Six students piloting through an Aviation and Operations Management program are getting ready for their educational careers to take off.

Oregon Institute of Technology and Central Oregon Community College will see the first six COCC Aviation students to enter their senior year and prepare to graduate from OIT with bachelor's degrees in Operations Management in June 2010. Because bachelor's degree graduates of flight training programs have many more options for jobs and careers in the aviation industry, this partnership will give graduates a competitive advantage.

OIT and COCC have worked together over the past four years to facilitate career pathways for Oregon residents who start at a community college and finish at the Oregon Institute of Technology. In the 2006-2007 academic year, OIT entered into a community college strategic partnership with COCC. OIT and COCC signed an articulation agreement so that students completing an associate degree at COCC in Aviation could transfer their credits and obtain a bachelor's degree in Operations Management at OIT. This online program enabled COCC's Aviation students to complete a convenient and high quality bachelor's degree.

The first cohort of COCC Aviation graduates entered the online OM degree program in the fall of 2008. Now, the first six COCC Aviation students are entering their senior year and are on track to graduate in June 2010.

"OIT has a unique niche in the market," said OIT Professor Ralph Gibbs. "We are helping community college students start their degrees at their local community college and then finish at OIT. They get lower cost, high transferability of credits and the quality of education from both institutions."

"This partnership provides enhanced opportunities for our aviation students," said Diana
Glenn, instructional dean at COCC. "Building on the strength of the first two years provided at COCC, graduates of this program will be ready to enter into fulfilling careers due to OIT's Operations Management program."

Klamath Falls