Collin College Technical Campus Construction 2020: The new Collin College Technical Campus will open this fall and will provide an opportunity for McKinney ISD juniors and seniors to take part in a two-year, dual credit program that will allow them to earn industry certifications and a year of credit toward an associate degree in one of 10 technical career areas by the time they graduate high school. (Courtesy of Collin College)

McKinney, Texas – This fall, Collin College and McKinney ISD will usher in a new era of opportunity for MISD students when the college opens its beautifully-appointed, state of the art Technical Campus located just a few miles south of McKinney.

The three-story, 340,000 square-foot facility will feature the newest industry-standard technology and will serve up to 7,100 traditional college and dual credit students when fully occupied.

And, it will provide an opportunity for MISD juniors and seniors to take part in a two-year, dual credit program that will allow them to earn industry certifications and a year of credit toward an associate degree in one of 10 technical career areas by the time they graduate high school.

Jennifer Akins, MISD senior director of guidance and counseling, says that Collin College developed the programs offered at the Technical Campus over the course of several years with input from community industry leaders and a vision to get students into high demand, well-paying jobs as quickly as possible.

As with any college program, tuition is required, but high school students that qualify for free and reduced lunch are exempt from tuition and fees for the dual credit program at Collin College and are also eligible to apply for scholarships to cover books and materials.

“We want students to have the opportunity to prepare for these fields that have good availability and good income potential right here in our region,” says Akins. “That’s one of the main reasons that we were attracted to this partnership with Collin, and they’ve done a beautiful job of putting together a facility that is really state of the art and has instructors that bring expertise to these specialized skillsets. So, I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for our students who want to go into one of these trades.”

The program is designed for high school juniors and seniors, with students entering the program at the beginning of their junior year. Seniors may be accepted, but they should be aware that it will take somewhat longer to complete the program after they graduate high school.

“For students that enter the program their junior year, basically, it’s completing half to two-thirds of your associate degree while you are still in high school,” adds Akins. “And, Collin College is finding that, because they work so closely with industry leaders, the programs that have been in existence prior to this are seeing very high placement rates with companies.”

The Collin College Technical Campus offers dual credit programs in:

—Biomedical Equipment Technology
—Electronic Engineering Technology
—Industrial Automation
—Computer-Aided Drafting and Design (CADD)
—Construction Management
—Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
—Welding Technology
—Computer Networking
—Automotive Technology
—Collision Technology

Dual credit is not new in MISD; students have earned credit at Collin College for years while still in high school, but to date those opportunities have largely been offered in academic areas.

“We’ve had dual credit offerings in some of our career and technical education coursework—such as our health sciences program—for a number of years as well,” says Akins. “So, we have broken some ground in this area. It’s just that we haven’t had the specialized facilities and this structured program in the same way as some of our other programs.”

Space is limited, and there is an application process to complete, so interested students should begin the process as soon as possible.

“It’s not something that students can wait on until the school year is underway,” says Akins. “The earlier they reach out about this, the better.”

Students can find more information about the program here: https://www.collin.edu/campuses/technical/ and MISD students will need to complete this MISD application: https://www.tinyurl.com/technicaldualcredit. Students who have questions should contact their school’s guidance and counseling department.

Together, McKinney ISD and Collin College are working to offer increased opportunities for MISD students to pursue—and take hold of—a career that not only connects with their passion and skill, but also provides a sound financial future.

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