Associates Degrees at Bismarck State College
Bismarck State College appears in our ranking of the Top ten Online Colleges for Associates Degrees.
Bismarck State College offers associate degrees and assorted certificates online. The emphasis is on technical training as can be seen by the study areas of Nuclear Power Technology, Petroleum Production Technology, Power Plant Technology, and Process Plant Technology. Other programs involve Water Processing Systems, Geographic Information Systems, and Instrumentation and Control Technology.
As a program example, Instrumentation and Control Technology students may opt to get the Certificate of Completion in Electronics, which is a one-year program and is available both online and on campus. Similarly, they can spend two years on the Instrumentation and Control Technology certificate. Students may earn that certificate also online or on campus. The Associate of Science in Instrumentation and Control Technology does all its classwork online, but students must do their labs on campus.
Many of the school’s programs involve both online and on-campus classes, including the Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity and Information Technology. The Bachelor of Applied Science in Energy Management is only available online.
About Bismarck State College
The college came into being in 1939 as a technical junior college that would train students in the burgeoning industries in the area. Over the years, it kept its junior college roots and branched out into four-year programs eventually. The students who graduated during the war were some of the most sought-after technicians and craftspeople to support the war effort.
Today, Bismarck State College educates more than 25,000 people, some of who are traditional college students and most of who are nontraditional students bolstering their curricula vitae or changing careers. U.S. News and World Report ranks Bismarck State College No. 61 in the Midwest Region.
Bismarck State College Accreditation Details
The Higher Learning Commission first accredited Bismarck State College in 1966, and the college has maintained that regional accreditation ever since. Some departments have their own accreditations from the following institutions:
- National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc.
Bismarck State College Application Requirements
Unlike many colleges of its type, Bismarck State College requires many of its applicants to complete the ACT. Those students who do not have to take the ACT must take the Accuplacer exam or have taken the Compass Placement Exam within the last three years. The Compass Placement Exam is no longer given, so any students who took it prior to three years ago, when their scores expired, will have to take either the ACT or the Accuplacer exam.
Most of the required scores on the ACT for the various technical programs range between 16 and 20. The Accuplacer exam scores should usually be between 34 and 40, depending on the subject area. Certain technology degrees, such as those involving nuclear power plants or advanced welding techniques require much higher scores. By and large, degree programs require better scores than certificate programs.
Because of the physical nature of many of Bismarck State College’s fields of study, students with certain disabilities might not qualify for some fields. For example, a color-blind student would not be able to study anything involving electrical systems because of the color coding of diagrams and actual materials. Such restrictions are not considered discriminatory because the student’s specific challenge would make performing the job requirements safely impossible.
Tuition and Financial Aid
When it comes to tuition, Bismarck State College classifies students in four categories:
- Category 1: North Dakota resident, or any military
- Category 2: Minnesota resident
- Category 3: Other U.S. resident or any Canadian citizen in Manitoba or Saskatchewan
- Category 4: International resident
Bismarck State College charges tuition by the credit hour, level of class taken, and subject area. The two categories of 100-level and 200-level classes are technical and nontechnical. The per-credit-hour tuition for the nontechnical classes is $133 for Category 1, $148.96 for Category 2, $199.50 for Category 3, and $232.75 for Category 4. The technical class tuition is $160.00 for Category 1, $179.20 for Category 2, $240.00 for Category 3, and $280.00 for Category 4. The Bachelor of Applied Science tuition is $165.00 for Category 1, $184.80 for Category 2, $247.50 for Category 3, and $288.75 for Category 4. In all cases, assorted fees come to roughly $35. If a student lives on campus, the rate for room and board is roughly $6,000 annually.
High-school students are allowed to take classes at Bismarck State College if they qualify. Their tuition is $126.87 in the case that Bismarck State College pays the instructor and $71.71 if the school district picks up the tab. The high-school students then reimburse either school.
At schools of this type, only students who are seeking degrees are eligible for financial aid. Such students should start by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is also known as the FAFSA. This is a form that the college and the government will use to determine each student’s eligibility for need-based financial aid.
Such aid is divided into three categories: grants, including work study, scholarships, and loans whether subsidized or unsubsidized. Many students receive multiple forms of financial aid. Students may also apply for as many forms of private financial aid as they wish. Such aid usually consists of bank or credit union loans, lines of credit, or similar, and private grants and scholarships. Any such private money to which students are entitled might reduce the amount of need-based aid the students receive.
International students must make sure all of their immigration paperwork is finished, and the applicable visas or other documents issued, prior to admittance. International students who plan to participate in work-study programs must have additional visas that allow that. Students with questions should contact the Office of Financial Aid.
Bismarck State College prepares young minds for life in the workforce. Although the focus is less on academics and more on hands-on training and education, the standards required at Bismarck State College are challenging.
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