The institution demonstrates that program length is appropriate for each of the degrees offered. (Program Length Appropriate to Degree)

  X    Compliance         Partial Compliance         Non-Compliance

Narrative: As reported in Compliance Review Document: Core Requirement 2.7.1, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCtech) offers eighteen associate degree programs. The educational programs to which academic credit is awarded are delivered consistently throughout the campus. All programs follow the policies of the institution and the established program models of the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE) in accordance with South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) regulations.

The appropriateness of program length is established according to guidelines from SBTCE on program development, as well as by each program’s respective accrediting agency. The SBTCE ensures that programs provided at state technical colleges use the program curriculum as set forth in the state curriculum standards. The approval process for new program development requires a thorough and collaborative study that allows program length to be determined according to discipline-specific needs. Program length is then subjected to review at various levels of both the local campus and the SBTCE office. Formal review of program length is conducted at OCtech by the OCtech Curriculum Committee and the Orangeburg-Calhoun Area Technical Education Commission. Only those programs that have been approved by the OCtech Curriculum Committee, the Area Commission, the SBTCE, and the CHE are offered at the College. Additionally, instructional guidelines set forth by national accrediting bodies are followed for applicable programs.

A semester credit hour is fifteen hours of instruction in lectures, forty-five hours of laboratory activity, and longer periods for educational experiences such as clinical or cooperative courses. Associate degree programs require sixty to eighty-four credit hours. Diploma programs require forty to fifty-two credit hours. Certificate programs must fall between eight and forty credit hours.

Evidence of Support: