College Preparatory Studies exists to remediate deficiencies, in order that students may excel in their chosen careers. The sequences of College Prep courses are designed to prepare students for college-level academic course work.

The recommendation to enroll in College Prep courses is made on the basis of diagnostic testing and THEA. Although these courses do not satisfy any degree requirement, they are designed to assure reasonable student success in the college curriculum.

Courses Offered:
College Prep English  |  College Prep Math  |  College Prep Reading

Note: NCTC offers a number of courses (listed below) designed to help you acquire the skills necessary for success in college-level courses. The courses are widely offered in Texas community/junior colleges, and the policy statewide is that these will not transfer as college-level courses nor will they count toward graduation at accredited Texas colleges and universities. It is important that you understand that such courses are designed to help you overcome academic deficiencies that are likely to hinder you in your pursuit of a college degree. Attendance in College Preparatory Studies is mandatory when a student has not passed the THEA or COMPASS exam. After THREE hours of absenteeism, a student may be warned and referred to the Department Chair of College Preparatory Studies. At SIX hours of absenteeism, a student may be dropped from his/her College Preparatory class. If the student is dropped from the only College Preparatory class in which he/she is enrolled, the student will be DROPPED from all remaining courses for that semester.

ENGL 0300 Fundamentals of English I

48 lecture hours ....................................................................................... 3 credit hours

In this course, students will learn to write clear, well-developed paragraphs. Students will also learn to identify and correct major sentence errors, including fragments, comma splices, and run-ons. Other topics include subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, and basic punctuation. This course does not count toward graduation at NCTC.

ENGL 0305 Fundamentals of English II

Prerequisite: ENGL 0300 passed with a "C" or better OR satisfactory placement score.

48 lecture hours ....................................................................................... 3 credit hours

In this course, students will learn to compose unified, well-developed essays with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The thesis statement and topic sentences will be emphasized. Students will also review and practice the basic grammar skills taught in ENGL 0300 and then move to more advanced topics, including modifiers and parallelism. This course does not count toward graduation at NCTC.

MATH 0303 (NCTM 0331) Pre-Algebra

48 lecture hours ....................................................................................... 3 credit hours

This introductory course includes a general overview of basic arithmetic: fractions, decimals, and percent. Other topics include algebraic concepts, integers, solving equations, linear equations, graphing, and polynomials. Simple geometric concepts are also discussed. This course is designed for those students with little or no algebra background. This course does not count toward graduation at NCTC.

MATH 0305 (NCTM 0351) Beginning Algebra

Prerequisite: MATH 0303 passed with a "C" or better OR satisfactory placement score.

48 lecture hours ....................................................................................... 3 credit hours

This course includes basic algebraic concepts and notations, algebraic expressions and equations, factoring polynomials, and graphing. Some algebra is required. This course does not count toward graduation at NCTC.

MATH 0310 (NCTM 0371) Intermediate Algebra

Prerequisite: MATH 0305 passed with a "C" or better OR satisfactory placement score.

48 lecture hours ....................................................................................... 3 credit hours

Concepts instructed in this course are algebraic expressions including polynomials and rational expressons, linear expressions and inequalities, funtions and relations, conic sections, and systems of equations and inequalities. This course does not count toward graduation at NCTC.

READ 0300 Reading Techniques I

48 lecture hours ....................................................................................... 3 credit hours

Reading Techniques I is a course designed  to enable college students to become more aware of themselves as readers and to develop strategies and skills to meet the demands of college reading. Emphasis is placed on comprehension. Specific strategies covered include vocabulary development, active reading strategies, outlining skills (including identifying the main idea, supporting details and patterns of organization). This course does not count toward graduation at NCTC.

READ 0305 Reading Techniques II

Prerequisite: READ 0300 passed with a "C" or better OR satisfactory placement score.

48 lecture hours ....................................................................................... 3 credit hours

Reading Techniques II is a course intended to continue the improvement of reading skills with particular emphasis on critical and analytical reading strategies. The course begins with a review of active reading strategies for informational text and ends with an emphasis on critical reading of persuasive texts.  Critical reading skills covered include identifying an author’s purpose, tone, bias, and logic. This course does not count toward graduation at NCTC.