Undecided majors provided plethora of specialty programs on NE
by Shannon Harrison, managing editor

    Part Two in a five-part series on TCC specialty programs

    NE Campus offers more than just a nuts and bolts approach to education through its specialty programs.

    These programs give students who do not know what they want to major in many options, and each TCC campus has its own courses that differ from the other campuses.

    On NE Campus, the child development program is designed to provide special training for adults interested in the care and training of young children.

    This program enables the student to graduate with a two-year Associate in Applied Science in child development degree or two one-year certificate programs.

    Students who graduate with a major in child development may find jobs in child care administration, pre-school child care, child life studies and childhood intervention programs.

    With a new program, students interested in pursing a career teaching pre-k through fourth grade may do so with an Associate of Arts in early childhood education.

    “I’m so glad that we have this new program,” Pati Cates, instructor of child development and director of the child center, said. “We’re giving students the basis for early child care, and it’s important for teachers to understand how children develop,” she said.

    This program has a huge demand, and students usually get hired as soon as they graduate. The starting average salary with no experience is $10-$15 an hour.

    The mental health program, only on NE Campus, is designed to provide students with knowledge and skills in the areas of mental health, mental retardation and drug and alcohol abuse.

    Students will need a two-year associate’s degree, 270 hours or six courses of education, 300 hours of practicum and 4,000 hours of experience before they test for a chemical dependency counselor license.

    To obtain their license from the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, students must complete their course work and have two years of experience.

    “We offer the full program on NE Campus,” Dolores Sutter, associate professor of mental health, said.

    “We encourage our students to get their degrees. Most of them move on to four-year universities, but they get a part-time job in the profession,” she said.

    Students may obtain employment with agencies that provide counseling services, rehabilitation training, chemical dependency treatment and psychiatric care.

    Students in the mental health field can also go into the criminal justice program.

    This program allows students to become probation officers, correction officers, police officers, parole officers, identification technicians, crime laboratory specialists, criminologists, security and safety officers, court administrators, public and private investigators and research and planning analysts.

    A few of these jobs can be obtained with two-year degrees, but most are for students planning on completing a baccalaureate degree.

    The starting salary for this profession in criminal justice is $22,000-$27,000 a year. Other mental health positions pay $15,000-$25,000 a year.

    “Mental health profession

    “I tell the students that if they are going into this for money, then they need to change professions. But if they’re going into it for the reward in helping people, then this is the job for them,” she said.

    The dental hygiene program is available for students who are interested in working in the field of dentistry.

    Students must graduate with a two-year associate degree to apply for a job in this field.

    “The hygienists practice on patients in the office on NE Campus,” Earlene Prince, secretary for the dental hygiene program, said. “Hygienists clean teeth, do preventive counseling and take x-rays.”

    The starting salary in this field is $30-$40 an hour.

    Emergency medical services provides properly trained personnel for fast and efficient emergency medical care for the sick and injured at the scene of an accident and during transport to the hospital.

    This two-year program provides certification.

    “It depends on the employer which program the student should apply to,” Jeffrey McDonald, instructor for the health and science program, said. “With both programs, the employee will make the same amount of money and do the same thing.”

    This is a demanding profession, and most students get jobs right after graduation, McDonald said.

    The starting salary for employees is about $45,000 a year.

    Fashion technology, which used to be called fashion merchandising, requires students to have a two-year degree or a 15-hour certificate.

    “The certificate is a stepping stone for students to get into sales associate positions, mainly merchandising,” Sally Proffitt, fashion instructor, said.

    “A two-year degree is more promotable, such as retail store management,” she said.

    “We are getting students to understand that we have moved up a pace to teach them what is happening in the technology part of fashion,” she said.

    “Students learn to read and interpret facts and numbers, pricing, merchandising, promotions and presentations,” she said.

    Proffitt said the program is broader than just retail.

    Graphic communications has a two-year associate program and three certificate programs.

    The first certificate is in electronic publication, which takes two semesters; computer graphics and photo imaging both require three semesters.

    “Most students either apply to get their associate’s or the computer graphics certificate,” Margaret Bucklew, graphic communication instructor, said. “The difference between them is that with the computer graphics, students are TASP exempt.”

    The certificate is geared for students who have a degree or who want to fast track into a profession.

    Most students can find employment in art departments, print shops or pre-press shops, or they can work for brokers or start their own business.

    “Our industry is geared toward looking at the students’ portfolio, seeing how much experience they have,” she said.

    “Students who graduate in this field usually get hired by recommendations. I usually suggest that students call and ask about employment,” she said.

    Starting salary for this profession is $12-$18 an hour.

    Legal assistant professions require a two-year associate degree or a four-year post baccalaureate certificate.

