Design Your Technical Degree
Your goals. Your timeline. Your degree.
Take control of your education with a customizable technical degree designed around your unique career goals and interests. The Associate of Technical Study (ATS) program offers the flexibility to combine technical coursework with general education, allowing you to build specialized expertise while developing the critical thinking, communication and analytical skills that employers value across all industries.
You’ll develop transferable skills that last a lifetime—critical thinking, communication skills and analytical reasoning—all while building a stable and impactful future. Every ATS plan is as unique as the student who designs it, crafted to reflect your passions, ambitions and the life you want to create.
Professional qualities that will set you apart:
- Self-motivation and initiative: Take ownership of your learning and career path
- Critical thinking and problem-solving: Analyze information and make effective decisions
- Adaptability and lifelong learning: Stay flexible and continuously build new skills for an ever-changing workforce
Small Classes. Expert Guidance.
Our instructors are experts who take pride in your success. Combined with our small class sizes, you’ll get one-on-one mentorship and precise technical feedback tailored to your goals.
Award type
Associate Degree
Department
School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Required credit hours
60-61
An Insider Perspective
94%
Employers who value transferable skills over major
14:1
Student-to-faculty ratio, offering a personalized learning environment
2
Years of study, allowing you the space to decide what comes next
Flexibility Meets Focus
Unlike traditional degrees with fixed course requirements, ATS lets you build a technical study plan tailored to your specific career goals alongside general education classes that establish essential skills that employers and universities value.
Choose from two ways to build your technical education:
- Type A: Design Your Focus Combine technical courses from existing programs to create a specialized study plan and build the exact expertise you need.
- Type B: Get Credit for What You Know Apply your prior education, training, or work experience toward college credit. Turn your real-world expertise into academic credentials and complete your degree faster.
Beyond your customized technical coursework, you’ll develop the core competencies that matter in any field:
- Communicate effectively in professional writing and speaking
- Research and analyze information to make sound decisions
- Think critically to solve complex problems
- Navigate diverse perspectives and work across differences
Choose electives in areas that complement your technical focus or explore new interests: natural sciences, arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences. All general education courses transfer seamlessly across Ohio colleges and universities.
Career Outcomes
The Associate of Technical Study gives you complete control over your education. Build a degree to launch your career, advance your current position or prepare you for transfer—all while earning credit for what you already know.
Whether you’re meeting specific industry requirements or carving out a path that doesn’t fit traditional programs, this degree bends to your timeline, your budget and your ambitions—not the other way around.
Explore the employment data to understand trends in our area.
In Their Words
“I’m happy I decided to come here instead of a four-year school while being undecided. This was a better path to go. My mom had asked me what I wanted to do since my junior year of high school. She and my sister told me to come to Owens. I’d say it definitely worked out.”
Lawson Mazur, Applied Science, ’25
Getting Started at Owens
Begin your high-quality education at an affordable price today!
Enrollment is easy—just fill out an online admissions application to get started. We’ll ask you to submit your transcripts for course placement and college credit.
Upon acceptance, schedule a meeting with your admissions advisor to register for classes. Next, attend an on-campus orientation and meet with your student financial services advisor to discuss ways to pay for college.