NC State College celebrates first bachelor’s degree graduating class

On May 7, 2021, North Central State College celebrated its first graduating class of Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology (BASMET).  The eight graduates were honored during a drive-through ceremony on the campus.

May 2021 BASMET Graduates (front row left to right) Luke I. Howard, Trevor D. Reed, Lucas Andrew Burkhalter, Joseph Stephen Ball. (back row left to right) Michael Jacob Adams, Isaac Joseph Baldridge, Hannah Jayne Haas, Mason Ray Hoskins.

“I’m proud that the first NC State Bachelor’s Degrees were awarded from our division. These graduates are in demand. Many are employed with a local manufacturer,” says Dan Wagner, dean of the Business, Industry, and Technology Division who helped develop the BASMET program and teach some of the classes.  “We’re proving that we can provide relevant programming that meets the needs of employers in our region. At the same time, it’s a great value for our graduates.”

“By earning credit in high school through College Credit Plus and College NOW, some of these graduates brought 2-years of credits forward into the bachelor’s program. That saved them thousands of dollars in tuition.  We’re providing BASMET degrees to younger students and many are graduating debt-free. It’s directly in line with the mission of NC State,” Wagner explains.

BASMET is the first bachelor’s program offered at NC State in its fifty-year history of serving the communities of North Central Ohio.  In the spring of 2018, Ohio’s community colleges were invited to explore offering bachelor’s degrees that responded to the specific needs of local employers in the regions they serve.  North Central applied to the State of Ohio and the Higher Learning Commission to offer the Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology with the support of numerous businesses in North Central Ohio.  This request was approved in March 2019.