I enrolled in the University Transfer program at Durham Tech because it was close to home and, to tell you the truth, I was pretty happy with the money I was saving. When I transferred to the Engineering department at NC State, I was scared that the courses at a large university, famous for having a great engineering program, would be too hard, but I quickly realized that the courses weren't that much different from the ones at Durham Tech. In fact, I found the math classes at Durham Tech to be a little more demanding than the ones at NCSU. I think it had something to do with the smaller class sizes and the personal interaction that you get with your professors at Durham Tech.  Since I received my Associate in Science degree at Durham Tech, I have graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and I'm finishing my Master of Science degree in the Structural Engineering and Mechanics graduate program at NC State. I really enjoyed my time at Durham Tech and made two of my best friends there, too. They came to NCSU also to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering as part of the transfer program. I would recommend the University Transfer program at Durham Tech to anyone looking to save some money or looking to boost their college appeal for the admissions office at a large university. I believe that one of the main reasons I got accepted into the engineering program at NC State was because of how well I did while at Durham Tech.

Adolfo Obregon-Salinas
Durham Tech University Transfer graduate

Durham Tech was good to me. Early on, I took the ACA College Transfer Success class and made it a goal to transfer to NC State for engineering. Durham Tech was close; it was clean and organized. I always had a comfortable, quiet place to study and a green, sunny place to eat lunch. My classes were small, and my teachers were helpful. I formed lifetime friendships with people I met at Durham Tech. Thanks to the affordable tuition, financial aid, and a weekend job, I was able to transfer to NC State debt-free. I enjoyed my time at Durham Tech and am thankful that it helped me realize my goal.

William T. Lewis Jr.
Attended Durham Tech Spring 2009 – Spring 2010

“I got pretty bad grades in high school,” says Aaron Foreman, “so attending a school like UNC-Chapel Hill wasn’t really an option.”  Foreman took a few years to figure out next steps.  He attended culinary school for a while and got a job as the dessert chef at a local restaurant.  He trained to be a firefighter and then served on a volunteer squad.  He traveled.  He got married.

Then he decided to enroll in a few classes at Durham Tech in Fall 2005.  “It was great that I could go to school without having to stop everything else in my life,” he says.  “I never expected to enjoy Durham Tech so much.” 

In his second year at Durham Tech, Foreman was selected to participate in C-STEP, a partnership between Durham Tech and UNC-Chapel Hill.  He also served on Durham Tech’s Student Senate.  In May 2007, after just two years at Durham Tech, Foreman graduated with an Associate in Arts degree and was honored for outstanding academic achievement at the 2007 Arts, Sciences, and University Transfer Student Recognition Night. 

Subsequently, he enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill.  “The transition to UNC-Chapel Hill was difficult in terms of accessibility of teachers, parking, scheduling, and class size, but I was completely prepared for the academics,” Foreman says.  He graduated in May 2009 from UNC with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a high school teaching certificate, having participated in the UNC BEST (Baccalaureate of Education in Science Teaching) program that allowed him to complete his four-year degree and do a semester of student teaching during his two years at the University.

After graduation, Foreman got a job teaching 9th-grade Earth Science at Western Alamance High School, where he is now.  “I never thought about being a teacher when I started at Durham Tech,” he says, “but largely as a result of the great teachers I had in the University Transfer program, I realized what an impact I could have by entering that profession.” 

We at Durham Tech are proud of Aaron and wish him continued success in his endeavors.   

“DTCC is not just a community college. It is a wonderful place where university transfer students, regardless of their background, get a solid foundation to transfer to a university of their choice. My experience at DTCC is unforgettable. With the support and help of my instructors and DTCC's staff, I was able to focus on school work and to eventually succeed. DTCC was indeed the bridge to my academic success. It was there that I got the crucial foundation to pursue my higher education.”

Nadege Delake
Associate in Arts, Durham Tech 2007
Graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill Class of 2009 
M.S. in Peace Operations Policy, George Mason University 2012

"I am pursuing a degree in engineering coming from a non-engineering background and moved to the Triangle for its education.  This decision was difficult because mathematics was not a foundation for my previous careers, and I had to start all over from Trigonometry at Durham Tech.

“I am currently enrolled at NC State but I'm taking Calc II at Durham Tech this semester and have a few things to say about Durham Tech.  In my opinion, the quality of Durham Tech's education is equal to that of NC State. In fact, it is better for beginning and intermediate courses because Durham Tech's learning environment is more supportive. For instance, Durham Tech has a full-time tutorial center available to its students at no cost.  NC State does not have such a formal support program, and the atmosphere can be competitive, with less supportiveness among students. 

“I have come a very long way in my mathematical proficiency at Durham Tech and could not have done it elsewhere.  I feel we are fortunate to have Durham Tech, and at such an affordable cost. Durham Tech is a wonderful resource of, and credit to, North Carolina. For the student pursuing an undergraduate or Master’s degree, taking courses here to transfer out later is a very good strategy.”

Sam Kwak
Currently taking Junior- and Senior-level Electrical Engineering courses at NCSU as a non-degree-seeking student to transfer credits to a Master’s Degree Program in 1-2 years