Murray State College and Durant Public Schools are partnering to provide two pathway options to Durant high school students through Murray State College’s Accelerated College Experience (ACE) Program.

The ACE program allows high school students to earn college credit beginning their sophomore year with the potential to earn an associate’s degree by the time they accept their high school diploma, saving students and their families time and money.

"Once a college degree appears in a family, it often sparks a tradition, leading to greater earning potential and fulfilling occupational needs," said Murray State College President Dr. Tim Faltyn. "From our perspective, we aim to catalyze that success for the students in our region."

Murray State College will offer two curricular pathways for students seeking to enter the workforce after graduation or wanting to transfer to a four-year university, like Southeastern Oklahoma State.

“We can train students who want to stay in Durant, Oklahoma, or southeastern Oklahoma and want to succeed in this area," said Southeastern Oklahoma State University President Dr. Thomas Newsom. "In the critical occupations, students tend to stay where they train."

The workforce pathway will include technology degrees in Applied Technology, Business Management, Child Development, Computer Information Technology, and Manufacturing Technology. The higher education pathway will include the Arts and Science degree and allow students to complete their general education requirements with electives in their area of choice.

“This partnership allows students to break barriers to higher education, such as time and affordability,” said Durant Public Schools Superintendent Mark Moring. “A local school district, college, and a university have all come together to share resources to give our students more opportunities.”