Louisiana Tech University’s Academic Success Center (ASC) in Bossier City will soon be able to offer students in the Shreveport-Bossier area additional opportunities to complete their undergraduate degrees close to home.

Open for just about a year, the ASC has been offering classes but students were not able to complete their degrees solely in that location. With the authorization from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Louisiana Tech’s regional accrediting body, the University is able to expand its offerings so that students will have the opportunity to complete their four-year degrees at the ASC.

“This distinction brings with it the opportunity to explore programmatic offerings at that location,” said Louisiana Tech Provost Dr. Terry McConathy. “In the coming months, programmatic and course offerings at the ASC will begin to take greater shape, and we will be able to respond to student needs as well as needs of the community and local businesses and nonprofits.”

Both civilian and currently serving military students can continue to complete their four-year degrees at the Tech Barksdale location on the Barksdale Air Force Base. In addition, graduate courses are offered at Tech Shreveport.

The SACSCOC instructional site status, which means that the University can offer at least 50 percent of the requirements for a degree program at an additional location, will go into effect Jan. 1.

In addition to this milestone, Louisiana Tech and the Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC) cemented nine new pathways to bachelor’s degrees before officially opening the Veterans Resource Center together. These pathways include:

• Bachelor of Science in Accounting – BPCC students who earn an associate’s degree in Business Administration will be able to transfer those credits to the Tech Accounting degree program.
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – BPCC students who earn an associate’s degree in Business Administration will be able to transfer those credits to the Tech Business Administration degree program.
• Bachelor of Science in Business Economics – BPCC students who earn an associate’s degree in Business Administration will be able to transfer those credits to the Tech Business Economics degree program.
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems (CIS) – BPCC students who earn an associate’s degree in Business Administration will be able to transfer those credits to the Tech CIS degree program.
• Bachelor of Science in Management – BPCC students who earn an associate’s degree in Business Administration will be able to transfer those credits to the Tech Management degree program.
• Bachelor of Science in Marketing – BPCC students who earn an associate’s degree in Business Administration will be able to transfer those credits to the Tech Marketing degree program.
• Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Theatre) – Students who earn an associate’s degree in Performing Arts (Theatre) will be able to transfer to the Louisiana Tech Communication program in theater.
• Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies – Students who earn an associate’s degree in Communication Media will be able to transfer those credits to the Louisiana Tech program in Communication Studies.
• Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) – Students who complete the requirements for a technical diploma as medical office specialist will be able to transfer those credits to the HIIM program at Louisiana Tech.

All nine pathways are part of a larger memorandum of understanding (MOU) that reinforces the previous collaboration between BPCC and Louisiana Tech to ensure students at both institutions have pathways to complete degrees that will benefit their families and the Shreveport-Bossier City area. The MOU is structured to accommodate additional academic alignments that will drive course offerings at the Academic Success Center.

The institutions also agreed to enhance educational offerings for BPCC employees through an amendment to the existing tuition reduction agreement. The revised agreement allows BPCC employees to qualify for tuition reductions whether or not they are seeking a degree at Louisiana Tech.

“We will continue to focus on the opportunities we can offer residents of the Shreveport and Bossier City area,” McConathy said. “Through these innovations, we will continue to drive economic prosperity and educational attainment in north Louisiana.”