The College Credit for Heroes program seeks to maximize college credit awarded to veterans and service members for their military experience, helping veterans and service members obtain their degrees and certifications more quickly and expedite their entry into the workforce.
Administered by the Texas Workforce Commission, seven community colleges were selected in 2011 to help create standards for assessing military training that can be used by any college in Texas with emphasis on allied health programs. In May 2013 Phase II of the College Credit for Heroes program began. Phase II expands the initiative to other professions and regions in Texas, including six new partner schools.
Phase I College Partners
Alamo Colleges
Central Texas College
Houston Community College
Lee College
Lone Star College
San Jacinto College
Temple College
Phase II College Partners
Alamo Colleges
Angelo State University
Austin Community College District
Central Texas College
Dallas County Community College District
Grayson College
Lee College
Lone Star College System
San Jacinto Community College District
Tarrant County College District
Texas State Technical College Harlingen
Phase I College Partners Projects
The following Texas colleges laid the groundwork to create standardized practices for awarding veterans and servicemembers college credits or certifications based on their military experience.
Veterans Associate Degree Programs
Alamo Colleges developed an Associate of Applied Science degree in health professions to streamline transferable credit and accelerate attainment of the degree for veterans and servicemembers. Alamo Colleges also developed a career mobility track program providing veterans and servicemembers an accelerated path to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing. For more information contact Thermajean Jones, (210) 486-5898 or [email protected].
Online Military Evaluation System
Central Texas College developed the online College Credit for Heroes portal for veterans and servicemembers to receive college credit hours with an official transcript that can be used by colleges throughout the state. For more information contact Brigitte Flynt, (254) 501-3000 or [email protected].
Accelerated Alternate Delivery Program
Houston Community College developed and implemented an accelerated refresher program for surgical technicians who were trained in the military to sit for the national accrediting exam and receive credit toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in Allied Health. For more information contact Christine Castillo, (712) 718-7362 or [email protected].
Lee College
Lee College developed an Education Plan for Veterans in which they identified, developed and supported methods to maximize college credit for veterans and servicemembers using prior learning assessments and credit by examination. For more information about the Model Program for Individual Education Plan for Veterans, contact Ehab Mustafa at (832) 556-4302 or [email protected].
Texas Inter-College Council on Veterans and Best Practices
Lone Star College convened and organized the Texas Inter-College Council on Veterans, composed of representatives from the seven colleges participating in the College Credit for Heroes program, and outlined their findings in fall 2012. For more information about the Texas Inter-College Council on Veterans and Best Practices, contact Tina Dealy at (281) 290-2754 or [email protected].
San Jacinto Community College District
Allied Health Programs Analysis Project and Summit
San Jacinto College developed a comprehensive analysis of allied health profession offerings at all Texas community colleges, and in spring 2012 outlined its analyses of training gaps, existing and needed transfer credit opportunities, barriers to awarding credit for military experience, and external barriers such as certification, licensing or accreditation processes. For more information about the Allied Health Programs Analysis Project and Summit, please contact Amy Ammerman at (281) 459-7175 or [email protected].
Accelerated Emergency Services Program for Veterans
Temple College developed and implemented an accelerated program in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for veterans and servicemembers with military medical experience. For more information about the Accelerated Emergency Services Program for Veterans, please contact Jeff Fritz at (254) 298-8563 or [email protected].
Phase II College Partners Projects
Six new schools were added to the second phase of the program and five colleges from the College Credit for Heroes inaugural phase have been awarded additional funding to expand their offerings to veteran students.
Accelerated Associate’s Degree in Respiration Technology and Health Information Technology Speciality Tracks
Alamo Colleges is developing a new accelerated associate’s degree in respiration technology and certificates in information security and assurance. Alamo Colleges will continue implementation of health information technology specialty tracks in occupation therapy, radiology, and medical laboratory, and accelerated registered nurse career mobility track training. For more information contact Thermajean Jones at (210) 486-5898 or [email protected].
Accelerated Pathways to Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Security Fields
Angelo State University is developing five articulation agreements with select community colleges to create accelerated pathways to bachelor’s and master’s degrees and fast track certificates in areas such as border security, cyber security, intelligence, and security studies and analysis. The Veterans Educational and Transitional Services (VETS) Center will help veterans and servicemembers transition to university campus by providing academic, social and financial aid support. For more information contact Susan Williams at (325) 486-6682 or [email protected].
Austin Community College District
Accelerated Pathways to Certifications in Advanced Technology Fields
Austin Community College District (ACC) is developing streamlined curricula for four of the school’s certification programs in energy, information technology, manufacturing and advanced technologies and computer technology. ACC will standardize and streamline the evaluation of military training for all veteran students. For more information contact Tomi Welch at (512) 223-7018 or [email protected].
College Credit for Heroes Online Military Evaluation System
Central Texas College (CTC) is expanding the evaluation of military education experiences to college credits for all service branches to include Coast Guard and providing veterans and servicemembers an official evaluation of their military training and experiences. CTC will continue its expansion to standardize evaluation of college credit for military training and experience across Texas institutions. For more information contact Brigitte Flynt at (254) 501-3000 or [email protected].
Dallas County Community College District
Veteran Success through Accelerated IT Career Pathways
The Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) is developing accelerated career paths for industry certification in information technology and an optional Internet marketing specialist certificate, allowing qualified veterans to complete an associate’s degree in 18 months and earn workforce certifications in as little as 10 months at all seven DCCCD colleges in the Greater Dallas area. For more information contact Joyce Williams at (214) 378-1746 or [email protected].
Accelerated Degrees and Certifications in Advanced Technologies
Grayson College is developing a cross-matching system to award course credit for military training to accelerate degree and certification programs for veteran students in high-demand areas, such as advanced technologies and manufacturing. For more information about the programs being developed at Grayson College, please contact Cindy J. Powell at (903) 415-2606 or [email protected].
Accelerated Manufacturing and Logistics Certifications and Associate Degree Programs
Lee College is developing a new associate’s degree and certification programs in accelerated manufacturing skills standards for council logistics and supply chain management. For more information contact Ehab Mustafa at (832) 556-4302 or [email protected].
Fast Track-Field Service Technician Marketable Skills Award toward Oil Field Certification
The Lone Star College System is developing and implementing a fast track engineering technician marketable skills award certification program to prepare veterans for jobs in the oil and natural gas industry. For more information about programs being developed at Lone Star College, please contact Tina Dealy at (281) 290-2754 or [email protected].
San Jacinto Community College District
Veterans’ IT Fast Track to Employment Program
The San Jacinto Community College District (SJCCD) is developing and implementing the Veteran’s Information Technology Fast Track to Employment project to provide credentials supporting the information technology career cluster. SJCCD will seek an articulation agreement with Western Governor’s University to accept credits awarded to participants to continue their studies toward a bachelor’s degree. For more information contact Lydia Chavez-Garcia at (281) 542-2060 or [email protected].
Tarrant County College District
Fire Technology
The Tarrant County College District is developing streamlined basic firefighter and advanced firefighter certifications and associate’s degree programs for fire investigation technology and fire production technology. For more information contact Arrick Jackson at (817) 515-7770 or [email protected].
Texas State Technical College Harlingen
Streamlined Certification and Associate’s Degree in Wind Energy Technology
Texas State Technical College (TSTC)-Harlingen is developing a streamlined Level II certification and an associate’s degree in wind energy technology. A Veterans Resource Center will be created to help transition veterans and servicemembers to the college campus and civilian workforce. For more information contact Steve Guevara at (956) 364-4338 or [email protected]