Center for Innovative Technologies

This is an archived copy of the 2017-18 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.cincinnatistate.edu.

Division Phone Number: (513) 569-1743

The Center for Innovative Technologies encompasses Cincinnati State’s academic programs and majors in engineering, multimedia, and information technologies. The Center offers a number of associate's degree and certificate programs that prepare students for a career in a variety of technical fields or a possible pathway to a bachelor's degree. Cincinnati State has been recognized nationally as one of the top schools in Ohio for engineering-related associate's degrees in the state.

The academic programs within the Center for Innovative Technologies are organized into the following departments:

  • Aviation Maintenance Technologies
  • Chemical and Environmental Engineering Technologies
  • Civil Engineering Technologies
  • Computer Software Development
  • Electrical Engineering Technologies
  • Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technologies
  • Mechanical Engineering Technologies
  • Multimedia Information Design
  • Networking and Support Systems
  • Pre-Engineering
  • Welding

All of the associate’s degree programs offered by the Center for Innovative Technologies feature:

  • Faculty with professional experience in their areas of instruction, who also are advisors to students throughout their college experience.
  • Technical coursework that blends basic theory (including skills in mathematics and science, as applicable) with extensive hands-on laboratory practice.
  • Foundation academic skills courses in written communication, arts and humanities, and natural, behavioral, or social sciences.
  • Ease of transfer to a number of bachelor's degree programs.
  • Cooperative education work experience. The close tie with industry created by the cooperative education component ensures all programs remain technically current, and provides students with practical workplace knowledge and experience prior to graduation.

The mission of the Engineering Technologies programs within the Center for Innovative Technologies is to serve students by promoting excellence in engineering technologies through professional instruction, cooperative education, and advising.

  • The Civil Engineering Technology program has earned accreditation through the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, 415 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201-4012, phone (410) 347-7700 (http://www.abet.org).
  • The Aviation Maintenance Technology associate's degree program is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, along with related certificate programs. Technical coursework is offered exclusively at the Cincinnati State West campus in Harrison, Ohio.

The Center for Innovative Technologies collaborates with the College’s Workforce Development Center in offering the Applied Technology Specialist degree, which allows students with military experience, Career Center certificates,or technical work history to earn college credit for past training or experience.

The Center for Innovative Technologies also offers several certificate programs that address specific technical skills. Certificates have fewer course requirements than an associate’s degree.

Cooperative Education

The cooperative education experience is a cornerstone of the educational process in the Center for Innovative Technologies.

All students enrolled in associate’s degree programs are required to participate in cooperative education. Most students complete this requirement through on-site cooperative education assignments. Students may earn credit through full-time or part-time work assignments, depending on job availability.

In a few academic programs where competition for entry-level assignments is particularly strong, students may have opportunities to earn credit by participating in unpaid internships.

Students may also be able to substitute appropriate academic courses or previous related work experience for cooperative education employment, with prior approval from the appropriate co-op coordinator.

For eligibility requirements, co-op registration policies, and other issues related to cooperative education, please refer to the Cooperative Education Program section of this catalog.

Entrance Competencies

In order to ensure a high degree of success in academic studies in engineering and information technologies, entering students must meet established academic levels in mathematics, communication skills, and reading comprehension. To aid in determining these levels, entering students are required to take the college placement test. If testing and previous academic background indicate that a student has not reached the necessary preparatory level, a divisional advisor will identify a group of classes to help the student reach needed levels. Preparatory classes are available year-round.

Students entering most academic programs of the Center for Innovative Technologies must demonstrate competence with commonly-used software applications and with basic internet operations. Students may be asked to demonstrate these competencies through standardized skills assessment tests or by completing prerequisite courses if necessary. Program advisors assist students in determining whether they meet minimum competencies.

All students enrolled in associate’s degree programs in the Center for Innovative Technologies must complete a First Year Experience (FYE) course within the first 12 credit hours taken at Cincinnati State.

Full-time students who follow the published sequence of courses can complete associate’s degree programs in two years.

Transfer to Baccalaureate Programs

The Center for Innovative Technologies offers a Pre-Engineering program. Graduates earn an Associate of Science degree and are prepared to enter a baccalaureate program in an engineering science field.

Many of the Associate of Applied Science degree programs offered by the Center for Innovative Technologies have established articulation agreements to ease transfer of credits earned at Cincinnati State to baccalaureate programs at various colleges and universities. Agreements are in place with the University of Cincinnati, Wright State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Miami University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Toledo, and Wilmington College, among others. These agreements vary in content. Interested students should meet with their program advisor as early as possible to review the details of possible transfer arrangements.

Transfer Module

The Ohio Department of Higher Education developed the Ohio Transfer Module to facilitate transfer of credits from one Ohio public college or university to another. The transfer module contains 36 to 40 semester hours of course credits in the areas of communication, mathematics, arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural and physical sciences. A transfer module completed at one college or university automatically meets the requirements for the transfer module at another college or university once the student is admitted. For additional information, see the State of Ohio Policy for Institutional Transfer and the Transfer Module sections of this catalog.

Associate’s degree programs in the Center for Innovative Technologies contain in their curricula many of the required courses for the Cincinnati State Transfer Module. The Pre-Engineering degree contains the entire transfer module. Students who wish to complete the transfer module should schedule the additional courses at their convenience.

Students who transfer to an Ohio public university for baccalaureate degrees will find that the Cincinnati State Associate of Applied Science degree, combined with a transfer module showing grades of C or higher, receives preferential consideration at the receiving institution. Additionally, transfer is streamlined for graduates of some Center for Innovative Technologies programs by the articulation agreements described above.