Cumberlands offers high school students college credit in IT courses

University of the Cumberlands’ (UC) School of Computer & Information Sciences has partnered with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to provide Kentucky high school students with the opportunity to earn college credit for high school Information Technology (IT) courses.

Cumberlands is the first university in Kentucky to start this kind of program, an articulation agreement that could potentially impact 12,000 high schoolers across the Commonwealth. This articulation will not charge the students for courses taken at the high school level, giving more students in the state the opportunity to benefit from this program and their academic achievements.

“It’s a great opportunity for someone to walk in with up to a semester’s worth of credits,” said Scott U’Sellis, an IT/Media Arts Consultant with the KDE. “It’s a huge leg up for our students since we are really trying to help them manage the cost of college. We may get students who never even considered attending a university, and this gives them the opportunity to get that higher education.”

This articulation is a statewide agreement specific to Cumberlands. This means that any high schooler in Kentucky who is involved in an IT “career pathway” track in school can take any IT course outlined in UC’s written agreement, and once that student has earned six credit hours at Cumberlands, those IT classes they took in high school will be counted as college credit on their UC transcript.

Additionally, once a student has taken three career pathway classes, they are eligible to take a Kentucky Occupational Skill Standard Assessment (KOSSA) exam. These are program-specific certification exams. Cumberlands has agreed that, if a student passes one of the five KOSSA exams for IT, that student will receive college credit for that exam, as well as for the high school IT classes they pass.

“We are excited to partner with KDE to provide a pathway for all students that will deliver a quality education that prepares them for high-wage, high-demand jobs in the information technology field,” said Lois McWhorter, Director of Special Projects & Innovation. “This agreement recognizes the value of the training students receive within Kentucky's high schools and area technology centers. University of the Cumberlands is proud to be a part of this exciting and innovative partnership.”

Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, the University of the Cumberlands is an institution of regional distinction offering quality undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and online degree programs. Learn more at ucumberlands.edu.