By Addison Chrivia, Managing Editor
While many students have been using this summer to relax, Pellissippi State Community College has been working hard adding new programs, majors, and other additions to give students the best opportunities possible.
The Tennessee Board of Regents developed eight new exciting pathways that were added, allowing students to easily transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree in their chosen field after Pellissippi State. These include: Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Fermentation, Kinesiology, Urban Studies, and teaching Middle School in English, Math, Science, or History.
What in the world is a fermentation degree? You may ask yourself, and the Pellissippi State website answers that it explores “how microorganisms (yeast, bacteria) are used to produce food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels.” Available on all campuses, this degree is an interesting major for anyone going into food science! Kinesiology is similarly specific in that the student is focused on a specific niche, in this case physical health, and all that comes with it: nutrition, anatomy, exercise, and physical therapy
Of the engineering pathways, Civil Engineering is more focused on construction, creating the complicated technology that’s used by everyone every day! If this interests you, the Civil Engineering and Construction program allows more hands-on experience, allowing students to experience the workforce directly. Electrical engineering, as you can guess by the name, is more focused on electronics, such as robots, circuits, programming, etc. Last but not least is Mechanical Engineering, which has broader applications, working in anything from nuclear, manufacturing, automotive, to aerospace engineering and more.
These next three programs were added to the Course Catalog, but have yet to have dedicated pages on the website, so information is limited. The new Middle School teaching pathways allow rising teachers the ability to have a more specific road to their future career, without losing any of their credit! For all you math nerds, there is the physics degree, and finally urban studies. Urban studies is the interdisciplinary study of cities, understanding their history, economy, and how they affect society and people.
For those looking to test out of classes, a cheap and time-saving option in comparison to classes, Pellissippi State now offers CLEP testing. This allows students to self-study and pay only $30 to take a test and get full credit! There are currently over twenty classes offered, including literature courses, math, business, languages, history, economics, and psychology.
Finally, three certifications were added: Communication I, Paralegal Studies, and Mental Health Technician. Certifications are excellent for resumes and show mastery of skills related directly to working, giving proof of experience as well as education. The Communication certification is applicable across many fields, excellent for those looking for more management roles. The Paralegal certification gives those looking to enter the field a very focused education, allowing students to be confident in joining the workforce. Last but certainly not least, the Mental Health Certification gives students in psychology the opportunity for an internship and capstone project, learning alongside professionals and applying their knowledge directly to real-life experiences.
All of these new additions to Pellissippi State just show how much the school is growing and constantly improving itself, and helping students themselves grow and be their best selves. Focusing more on what students actually need, preparing for the workforce, lining them up for education beyond Pellissippi State, and providing affordable and amazing education. What a great way to start off the semester, with a wide range of opportunities for students new and old!
