DCCC, WCU enter new business student-transfer program
West Chester University and Delaware County Community College signed an on-site degree completion agreement recently that will enable associate degree graduates of the college to earn a West Chester University bachelor of science degree in business management with a minor in business law without ever having to leave the Marple Campus of Delaware County Community College.
The agreement offers students convenience of location, ample free parking, and on-site admissions and academic advising from university representatives. West Chester University faculty will teach the courses at the college, and the courses will be open to all university students, but with preference given to business management majors who graduated with an associate degree in business administration from the college.
Qualified students can early select the university’s most popular courses and will have access to events and facilities at the main campuses of both higher education institutions.
“This agreement paves the way for our graduates to have even greater access to a baccalaureate degree from the college’s number one transfer institution,” said L. Joy Gates Black, Ed.D., president of Delaware County Community College. “It also enables students who find it difficult to get to West Chester the opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degree in a location close to home, the college’s Marple Campus.”
“West Chester University is excited to partner with Delaware County Community College in order to provide students with a seamless path to continue their education,” said Christopher Fiorentino, Ph.D., president of West Chester University. “As a community of educators committed to ensuring access to a quality educational experience, West Chester University is particularly proud of this collaboration given that the inaugural academic program is business management, which has been designated a high priority occupation by the Department of Labor and Industry for both Chester and Delaware counties.”
Delaware County Community College graduates with associate in art, associate in science, or associate in fine arts degrees are eligible. Students may take university courses online and/or at the college’s main campus in Marple Township. The courses will be offered in a “cohort-like model” that will encourage small groups of students to progress through their coursework together. Studies have shown that cohort and cohort-like study arrangements benefit students by encouraging academic camaraderie and accountability.
Upon successful completion of this 60-credit program, students will earn a bachelor of science degree in business management, with a minor in business law [pending approval by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education]. More degree programs may be added at a later date.
For information about the new West Chester University bachelor of science in business management degree-completion program with Delaware County Community College, call Catherine Oberholtzer at 610-436-3479 or visit www.wcupa.edu/ transfer