Transfer

---

Community and technical colleges play an important role in producing baccalaureate degree graduates in Washington State.

• 41 percent of bachelor's degrees awarded each year go to students who started at community or technical colleges.
• Community and technical college transfers are well represented in business, science, engineering and education majors at universities in Washington.
• University branch campuses and off-campus programs are expanding access to baccalaureate degrees.
• Community and technical colleges open the door to baccalaureate degrees for thousands who might not otherwise go to a university.

Transfer works well for the 15,000 students who transfer every year.

• The "direct transfer agreement" and the Associate in Science-Transfer agreement, which each allow students who complete associates at two-year colleges to transfer as juniors to universities, provides a pathway for most transfers.
• The Major Related Program (MRP) degrees assure students are prepared for majors such as secondary science and math education, business and nursing.
• Universities are increasingly offering convenient, effective programs on community and technical college campuses for placebound students. Bachelor’s degrees are offered at 24 of the state’s 34 community and technical colleges.

Key Issues

SBCTC staff have identified three key transfer issues:

• How can we ensure that transfer students have access to upper division majors when the demand for baccalaureate degrees is increasingly so rapidly?
  • 4 CTCs are piloting recently authorized applied CTC bachelor’s degrees that serve place-bound graduates of applied assoicate degree programs. 2 additional pilot programs will be developed in 2008 for student enrollment beginning fall 2009.
  • 3 pilot university contracts to bring university partners to 3 college campuses as one of several strategies to address the need for more bachelor’s degree capacity in Washington.
• How can two-year and four-year institutions work together to meet students' needs for lower division preparation for baccalaureate majors?
  • Working through a joint group called the Joint Access Oversight Group (JAOG) the 2 year system and universities are developing additional Major Related Programs to meet the needs of students preparing to transfer in specific majors.
  • JAOG also is evaluating the existing MRPs to assure the degrees work well for students.
• How can we assure that the admissions process of universities continues to provide access for CTC transfers?
  • The proportionality agreements with universities and branch campuses assure that a specified portion of all new students will be from the state’s public community and technical college

Statewide transfer initiatives of the HECB, ICRC and JAOG

 

Top of page