Central Texas College

Central Texas College is a large community college in Killeen, Texas. Founded in 1965, the college sits on more than 500 acres that Ford Hood donated to the school and opened just two years after construction started on its campus. Though it initially sought to serve the needs of students in Bell County, it became so popular that students from counties all across the state now enroll. CTC started life as a junior college and allowed students to take some of the courses they needed to earn a bachelor's degree, but it later shifted its focus to programs designed to help students with their careers. Many of the students who attended this college over the years were soldiers from nearby Foot Hood.

The Army, which operates that base, saw the success of the college and decided to work with the school to help prospective students living on other bases. While there are a few campuses in Texas, CTC also operates campuses and offers classes on military bases in other states as well as in other countries like South Korea. The college also established a program with the state's prison system in the 1970s that allows inmates to take college classes and earn degrees. As there are so many students taking online classes through this college, CTC now ranks as the fifth largest college in the nation in terms of online enrollment alone. It now offers more than 40 programs for those who want to earn a certificate and both AA and AS degrees in various subjects.

CTC Application Requirements

CTC has the regional accreditation that you need when applying for federal financial aid, which comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. This gives the college the authority to both offer degree programs and grant students degrees when they graduate. Its nursing program, which includes classroom work and clinical rotations, has accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Inc. (ACEN). CTC also has approval from the Texas Education Agency and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and is a member of more than 40 professional organizations that offer unique opportunities for students.
 
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CTC Accreditation Details

When applying to CTC, you have the option of using its paper application or its online application. Those using the paper application will need to visit the college's official website, download a copy and print it off at home or school. They can then fill it out and send it back through the mail. Using the Apply Yourself site that the college runs is an easier way to apply. You will need to click on the “Create Account” button and create a new user name and password attached to your email address. The college will send you an email to verify that your account exists. Once you log in with that information, you can fill out the application.

To complete the online application, you will need your social security number, resident information, details about your parents and the name of the high school you attended as well as the date you graduated. If you attended college at any point in the past, you must supply information about that school too. CTC now requires that all incoming students present their immunization records before starting classes too as a way to protect its faculty as well as its students. You do not need to submit these records if your religious beliefs prevent you from getting those shots or if you enroll in only online classes.

Tuition and Financial Aid

CTC offers several different tuition rates that vary based on the type of student you are. The rate for students attending some campuses starts at $200 per credit hour, but Texas residents usually pay $100 or less per credit hour. This rate is slightly higher for those who live outside of the college's district. If you are in the military and on activity duty, the college will charge you just $80 per credit hour. Students from outside the state are distance learners and can take classes online. These students pay $225 per credit hour. These rates apply only to the classes that you take and do not take into account any fees or expenses.

The college now makes it even easier for you to get the financial aid that you need because you can submit the FAFSA as early as October in the year before you want to enroll. You'll need to use your parents' tax records to fill out this form, which shows how much they can contribute to your education expenses. There are two federal government grants that you might receive as well as a Texas state government grant and student loans. CTC also has a work study program and offers scholarships to those who submit applications by the end of March.

Psychology and Counseling

Central Texas College offers several degree programs for students interested in counseling and psychology subjects. It offers a basic Social Science AA program that awards students an Associate of Arts degree. Though you must take 60 credits to graduate, you only need to take six classes in the social sciences field. You'll also have the chance to take courses in sociology, philosophy, government, history and political science.

The mental health services field is part of the college's health careers department and includes programs in criminal justice addictions and social work. You'll take up to 40 credits of general education courses and then a minimum of 20 credits from your chosen field. Some of these programs are certificate programs rather than degree programs and let you get a professional certificate after completing 20 credits.

Its basic mental health professional program features classes on interview and communication skills, health psychology, pharmacology of addiction and problems of children and adolescents. There is an at risk youth certification program that includes classes like substance abuse prevention, principles of behavior modification and management and dynamics of group counseling too. Other certificate programs include chemical dependency counseling, criminal justice addictions and substance abuse prevention specialist.

The college offers three Associate of Applied Science degree programs as well. You can get a degree with a specialization in at-risk youth counseling, chemical dependency or social work after completing at least 60 credits of courses through Central Texas College.