New programs available now

Alice McGuire 

Editor

This fall, several new programs are available at WCC, after having been voted on during the April 22, 2025 meeting of the Board of Trustees. Among them are the associate degree in construction technology, an education paraprofessional certificate, an advanced certificate in auto repair, and an advanced certificate in semiconductor and battery manufacturing, which is offered as part of a new associate degree program in engineering technology. 

“We’re very cognizant about when there’s an opportunity to incorporate, like, additional credentials within the programs,” said Kyrsten Rue, assistant dean of career and technical education, who went on to say that the construction technology associate degree program helps students prepare for a builder’s license. 

Rue said new programs go through a rigorous review process, where the need for the program is defined using job market or data analytics. After that, the program undergoes another review process in which faculty, who serve as subject matter experts, define and document what a program will be, before it is further reviewed by peers and administrators. After that, it is up to the Board of Trustees to vote on it before it can be reviewed by the external institutional accreditor, Higher Learning Commission, for final approval. 

The construction technology associate degree program was previously discontinued, but is being revived under the oversight of Mathew Haagood, who said he thinks enrollment in the program suffered due to a lack of hands-on experience when learning shifted largely to an online format. 

“I graduated from Washtenaw in 1984 with an architectural drafting degree, which we don’t have anymore at Washtenaw, so I’m trying to rope some of that in there too,” said Haagood, who said the biggest goal of the program is for students to be employable. 

Haagood explained that construction is currently a high-demand, high-wage career, which is facing a shortage of younger workers. The average age of a construction worker, he said, is “around 55.” Because of the physically demanding nature of the field, much of what draws new workers in is the pay and the flexibility. 

“They can work six months out of the year and make enough money to take six months off. It’s kind of…it’s weird that way, but they got to work really hard and really long in that six months to be able to not work six months,” said Haagood. 

Haagood said the best way to get students interested in construction is “getting them out there” and letting them see what it feels like to build something simple before presenting bigger challenges. “That really piques a lot of people’s interest, because then they go, like, ‘I can actually do that. Now. What else can I build?’” 

Haagood went on to emphasize that, even if one were to start in construction and later realize it’s not the right move for them, the foundation that the field provides puts them in a good position to go on and gain an education for less physically demanding jobs in fields such as architecture and engineering. 

“There’s a lot of ways to build, you know. I always tell my students that, you know, there’s 10 ways to do one thing. My way isn’t the only way. If you can figure out an easier, quicker way to do it without hurting yourself, then you’re one up on me,” said Haagood. 

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