

Evidence of Support: