Isaac Warren
Print Editor
SPRINGFIELD – Lincoln Land Community College offers literally hundreds of programs for students to enroll in. From weather and climate, to math and history, there is always something for every student. However, the health professions offered by LLCC are by far one of the most heavily enrolled courses on campus.
One reason for the high enrollment rate is how open it is to the community. Students out of high school, or already in college can apply to the course. Admission is rather difficult, however. Depending on which program a student is applying for, there are certain criteria that must be met in order to be considered. For example, if someone wants to enroll on the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, transcripts and ACT scores must be acceptable, as well as enrollment in certain math and english classes at LLCC.
The Associate Degree Nursing program has different requirements. Instead of a checklist, a point system is used, instead. Depending on what the student’s ACT score and GPA is determines how many points they will receive. Prerequisite courses also give the student points. The applications are then sorted by point count and are evaluated.
Despite the drop in overall enrollment at LLCC, the health professions program has seen a dramatic increase in applications since 2013. While many courses see a drop of 3 to 10 percent, the health professions program saw a 65 percent increase since 2013. When asked about the reason for why the enrollment rate was increasing, Cynthia Maskey, the dean of the Health Professions Department, gave her opinion.
She said, “The Health Professions programs overall have high completion and graduation rates. The numbers in health programs remain high because graduates from these programs continue to be in demand in the community and beyond and continue to get good jobs.”
The acceptance process is very unique to the department. When asked if the process would ever change in the future, Maskey stated that “The admission and acceptance processes are always being evaluated and changed as needed by the faculty and staff in each program. However, a selective process is used to ensure the students admitted to the program will be successful in that program. The college is responsive to the demand for health programs and works to accommodate student interest as much as possible.”
Isaac can be reached at [email protected]