Ohio University and Columbus State Community College signed an agreement yesterday that will allow Columbus State students to earn a bachelor's degree at Ohio University without relocating.
The partnership, encouraged by Gov. Ted Strickland's call to boost the number of Ohioans with degrees by 230,000 in the next decade, allows Columbus State students with an associate's degree in applied science or applied business to complete a bachelor's degree in technical and applied studies from OU, said Charles Bird, vice provost for University Outreach.
Many details of the plan are still unknown, he said.
Miami University is in talks to create a similar arrangement with Sinclair Community College
in Dayton.
Chancellor Eric Fingerhut's two-plus-two system aims to increase access to associate's and bachelor's degrees from public institutions by tearing down barriers such as traveling and affordability.
The two-plus-two system would enable students to start their four-year degree at more affordable two-year colleges and finish them through four-year universities.
The partnership offers place-bound students a chance to further their education, said Teri Geiger, director of Government Relations. -
she said. For a lot of people ' in particular adult learners going back to a community college ' this will allow access to the kind of course work they need to go beyond an associate's degree.
By articulating the coursework between the two schools, Columbus State students can start their junior year through OU while not worrying about retaking their lower-level classes, Bird said. Articulation agreements spell out which courses a student will get credit for upon transfer.
After completing their associate degree at the Columbus State tuition rate, students who want a bachelor's will be able to take OU courses taught online or by OU instructors on the Columbus State campus at the cost of an OU regional campus, Bird said.
If the demand exists, OU is prepared to offer on-site courses taught by faculty from Lancaster and other OU campuses,
Bird said.
The courses will be offered online and plans are in the works for students who choose to take the classes at any of OU's campuses if they want to, Geiger said.
Also, there are plans to offer a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, although plans are
not finalized.
Similar programs are in place at Washington State Community College in Marietta, Hocking College and Lorain County Community College, and are set to start this fall, Bird said.
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