New TCC associate degree aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs

Tidewater Community College will offer a new associate degree that focuses on small business and entrepreneurship beginning in the fall of 2017.

The 67-credit Associate of Applied Science in Management with a Specialization in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship is directed at students interested in starting, running and growing a small business.

“We created this degree program because we had so many students asking for practical classes to help them build their businesses,” said Kelly Gillerlain, dean of business, information technology and public services at the college’s Chesapeake Campus.

“Our goal is for students to come through this program and then apply it to their individual situations right away,” she said. “The program pairs well with other TCC programs ranging from horticulture to automotive to interior design, as students gain those professional skills and then go to work for themselves.”

Areas of study include:

accounting
communications
marketing
small business management
financial management

Many classes will be offered in eight-week sessions. In addition, flexible online, day and evening classes are available for busy would-be entrepreneurs.

All credits from TCC’s two-semester, 28-credit Career Studies Certificate in Small Business Management apply toward the new associate degree.

Fall classes start Aug. 21.

For more information and to develop an academic plan, contact Gillerlain at 757- 822-5150 or email kgillerlain@tcc.edu.