Agreement Eases Students' Transfer to Penn College

A new agreement with Raritan Valley Community College will allow certain graduates of the New Jersey institution to transfer easily to Pennsylvania College of Technology, earning junior-year status toward four-year degrees in HVAC technology or construction management.

The agreement will allow Raritan graduates in related programs to earn advanced credit for baccalaureate degrees in those two majors, offered through Penn College's School of Construction and Design Technologies.

Graduates of RVCC's associate-degree majors in air conditioning, refrigeration and heating technology and construction technology who meet minimum grade requirements for transfer will be admitted to the respective Penn College majors with full junior status.

"The agreement with Pennsylvania College of Technology opens up exciting career paths for our students," said G. Jeremiah Ryan, president of Raritan Valley Community College. "RVCC students will be able to continue their higher education at a highly respected school and prepare for the growing fields of HVAC technology and construction."

"We are confident the students from Raritan will do well at Penn College, as their preparation for advanced work is excellent," said Tom F. Gregory, dean of construction and design technologies. "I am impressed with the facilities and resources of Raritan Valley Community College, and we will continue to maintain the high standards and expectations that have been established."

RVCC's associate-degree programs in air conditioning, refrigeration and heating technology and construction technology are offered jointly with Somerset County Technology Institute in Bridgewater, N.J.

Penn College's bachelor's degree in construction management can prepare students for a variety of jobs including construction manager, project manager, estimator-planner, construction superintendent, contractor, subcontractor, scheduler, safety manager and facilities manager.

The HVAC technology program helps prepare students for a variety of positions including residential or commercial field technicians, repair persons or installers of HVAC equipment and systems, field or shop supervisors, design assistants, project managers, superintendents and midlevel managers. Graduates also may be self-employed in sales, service installation or HVAC contracting.

Penn College's HVAC curriculum recently was recognized with an "Excellence in Training" award from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, and the college's construction management students have logged impressive finishes in competition at the past two Associated Builders and Contractors national conventions.

RVCC, on Route 28 and Lamington Road in North Branch, N.J., and serving residents of Somerset and Hunterdon counties for 30 years, is on the Web .

For more about HVAC and construction majors at Penn College, visit online , send e-mail or call the School of Construction and Design Technologies at (570) 327-4518.