Project and Acquisitions Management BAS
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Bachelor of Science in Education

 

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Schedule an advising appointment now! Call the Bachelor of Science in Education Program office, (850) 729-6440, or Dr. Diane Hodgins, (850) 729-6485.

Important: Please use the menu on the right to view Admission Requirements as well as Florida Teaching Certificate Exam (FTCE) Schedules as soon as possible.

 

Applications Now Being Accepted for Fall & Spring Term Bachelor's in Education Program

Dr. Samanth DawsonNorthwest Florida State College is now accepting applications for admission to the college's two new degrees in Elementary Education and Middle Grades Math and Science Education. Students may begin classes in the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 terms. Applications for admission are accepted on a year-round basis. Program information and admissions applications are available on the menu to the right. The new Elementary Education degree also offers the opportunity for endorsements in Reading and English as a Second Language instruction. For more information on the OWC Bachelor of Science in Education programs, call (850) 729-6440.

Photo: Dr. Samantha Dawson, the lead OWC professor in Teacher Education, shown left.

Two New Bachelors in Education Degrees
Approved by State Board For OWC

TALLAHASSEE,FL -- The Florida Board of Education approved two new bachelors’ degrees in teacher education for Northwest Florida State College February 20, 2007. OWC proposals for the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and the Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Math and Science Education were both approved. The new OWC degrees will also offer the opportunity for endorsements in reading and English as a Second Language instruction.

“We are simply elated that we’ll be able to expand our baccalaureate offerings to help meet the regional and statewide need for more teachers,” said Dr. Bob Richburg, OWC President, in a statement phoned from the state capital shortly after the OWC proposals were approved.  Richburg noted that OWC’s proposals were among those from five other Florida community colleges that were each seeking additional bachelor’s degree authority from the state.

“Of the 13 bachelor’s proposals up for approval from the 5 colleges, 9 proposals were for education degrees. All 13 of the proposals were granted approval. This speaks volumes about how state community colleges that hold bachelor’s degree accreditation are stepping up to the plate to meet critical workforce needs for Florida,” said Richburg.

State officials estimate that 20,000 new teachers will be needed in Florida each year for the next 10 to 15 years. The state’s universities and independent institutions produce about 6,000 education degree graduates each year.

With state approval now in hand to move forward, OWC will finalize curriculum and staffing requirements necessary to offer the two new bachelors’ degrees in education and plans to begin the programs in the Fall 2008 semester.

OWC was accredited as a bachelor's degree granting institution in 2004. Since then, the college has admitted more than 500 students into its bachelor’s degree program in management and to a joint program with the University of West Florida for the bachelor’s in nursing. To date, 54 OWC students have graduated with a bachelor's degree through the two programs and 42 more are slated to graduate in May.

"We’ve learned from OWC's resounding success with our current baccalaureate programs that the demand may be greater than we anticipate,” said Dr. Jill White, OWC Senior Vice President for Instruction. “Our proposal calls for 50 students in the first class, but we need to put a program in place that can meet an even greater demand.”  White noted that initial projections for the college’s Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Projects Management called for far fewer than the nearly 500 students who have been admitted to the BAS program to date.

White noted that while authority for Florida community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees has been established in Florida statute since 2001, a recent agreement* signed January 10 by the State Board of Education and the State University System's Board of Governors was seen by many as helping pave the way for the large number of additional bachelors’ programs that were approved at Tuesday’s State Board of Education meeting.

Through the recently signed agreement, the boards that govern universities and community colleges agreed that the state’s community colleges should be authorized to offer four-year degrees in the fields of nursing, teaching and applied sciences without opposition from the university system. The two boards also agreed to ask the Legislature to modify state law to further define and clarify the role of community colleges to offer four-year degrees in the three fields.

"Florida's university system will always remain as the primary way for students to earn a bachelor's degree," Community College Chancellor David Armstrong said in a statement* issued January 18. "But in the case of professions where our state has the greatest need - nursing, teaching and applied sciences - Florida's community college system provides a viable and accessible option."

Seven of Florida's 28 community colleges have baccalaureate degree authority and currently offer four-year degrees: Chipola, Daytona Beach, Edison, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa-Walton, St. Petersburg, and Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Of these, three colleges, St. Petersburg, Miami-Dade and Chipola already offer various bachelors in education degrees.