Hill Country has ‘Higher Ed’

The Hill Country University Center (HCUC) offers higher education opportunities in Fredericksburg for both traditional and non-traditional students. HCUC houses a branch of Central Texas College (CTC) and the Texas Tech University Teaching Site at Fredericksburg (TTU).

04/26/2023 03:28 PM (update 07/21/2023 02:07 PM)

Hill Country University’s orientation session lets area high school students know their local higher-education options. — File photo

Together, the schools offer area students an affordable way to complete a four-year degree locally.

The 24,000-square-foot facility opened in 2010, and today boasts seven classrooms, a science lab, computer lab, student lounge, offices, and the H-E-B Community Events Center, which can host meetings and events. It is located on 68 acres at the eastern city limits.

The HCUC campus serves students in Gillespie and the surrounding six-county area.

Evening classes serve many adult students who also work full time.

The center offers a variety of associate and bachelor degrees and provides scholarships to local students to offset the cost of attending college.

TTU-Fredericksburg

TTU offers junior and senior-level coursework needed to successfully complete bachelor degrees without leaving Fredericksburg.

With the programs offered, students can design a degree that prepares them for a variety of careers.

Bachelor degrees are offered in local food and wine production, political science, and teacher education, to name a few.

Here, in the heart of Texas wine country, TTU is leading the way in the study of winemaking and offers viticulture and enology certificate programs, taught by some of the country’s top instructors.

The program has brought in grape growers and winemakers from around the nation to earn industry certification and many of them go on to careers in the region.

Central Texas College

CTC is a two-year public community college that provides freshman and sophomore courses while maintaining some of the lowest tuition rates in the state of Texas.

Students can earn an associate degree while completing their core curriculum toward many areas of study.

By earning college credits at CTC, a student can build a solid academic foundation and save on the cost of college before transferring to a four-year degree program. One popular path to a bachelor’s degree is by transferring from CTC to TTU.

Lifelong Learning

HCUC also offers a variety of adult education courses from the TTU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).

OLLI offers members 50 years and older the opportunity to learn about a variety of topics from experts in their field.

By combining quality, affordability, and the partnership between CTC and TTU, HCUC offers a unique opportunity for higher education in the Texas Hill Country.