GOLDSBORO, N.C. – Students at Johnston Community College (JCC) can earn a degree in artificial intelligence (AI) at Wayne Community College through a new partnership between the two schools.
Through their Instructional Service Agreement (ISA), WCC has been approved to offer AI classes online to JCC students after they have completed their first-year general education classes. Students will earn an Associate in Applied Science – Artificial Intelligence Engineer degree at WCC once they complete the program.
The agreement between the two colleges will officially begin in the fall of 2025.
“This partnership solidifies the shared mission we have as institutions to provide the best educational opportunities and to recognize the need for growth and adaptability in a world that is ever-changing,” WCC President Patty Pfeiffer said at the ISA signing ceremony.
AI is a growing area of computer science that covers the theory and development of software applications that simulate thinking, draw inferences according to context, discover meaning, reach conclusions, and make decisions by using data.
WCC’s Artificial Intelligence Engineer program gives students the skills to design, implement, and support AI and help organizations transition to AI technology.
JCC President Vern Lindquist said he hopes partnerships between community colleges continue, and he commended WCC for its forethought to invest in an AI program years ago. “We are glad they made that investment, and we are happy to be partnering with them now to make that vision extend all the way to Johnston County as well,” he said.
WCC was the first community college in the state, and the second in the nation, to offer an associate degree specializing in AI. Additionally, the College’s faculty wrote the course descriptions for AI courses that are now available to all 58 NC community colleges.
This is WCC’s second ISA for its AI curriculum; it also offers an Artificial Intelligence Engineer degree to students at Brunswick Community College.
About Wayne Community College
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves around 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 150 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.
