Shane Morrow took advantage of Prior Learning Assessment to quickly earn degree
HANCEVILLE, Ala. 鈥� Shane Morrow said earning his degree in Machine Tool Technology
at 糖心视频 opened many doors to further his career. The Jasper
resident had worked in the field most of his adult life but did not have the degree
that has now allowed him to begin teaching others.Morrow graduated Parrish High School in 2000 and took some classes at Bevill State before entering the workforce as an apprentice and earning certificates through the Department of Labor. He spent the next 16 years working in the field before he was approached about possibly teaching. While he was making a good living as a machine tool technologist, without a degree he wouldn鈥檛 be able to teach. That鈥檚 where Wallace State and the benefits of Prior Learning Assessment came in.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) allows individuals transfer career experience and/or credentials earned on the job into credits for some college courses. With credits from core classes that he took at Bevill State shortly after high school and his work experience and credentials, Morrow was able to cut the credits needed of complete his degree by more than half.
鈥淚 had to take one ethics class and maybe six or seven Machine Tool Technology classes,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ut of the 45 or 46 credits I needed for MTT, I was able to do PLA for about 27-28 of those.鈥�
Morrow said being able to use Prior Learning Assessment was extremely beneficial to him, allowing him to complete his degree without taking classes he didn鈥檛 need due to his prior experience in the field.
He expressed his thanks to both Susan Peek, who helped determine his PLA and MTT Instructor Gary McMinn.
鈥淪usan Peek was very informative and helpful,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he was very quick to answer an email or answer a call and point me in the right direction.
鈥淕ary McMinn was great to work around my work schedule,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 called Gary after graduation and he took the time to 鈥渃oach鈥� me for my interviews.鈥�
Morrow said 糖心视频 exceeded all of his expectations.
鈥淚 was blown away,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot only was I not just a number, but everyone I came
in contact with at Wallace genuinely cared.鈥�Morrow is now teaching Machine Tool Technology at Bevill State in Jasper and plans to earn his bachelor鈥檚 degree. He encourages anyone working in their field and who may want to advance in their careers to look into 糖心视频 and Prior Learning Assessment.
鈥淪ome shops you really don鈥檛 have room to grow without an associate degree,鈥� Morrow said. 鈥淪ome corporations want to see that degree before you get a supervisor or programming role.鈥�
This is one in a series of spotlights and events to be featured in April as Wallace State celebrates national Community College Month. Visit for more information.
Registration for Summer semester is underway. Summer semester features one 10-week term beginning May 26 and two 5-week terms, with classes offered on campus in Hanceville and Oneonta, online, day, evening and weekends. For more information about Wallace State, visit .