CPSB, SOWELA now offering associate degree through Virtual Instruction Program
CPSB, SOWELA now offering associate degree through Virtual Instruction Program
As the spring semester is now underway across the district, Calcasieu Parish School Board high school students will soon begin planning their class schedules for the 2025-2026 school year. Numerous opportunities are available to students, including through the district’s Virtual Instruction Program.
For the first time, students enrolled in VIP for the 2025-2026 school year will be able to obtain an Associate of General Studies degree through SOWELA Technical Community College.
This degree prepares students for a variety of fields as a transfer option into four-year degrees. It also can lead directly to the career field in positions such as management, bookkeeping, and customer service. Students will simultaneously obtain high school and college credits in these courses.
“The opportunity to provide students with more educational options is always what we strive to do here in Calcasieu,” said CPSB Superintendent Dr. Jason VanMetre. “While our work with SOWELA has been in existence for a while, this is just one more way that we can prepare students to enter the workforce or further advance their academic journey.”
VIP courses give students the opportunity to increase their GPA when enrolling in certain 5-point scale classes, giving them a competitive edge over peers when applying for scholarships and when entering the workforce.
In addition, VIP Dual Enrollment students have priority consideration for SOWELA scholarships should they continue their education at the College.
“The partnership that exists between SOWELA and the Calcasieu Parish School Board has grown even stronger through the VIP initiative,” said SOWELA Chancellor Dr. Neil Aspinwall. “The broad range of college level courses SOWELA now offers to CPSB students through the program greatly enhances each student’s ability to earn college credit and decrease their time to degree completion. The program is a unique instructional program that provides high school students in 11 Calcasieu Parish high schools the opportunity to get an early start on their college degrees.”
Additional information will be available soon at the school level for students and parents. Families are encouraged to contact the school-level counselor with any questions about the program. Contact can also be made with staff directly within the Virtual Instruction Program by contacting Administrator Dr. Doug DeVillier at doug.devillier@cpsb.org or counselor Lorna Albers at lorna.albers@cpsb.org.
About SOWELA Technical Community College
SOWELA Technical Community College provides traditional, distance, and lifelong learning experiences and awards associate degrees, technical diplomas, and certificates. The College empowers learners in career and technical education and enables transfer students to pursue a four-year degree, so all learners excel as globally competitive citizens. The College has been educating the region’s workforce for more than 85 years. For more information, visit www.sowela.edu.