OTC adds, restructures degree programs

Ozarks Technical Community College is adding and restructuring degree programs for the 2021-22 academic year.

The largest change is the addition of the new OTC Center for Public Safety, which will serve as an umbrella for five programs, according to a news release.

"Part of OTC's mission is to strengthen the communities we serve, and these changes work toward that end," Chancellor Hal Higdon said in the release.

The OTC Center for Public Safety will comprise the newly created, online-only emergency management and disaster preparedness program; fire science technology; paramedicine; the school's Center of Excellence for Medical Simulation; and criminal justice.

The long-term plan calls on the programs to be housed in one physical location, though they will start out in separate buildings, according to the release.

The other two degree program changes tie in to the $40 million Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing that's under construction at OTC's Springfield campus.

The new cybersecurity program will be housed in the Plaster Center when the project is completed, according to the release. The two-year program will earn students an associate degree in cybersecurity.

Additionally, OTC is rebranding its industrial systems technology program to mechatronics, a term emerging as the industry standard for automation, robotics, and the design, installation and maintenance of logic control systems. OTC officials said the change was made "in anticipation of the opening of the Plaster manufacturing center."

The OTC changes take effect July 1, according to the release.