    Law firms, individual practitioners, corporate legal departments, utility companies, financial institutions, insurance companies, government agencies, union and hospitals employ graduates of this specialty program.

    “Legal assistants are the top seven fastest growing jobs in the industry,” Karen Silverberg, legal assistant professor, said.

    “There is a huge need for them. More courts are refusing to compensate lawyers for things that legal assistants can do,” the professor said.

    The starting salary for legal assistants is between $8 and $14 an hour in Tarrant County, $14 or higher in Dallas.

    The long-term care administration program is more of a post-graduate program.

    It is a comprehensive long-term care administration program that emphasizes the principles and practices of managing a nursing facility.

    “My students already have a bachelor, nursing or business degree and they are here to continue their education,” Princess Jackson, associate professor of long-term care, said.

    This course runs one semester.

    The physical therapist assistant program takes two years for a student to complete.

    After two years they take a state licensure exam before they can work with patients.

    Graduates are qualified to work in local hospitals or at sport medicine clinics.

    “Jobs continue to be available, and the need has increased over the past year,” Jill Pool, physical therapist instructor, said.

    “When physical therapists get new patients, they have to do an initial evaluation on them. Then they write up a treatment plan and give it to the physical therapist assistant,” she said.

    “The only thing that assistants can’t do is evaluations,” she said.

    Starting salary for physical therapist assistants is $30,000 a year.

Radio and television broadcasting offers a two-year degree and a one-year certificate.

    This program enables the student to develop skills essential to the media specialist.

    It provides training in the use of equipment, design and composition, the preparation of computer graphics with animation, applications of the computer in video production, producing, directing, performing for television, scriptwriting, lighting and set design.

    The certificates are in audio for video and in video production.

When students get their degrees, they can apply for jobs in broadcasting or become independent videographers.

    “College experience and a sense that the applicant has a background in the job is very important,” Jerry Zumwalt, instructor of radio and television, said.

    “Some of the students take classes and transfer to a four-year university, but a lot of our students go straight into the radio or television field,” he said.

    During the program, students are provided work experience in an internship to suit their interests and career goals.

    Starting salary is $8-$13 an hour.

    Radiologic technologists require a two-year degree.

    “We teach students how to produce radiographs or medical images,” Mark Holt, associate professor of radiologic technology program, said. “They assist doctors in doing exams.”

    There is a high need for people in this profession, and students usually get hired after graduation.

    Starting salary is $15 an hour.

    The respiratory care program requires a two-year degree and is one of the fastest growing health care professions.

    Professionals in this field play a direct role in the treatment of lung disease.

    Under supervision of a physician, the graduates administer therapy, perform diagnostic tests, assure proper functioning of therapy equipment and play a major role in the treatment of critically ill patients.

    “We assist physicians in diagnosing treatments for lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis,” John Hiser, associate professor of health and science, said.

    During their two years, the students spend two to three days assisting in the hospital.
    “There is a 100 percent placement. I have been here for 23 years, and the students always find jobs,” he said.

    Graduates from this program are likely to be employed in a general hospital, home care or pediatric hospital facility.

    Surgical technology requires an 11-month certificate.

    Employees work in the operating room with surgeons as assistants or in a labor and delivery room.

    If students choose to get their bachelor degree, they can work in pharmaceutical sales or medical supply sales.

    “A lot of employees remain certified surgical technologists, and with a couple of years’ experience, they can become certified first assistants,” Robin Miner, assistant professor of health sciences, said.

    “To become first assistant, they will have to take a few more classes,” she said.

    “The program is also involved with mentoring other students,” she said. “They bring six graders to the lab for a day and show them what they do.”

    The real estate program can be earned through a certificate or a two-year degree.

    Students interested in the certificate program must complete five courses in order to establish eligibility to take the Texas Real Estate licensure exam.

    “Students who do the certificate program can only perform real  estate under a sponsor of someone with a broker’s license,” Ken West, real estate instructor, said.

    “Students who choose the two-year associate degree are tailored to satisfy the Texas State regulation to get a brokerage license,” he said.

    Students who go into this field can take jobs dealing with time-shares, auctioning real estate and selling houses.

    “A person cannot operate independently unless they have a broker’s license,” he said.
    “Seventy-five percent of students are working toward their sales license; then when they get in the business, 10 percent of them come back for their broker’s license,” he said.
    The starting salary for a real estate sales license is straight commission, but with a broker’s license a person can make $200,000-$500,000 a year, West said.

    “This profession is in high demand, especially in Texas, and for such a high-paying job, an individual needs such little college education,” he said.

    Students interested in any of these courses may pick up pamphlets in the business service office on NE Campus.