About SOAR

The Pennsylvania Department of Education supports career and technical education students aligning their high school courses to a college program in order to complete a degree, diploma or certificate.

SOAR stands for Students Occupationally and Academically Ready. SOAR programs articulate skills and tasks gained at the secondary school (high school) level to course credit earned in a post-secondary (college) degree, diploma or certificate program.

SOAR programs can help students:

• Prepare for entering the job market with college and career ready skills
• Choose the best career pathway
• Save money on college tuition
• Save time by not duplicating coursework in college

Qualified SOAR program students are eligible to apply for credits up to 3 years after their high school graduation date.

To qualify for SOAR program post-secondary credits a student must:

• Earn a high school diploma, with a minimum 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 scale in the technical core courses
• Complete the secondary school component of the approved PDE Program of Study
• Achieve proficiency on all tasks of the approved PDE Program of Study Competency Task List
• Achieve competent or advanced level on the secondary school end-of-program assessment that is appropriate for the approved PDE Program of Study 

The following majors at Thaddeus Stevens College offer course credit through the SOAR program:

• Architectural Technology
• Carpentry Technology
• Collision Repair Technology
• Computer and Network Systems Administration
• Computer Integrated Machining 
• Engineering Computer-Aided Drafting
• Graphic Communications and Printing Technology
• HVAC/R
• Metals Fabrication and Welding Technology
• Masonry Construction Technology
• Residential Remodeling Technology
• Welding Technology

To see which courses have been articulated for specific programs, click here.