Want to get started on a technical college education while still in high school? You can, through Georgia’s dual-enrollment program.
“Dual enrollment lets you take college-level courses at either your local technical college or at your high school, earning credits toward your high school diploma and a college degree at the same time,” said Kathryn Hornsby, assistant commissioner for the Technical College System of Georgia. “One of the best things about this program is that students are taught about fields that interest them — by college faculty.”
Students can enroll in classes in business, health care, construction arts, culinary arts, pre-engineering, computer technology, manufacturing, criminal justice and automotive repair. A student interested in a health care career might take nursing assistant courses to learn basic clinical skills, anatomy and medical terminology, for example.
One dual-enrollment opportunity is an articulation agreement between the DeKalb County School District and Georgia Piedmont Technical College. DeKalb high school students enrolled in the engineering graphics and design career pathway can move seamlessly into Georgia Piedmont’s computer graphics and design-drafting technology program. Students can earn up to 16 college credits, reducing the time it takes them to earn an associate degree.
“I see so much enthusiasm in our dual-enrolled students,” Hornsby said. “They are self-confident, because they are proving to themselves that they can handle a college education and they are getting a head start on what they want to do. It’s a positive way to begin a college education.”
In 2011, there were 5,535 Georgia students in dual-enrollment courses. Dual-enrollment credits are paid for by the HOPE grant, and the money used for those courses does not count toward the total HOPE scholarship or grant funds that Georgia students can use in college for undergraduate studies.
“In this struggling economy, there’s no reason for parents not to take advantage of dual enrollment to save money on a college education,” Hornsby said.
Eligible high school students can also take dual-enrollment classes with the colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia.
To learn more about dual enrollment, students and parents should talk to high school counselors and college advisors. They can also go to www.tcsg.edu or www.gacollege411.org.
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