Charter Oak State College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

online college based in

New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford. According to 2020 Census, the population of the city is 74,135. Among the southernmost of the communities encompassed wit ...

. The college was founded in 1973 by the

Connecticut Legislature The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Ther ...

and offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. The college is adjacent to

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...

and is named for Connecticut's famous

Charter Oak The Charter Oak was an unusually large white oak tree growing on Wyllys Hyll in Hartford, Connecticut in the United States, from around the 12th or 13th century until it fell during a storm in 1856. According to tradition, Connecticut's Roya ...

. Charter Oak State College is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. It is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and other ...

and functions under the degree-granting authority of the

Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education The Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR) is a government body in the U.S. state of Connecticut that oversees the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU). CSCU and the BOR were created on July 1, 2011, consolidating the governance of ...

. Previously, the Board for State Academic Awards (BSAA), established in 1973, granted degrees through Charter Oak State College. In 2012, the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education replaced the BSAA as Charter Oak State College's governing body. Charter Oak State College is a distance learning institution that mainly serves the adult population and allows different opportunities for credit to be earned compared to a tradition college. Charter Oak has awarded over 16,000 degrees since its founding in 1973.

Academics

Charter Oak State College can award the

Associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

(in both arts and science), the

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree, the

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree, and, since 2015, the

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degree. The bachelor's degree programs include several majors, as well as a General Studies degree with a wide selection of concentrations.

Student demographics

Charter Oak State College's adult students include the military, civilian federal and state employees, working adults pursuing first or second degrees, and students taking additional coursework in preparation for graduate school. Charter Oak State College's students are 65% female, 35% male and range in age from 17 to 72, with an average age of 39. 69% of Charter Oak's students are Connecticut residents.

Notable alumni

Bobby Gibson Bobby Gibson is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 15th district. He assumed office on January 12, 2018. Early life and education Gibson was born in Bloomfield, Connect ...

, educator and politician *

Marvin Jones Marvin Jones may refer to: *John Marvin Jones (1882–1976), known as Marvin Jones and J. Marvin Jones, United States congressman *Marvin Jones (linebacker) (born 1972), American football linebacker *Marvin Jones (wide receiver) (born 1990), Americ ...

, professional football player * Jason Murphey, politician *

Zach Payne Zach Payne (born February 24, 1989) is an American politician and businessman who has served in the Indiana House of Representatives from the 66th district since 2020. Payne previously served as a member of the Jeffersonville, Indiana City Counc ...

, politician *

Peter Reinhart Peter Reinhart is an American baker, educator and author. He is most known for writing ''Bread Revolution'', ''American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza'', ''The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking'' and ''The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.'' ...

, baker, educator, and author *

Jerome Tang Jerome Tang (born October 7, 1966) is a Trinidadian-American college basketball coach who is the head coach for the Wildcats of Kansas State University. He had previously been an assistant coach under Scott Drew from 2003 to 2022 at Baylor, wh ...

, college basketball coach *

Al Terzi Al Terzi is a Politics and news anchor who works for WTIC-TV. Terzi has worked in Connecticut for all but two years since 1968. He is considered "the Dean of Connecticut news anchors." Career Al began with WTIC-AM- FM-TV in June 1968 as a sta ...

, news anchor *

Larry Valencia Lawrence "Larry" M. Valencia (born July 29, 1958) is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing District 39 from January 2011 to December 2014. He is a candidate for Lieutenan ...

, politician

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Buildings and structures in New Britain, Connecticut Public universities and colleges in Connecticut Distance education institutions based in the United States Educational institutions established in 1973 Universities and colleges in Hartford County, Connecticut Liberal arts colleges in Connecticut 1973 establishments in Connecticut