As technology has weaved its way into our lives, many students and their parents can hardly recall the days of manually calculating a gratuity or solving algebraic formulas because we all travel with a calculator app built into our cell phones. And since unfamiliarity often breeds contempt, the whole world seems to have developed a collective math phobia. Darrell Smith, a business and...

In cosmetology, hair stylists have to be responsive to their clients in order to build a following, and you might say administrators at NCTC followed that model when they decided to start a barbering certification program in the Cosmetology department, starting this fall. Nationally, barbering is making a comeback in a big way and, in fact, the National Association of Barber Boards of America...

The flexibility and options within the higher education system in the U.S. can be both exhilarating and confusing. Educational goals are often tied to a particular level of completion and the corresponding certificate or degree. Not Sure What's What Here’s some clarification: Occupational Skills Award (OSA) Prepares you for immediate employment or adds to your marketability to...

As NCTC widens its reach — the college welcomes its downtown Denton campus this fall — we’re streamlining students’ access to crucial services like advising and financial aid in our “remote” locations.  The Mane Stop is a one-shop-stop at the NCTC Flower Mound campus, giving students easy access to a Registrar’s office and Business office as well as essential services like...

Gwen Lillard alumna, medical professional, proud mom In 2012, Gwen Lillard of Aubrey, Texas, was just over 30 and a self-described stay-at-home mom who hadn’t been to school since she was 17 and a half.  Change arrived in her life with “a flyer in the mail,” and she began thinking about taking a few classes at NCTC. Her motivation was simple. “The kids had gotten expensive,” she...

To the untrained eye, a day of skills training at NCTC’s Basic Fire Academy may look like a bunch of kids hanging from ropes, crawling on cars and having fun with fire hoses, but instructors warn that there’s a much more serious agenda at play— and it’s not for the faint of heart. Whether students enrolled in the Fire Science program aim for the one-year Basic Firefighter Certificate or...

NCTC’s Emergency Services division, devoted to training a new generation of first responders in careers like firefighting and emergency medical services, is in the midst of a rapid expansion that directly mirrors the incredible growth of North Texas and its host of sprawling communities. Answering the call of the area’s population explosion — and the resulting need for emergency personnel...

A fast-track-to-teaching program called the AAT Express — currently in place as a partnership between NCTC and Midwestern State University — will expand to include the University of North Texas by Fall 2019. NCTC’s Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) Express is an accelerated 18-month program that shortens Teacher Education students’ core curriculum program from four semesters to...

NCTC has more than 200 scholarship opportunities available to NCTC students, and the current application period’s final — and fast approaching — deadline of April 15 is almost here for the 2019-20 school year.  Fortunately, the process of applying for scholarships is not nearly as daunting a process as it once was. Kim Carroll, the Office of External Affairs’ scholarship coordinator,...

Besides NCTC’s popular Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, NCTC has a 12-month LVN to RN Transition program to prepare students to take the NCLEX-RN licensure exam to become a registered nurse.  But, the most novel development to come down the pike in NCTC’s Nursing department is a brand new “blended program” the college has forged with Texas Woman’s University. Almost...

NCTC’s TechHire program is all about boosting career opportunities in the technology industry for “underrepresented job seekers” — youth and young adults, ages 17-29, with barriers to training and employment, as well as veterans and individuals with disabilities, limited English proficiency, criminal records, and long-term unemployment.  The goal is to provide participants with...

North Central Texas College strives to provide students the courses of study that best match their educational and career goals. To accomplish this, the college has “transfer pathways” intended to help students customize their studies and select the best combination of classes (both core options and electives) that align with specific fields of study and their plans for an intended major at a...

Cyber Security. The name drips with mystery, coolness and a geeky image of digital detective work. And that’s even if you don’t watch TV shows where evil, tech-savvy villains steal data and finances on a massive scale while crimefighting computer wizards track them with their own keyboard gymnastics.  Away from the silver screen, students at NCTC are training for cyber security jobs in...

Anyone who calls Texas home knows that nothing makes people hotter than an on-the-fritz air conditioner. We like our creature comforts, and cool indoor air when it’s blistering hot outside isn’t just a convenience, it’s a necessity. Toasty homes in the winter aren’t anything to sneeze at either. The thing is, it takes knowledgeable people to keep our Heating, Ventilation and Air...

Aaron DeLeon, a 24-year-old sophomore at NCTC is enrolled in the Surgical Technology program.  His path to higher education started with dual credit courses taken at Gainesville High School, then he spent a semester at the University of Texas at Arlington in the fall of 2015. “It wasn’t for me,” he notes, explaining that he returned to NCTC for personal reasons that included the expected...

Numerous Allied Health certifications for students interested in medical careers like Phlebotomy Technician or Medical Billing and Coding used to be available via NCTC’s Continuing Education department. Recently, that changed, and these health-related certificates have been transferred to the college’s Health Sciences division. The list also includes specialty certificates like EKG Technician,...

It’s not unusual for students to sign up for a class or two or hone in on a very specific topic and career, then totally switch gears after the books have been cracked open for awhile.  New windows of opportunity have a way of unveiling themselves once a person starts learning new things and expanding personal horizons. In fact, that’s what higher education is all about. Exploration....

As the science and art of growing garden plants for the economic, aesthetic, and nutritional well-being of society, horticulture has its roots in the simple joy of having a green thumb, but it goes much deeper.  At NCTC, the sustainable horticulture program approaches the life-celebrating field with an emphasis on permaculture, a philosophy of working with nature rather than against it....

Sustainability is a central theme of NCTC’s agricultural programs, and Science division chair Lisa Bellows says it’s a crucial issue facing the next generation of farmers and ranchers. “Sustainable farming is very different than the traditional model,” Bellows explains. “We really need to adopt an approach of allowing our land to tell us what to do instead of us telling the land what...

Away from the classroom, a select group of NCTC’s agriculture and equine science students are “rockin’ it” in rodeo arenas whenever they get the chance.  It started when the NCTC Stock Horse Team took home the World Champion title at the Western Horseman Stock Horse World Show during the Fall 2018 semester, placing first in the Division 1 Collegiate Competition ahead of Texas Tech...

When it comes to designing your life and making your dreams a reality, education is key, and NCTC is constantly expanding, improving and tweaking its offerings in order to prepare students for the success and fulfillment that comes from pursuing a desired career goal, and achieving it. With accredited classes transferring readily to four-year institutions, an NCTC education is a valuable,...