The West Virginia Community and Technical College System (CTCS) facilitated an agreement between its 9 member schools and Marshall University last week.
The agreement allows students at any of the system’s nine community and technical colleges to continue their education to receive a Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA) degree from Marshall University. Marshall will accept students who remain in good standing with their community college and allow up to 72 hours of college credit to be transferred for credit toward their RBA degree.
“We at Marshall University believe that the future prosperity of West Virginia depends on a highly educated workforce who contribute to the commerce of the state. As such, we are proud to collaborate with our colleagues in the community and technical colleges to find new and innovative ways to provide a high-quality education at the right time and place for each student,” said Marshall University’s Interim Associate Vice President of Outreach David J. Pettinger.
CTCS will provide academic advising and counseling for students to ensure their courses will lead them to a timely completion of the associates degree and help them stay on track to transfer as many credits as possible for the RBA at Marshall University. This extra assistance will give students of all ages an opportunity to get started with their first two years of college before making the transition to complete their bachelor’s.
“We are always looking for ways to assist students to continue their education,” said CTCS Vice Chancellor Dr. Casey K. Sacks. “This opportunity allows students to get their start at a community college where classes are smaller and more affordable and then transfer to Marshall University to finish their bachelor’s degree.”
A student’s prior experiences in work, military service, specialized training and civilian licensure could make them eligible to receive extra credits toward their associates degree and accelerate their progress in their first two years. All of these factors will be weighed in as the students discuss their next steps with advisors, in order to find the most efficient path toward an RBA.
“Agreements and partnerships between our colleges make higher education easier and more efficient for everyone,” said Sacks. “We hope this will make higher education a more accessible and more attractive option to West Virginians than it ever has been before.”
The agreement between Blue Ridge CTC, BridgeValley CTC, Eastern WV CTC, Mountwest CTC, New River CTC, Pierpont CTC, Southern WV CTC, WV Northern CC, WVU at Parkersburg, and Marshall University was signed on Wednesday December 6, 2017.
