The CollEDGE program, designed specifically in the debut year for those interested in the lab
science technician, general education, or nursing programs. This program is a collaboration between CESA 3 and Southwest Tech. All courses in the CollEDGE Up program are taught by Southwest Tech faculty.
For high school students with an interest in the lab science technician field, he or she would begin the program during the junior year. Following high school graduation, the student would complete a two-credit internship fulfilling the 29-credit requirement, earning a technical diploma.
The CollEDGE Up nursing program is designed for sophomores to start with foundation courses. As a junior, the student would take the first semester of Southwest Tech’s nursing curriculum. The second semester curriculum would be taken during the student’s senior year and would then enter Southwest Tech as a second-year nursing student. The students who successfully complete this nursing program will avoid a wait list for the Southwest Tech nursing program.
The third track of the CollEDGE Up program is Gear Up – General Education. Students in this track can earn up to 18 transferable college credits while enrolled in high school. Courses offered this fall include Introduction to Psychology, Economics, and Statistics. Spring courses include Introduction to Sociology, Speech, and Written Communication. The Gear Up classes were established in conjunction with the Universal Credit Transfer Agreement.
The general education programs are taught in an academy format, delivered via online technology at the student’s high school during their junior and senior years. The students meet twice weekly with the Southwest Tech instructor via Internet video technology for live lectures. The other class times are spent online, separate from the other classmates or instructor.
The lab science and nursing programs require the students to attend some classes on the
Southwest Tech campus.
Students receive both high school credit and technical college credit for these courses. They are considered a high school student as well as a Southwest Tech student in these courses.