Graduates of Ozarks Technical Community College’s aviation program will have the opportunity to transfer seamlessly into Missouri State University’s Bachelor of General Studies program thanks to a new articulation agreement established between the two institutions.
OTC’s first cohort of aviation students began their training this fall. The college’s two-year program prepares students to enter the workforce as commercial pilots. Graduates are qualified to fly aircraft professionally for purposes including charter flights, firefighting, rescue operations and aerial photography. OTC’s new agreement with Missouri State will allow these graduates to pursue a bachelor’s degree, which is one of several requirements needed to obtain an Airline Transport Pilot License.
“This agreement with Missouri State provides more value to the aviation students entering our program,” said Dr. Tracy McGrady, OTC’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Following completion of their commercial pilot license and associate degree, our students now have a new path to earn the bachelor’s degree they’ll need if they choose to become airline pilots.”
Missouri State’s Bachelor of General Studies degree (BGS) is an interdisciplinary degree that requires completion of coursework in two or three departments in place of one major or a major with a minor. Through the new articulation agreement, OTC aviation students will have the opportunity to meet with Missouri State advisors early in their associate program to create an academic plan, which will allow these students to explore potential BGS subject areas and enroll in the affiliated prerequisite courses at OTC.
“We look forward to working with the OTC aviation students and appreciate the opportunity to help them accomplish their goals,” said Rachelle Darabi, Missouri State’s associate provost for student development and public affairs.
This articulation agreement is the second aviation articulation agreement signed between OTC and a four-year institution. Earlier this year, OTC announced a partnership with Drury University that allowed aviation program graduates to seamlessly transfer into two bachelor’s degree programs through Drury University’s College of Continuing and Professional Studies.
For more information about OTC’s aviation program, visit otc.edu/aviation.
