2 year Catholic College with skilled trades program and centered around working farm

  • Thread starter Thread starter wtomlinson
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
W

wtomlinson

Guest
I am working on the foundation of 2 year Catholic college here in South Carolina. The curriculum would be based on the Great Books and be taught in the method of the Pearson Integrated Humanities Program of John Senior. It would have a mandatory skilled trades program as part of the curriculum. Each student would have to select a trade (carpentry, electrician, plumbing, metal working/welding etc) upon admission and then after the two years, they can transfer to another college if they choose but they will also have a solid marketable skilled trade as well. It will also have a wokring farm that is incorporated into the life of the students.
The idea is that there are plenty of 4 year catholic colleges. But many young Catholics want to have a solid Catholic foundation but also want to go on engineering, lawyer etc. This way, they could get their liberal arts credits done in a solid Catholic foundation and then go on to a career.

How many catholics out there would be interested in this type of school? What are you thoughts on this idea? How could I improve it? I know SC is not the ideal location, but it is where I am living and working and raising a family. I just want to get a general feed back at the moment. Perhaps the location will move.
 
Last edited:
I thinks it’s a neat idea.
I’m not sure you could fit all that in on only two years, however.
Colleges need to be accredited, so look into that.
Also—commuter or dormitories
 
I like it too…however, I see it more as a course for personal enjoyment rather than professional readiness…sometimes it takes a university education, regardless of major, just to get doors to open for job consideration.
 
I agree. This is why its two years. Even engineering majors and other big programs require that the student get their liberal arts credits done somehow. This way, those Catholics that want to transfer after the 2 years into another career major, they will have gotten their liberal arts done in a throughly Catholic foundation.
 
Last edited:
I think it’s great. You will have have a foundation in Catholic learning and also a trade that will get you a good job upon graduating. If after the two years you decide want more education you can do that too. My nephew went to a two year trade school with academics. He graduated and eventually started his own business with his trade. Four or more years of college isn’t for everyone.
 
Definitely look into what the barrier to entry is in teaching those skilled trades— plumbing, electrical, etc— because the guild system is alive and well. How well they defend that territory varies state-by-state. Locksmithing is another good one not on your list.

It sounds like an interesting idea, and skilled trades are definitely in short supply. 💙 Good luck!
 
Yes, it does only require an Associates of Arts degree to transfer to a 4 year school…if I read your plan correctly I think your plan would have a hard time getting accredited to the point where trade students would graduate with an Associates of Arts, but rather an Associates of Applied Science (which trade/tech schools usually are) which do not transfer.

I went that direction. I got and AAS before getting g my BS in Electrical Engineering. My AAS did not transfer, only specific classes.

It sounds more like you’re looking for a Catholic JuCo…if you’re interested in AA degrees and those may actually exist.
 
TC3033 said:
I went that direction. I got and AAS before getting g my BS in Electrical Engineering. My AAS did not transfer, only specific classes.
Click to expand...
Yeah. An Associate’s Degree is not always an easy stepping stone for admissions into a University Degree Program…Community Colleges, are good for either an Associate’s Degree or to inexpensively finish undergrad general ed requirements for university work, but not always for both.
 
Depending on what is already available in your area, two year degrees in Medical Technicians and Radiology are often desperate for grads. I’d avoid two year nursing, however, most hospitals want four year degrees. You could look into other medical jobs as well…transcriptionists, medical coders…
 
Love it!! Where you’re going to be centered on a working farm, will you also offer farming and agricultural programs? With the increasing demand for locally sourced, non-sprayed food, this could be a promising career path for students.
 
Possible problem: for those who want to go into the sciences, a four-year degree is usually structured so that there are half science courses and half liberal arts courses throughout. For those who took a lot of liberal arts courses in the first two years who transfer into a 4-year science degree, the course load can be extremely challenging.
 
It may be that I simply don’t understand the US model of higher education, but it sounds like you would be trying to achieve a lot in two years.

The Great Books strand of your curriculum contains enough material for a full-time four-year degree course. Your graduates will only have covered a fraction of this material if they are studying for only two years and in a part-time mode of study (due to spending much of their time on learning a trade, agricultural labour, and Catholic formation).

Training to be a carpenter, electrician, or plumber typically takes three, four, or even five years of full-time training (exceptionally, somebody may be able to qualify in two years by studying very intensively). It is unlikely that your graduates would be able to work unsupervised as licensed/certificated master tradesmen after only two years of part-time training.

In addition, the students will be working on the farm. Obtaining an undergraduate level qualification in agriculture can take between one and four years of full-time study. How much agricultural labour will the students be expected to undertake? Will they obtain enough knowledge and experience to be able to work in the agriculture sector after two years? Farming is an incredibly demanding occupation. Not a lot of farmers would have the time to study the liberal arts and learn a trade at the same time as working on the farm.

Then there is also supposed to be a Catholic element to all this. Presumably this means time spent studying the Bible and theology, attending Mass and other collective worship, engaging in private prayer, and performing some kind of charitable work in the community. Would this lead to a two-year college level qualification in Catholic theology?

Two years just doesn’t sound like long enough to become a qualified tradesman and study the Great Books and work on a farm and be formed in the Catholic faith—all to a standard that will allow your graduates to go on to complete a degree in engineering or law.
 
I am from South Carolina! You have my full support. (Not financially, I don’t have any money)
 
Last edited:
That is a good point---- I love the skilled tradesmen in my life, and I rely upon their skills tremendously, but they’re not the most bookish people I’ve ever met. Someone who wants to be a welder or a carpenter is probably not the same person who wants a classical education and enjoys Virgil and Homer.
 
Londoner said:
Two years just doesn’t sound like long enough to become a qualified tradesman and study the Great Books and work on a farm and be formed in the Catholic faith—all to a standard that will allow your graduates to go on to complete a degree in engineering or law.
Click to expand...
No, but it may give them enough qualification to become apprentices (who then can “earn while they learn” on the way to journey level) in the trades, as well as have some minimal competency in self-sufficiency as lived on a farm and some basic formation in both the faith and Great Books (which can be combined if you select the readings carefully). Someone coming out of a program like this also will have a realistic view of the way life works, as opposed to your typical college graduate in the States who has a lot of theoretical knowledge and almost no practical skills. They will also know how to advance their education themselves, which honestly is perhaps the most critical ability you can give someone.

We’re working on developing a similar program in Georgia. How far along is yours?
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top