The High Tech Academy (HTA) is a dual-credit enrollment program offered by Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Located at the Advanced Career Education (ACE) Center at Highland Springs, this collaborative program prepares secondary students for future careers in high tech industries.

Students in this two-year program follow a rigorous academic curriculum which incorporates industrial applications in a high tech atmosphere. Working in teams through project based learning, the students engage in coursework in advanced mathematics and science within the framework of high tech industrial applications. HTA students can receive up to 28 dual enrollment credit hours through VCU. Applicants must be registered in a HCPS high school and pass the required VCU placement assessments to be eligible for HTA. Two curriculum tracks are available based on the student’s math background (see below).

Students prepare for the NOCTI Pre-engineering certification exam, taken during their second year. HTA completers who pass this exam may qualify to receive the Governor’s Seal, the VDOE Career and Technical Education Seal, as well as the Board of Education’s Seal for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) (see General Information for all requirements).