OTC signs agreement with online college

Ozarks Technical Community College has entered into an agreement with Adelphi, Md.-based University of Maryland University College, a largely online educational institution, to allow OTC students to easily transfer into UMUC.

The agreement allows students who receive an associate of arts degree at OTC to  seamlessly transfer to a UMUC bachelor's degree program, said Joel Doepker, OTC director of communications and marketing.

The agreement also enables dual enrollment at both schools, he said.

"It affords our students another educational opportunity," Doepker said, noting the ease of access it would allow for traveling students. "Certainly, it benefits those students who are in the military or their spouses."

While this isn't the first time OTC has signed an agreement with another college, it marks the first time is has made an online education agreement, Doepker said.

OTC enrollment is up more than 15 percent in the fall semester, with 2,327 students taking the majority of their classes online and 4,104 students taking at least one online class, according to a news release.

"UMUC is an international leader in online instruction, and we are pleased to have this new opportunity for our students," OTC President Hal Higdon said in the release.

UMUC President Susan Aldridge visited OTC's Springfield campus Nov. 29 to sign the agreement.

UMUC, which was founded in 1947, serves more than 90,000 students worldwide and has classroom locations in Washington D.C., Europe and Asia, according to its Web site.
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