Waukesha County Technical College is seeing an 11% increase in enrollment this fall, as measured by full-time equivalent students (FTES).
According to data provided by the 100-year technical college, WCTC has seen its FTEs, which combines both part-and-full-time students and divides their credit load by 15 credits per semester, increase from 1,289 in fall 2022 to 1,434 this fall semester.
The college is also projecting a 3.5% increase in its total headcount, which counts full-and-part-time students individually. The number is expected to increase from 18,024 in 2022-23 to 18,650 in 2023-24.
WCTC president Richard Barnhouse credits new degree and certificate programs, as well its dual enrollment and Excelerate offerings, which allow high school students to take college courses, for the enrollment increases.
The college’s Dual Enrollment Academy, which allows for cohorts of high school students to attend WCTC for four hours a day during the entire school year, continues to see annual growth with over 250 students attending this year, for instance, said Sandra Maylen, executive director of early college opportunities at WCTC.
For 2023-24, there are 10 academies: four with multiple cohorts — including Firefighter/EMT, Welding, Building Construction Trades and Pre-Nursing — due to demand.
This year marks the second full academic year of WCTC’s Excelerate initiative, which is designed for qualified high school juniors and seniors ages 16 and older and welcomes them to apply to a full college program. The program also enables them to earn an associate degree, technical diploma or certificate – even before they graduate from high school. In the first year, 11 students earned a technical diploma, and nine students earned a certificate.
With more students now entering their second year of Excelerate, many are on track to earn their associate degree later this academic year, Maylen said, and the initiative continues to gain momentum.
“We are really emerging as a comprehensive, regional college because we offer an unbelievable curricular array of programs,” Barnhouse said. “We’re growing at a rate that is allowing us to pull ahead; and with a growth mindset, commitment to campus culture and thriving academics, it can be felt throughout the entire region.”
Other new WCTC offerings, some of which started during the last academic year and others this fall, are also helping to drive enrollment, according to the college.
In January, WCTC welcomed students into its two new liberal arts transfer degree programs: Associate of Arts and Associate of Science. In partnership with the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, WCTC students can seamlessly transfer into UWM to earn a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree.
New AI programs
Additionally, WCTC added a technical diploma program in mechanical systems technology; an associate degree program in substance use disorder counseling; and certificates in foundations of data analytics, foundations of AI (artificial intelligence) and AI technician – all of which have been garnering attention from students, community members, and business and industry partners alike.
“We are very excited about the three new IT certificate programs,” said Alli Jerger, WCTC associate dean of information technology. “’Foundations of data analytics’ is a steppingstone for those who want to dip their toe into this exciting field. ‘Foundations of AI and AI technician’ are some of the first certificates being offered in the field of AI at a certificate level in Wisconsin.”
Additionally, an AI associate degree was developed over the past year. It is awaiting the approval from the Wisconsin Technical College System Board, and it is slated to begin in fall 2024.
Because of this marked growth, WCTC has had to reevaluate space and facility needs — at both the Pewaukee and Waukesha campuses — to accommodate the increase in students, prioritize their education and ensure their time at WCTC reflects a first-class learning experience.
