MONACA, Pa. – A new agreement between Penn State Beaver and the Community College of Beaver County (CBCC) will make it easier for students who have already earned an associate degree to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“Transferring is always challenging, not only because of the different curricula, but also because of the way the credits transfer,” said Debra Seidenstricker, admissions counselor for adults and transfer students at Penn State Beaver. “This language ensures that at least 60 credits will transfer as equivalent if they are in (certain) programs. Typically, students need 120 credits for their bachelor’s degree.”
The agreement also applies to other Penn State Commonwealth campuses. For example, if Penn State Greater Allegheny offers a degree program not offered at Beaver, they can transfer to another campus.
“Community College of Beaver County and Penn State Beaver have partnered to create local, affordable, high-quality educational pathways in areas such as cybersecurity, criminal justice and business,” said Katie Thomas, dean of the School of Professions and Transfer Studies at CCBC.
Penn State’s Dual Admissions Program can also help students transfer smoothly. Seidenstricker said if a student knows they want to stay at Penn State, they can let their advisor at CCBC know and go through a dual admissions process.
Students transferring from a community college to a Penn State Commonwealth campus may also apply for the RaiseMe Transfer Scholarship. Eligible students can earn up to $7,000 over two years to complete their bachelor’s degree.
Seidenstricker said the goal of the articulation agreement and the Raise Me scholarship program is not to lure students away from CCBC, but rather to provide an affordable path to higher education for students in Beaver County.
“We want our students in Beaver County to benefit,” she said. “They get a two-year associate’s degree and ultimately a degree from Penn State with a concierge service. They get advice, they get mentoring and they’re assured that they’re saving money because they’re not losing any credits.”
Thomas agrees. “These educational pathways will be even more affordable through the Penn State Raise Me program,” she said. “We look forward to the future of this partnership and higher education in Beaver County.”
The full list of majors and corresponding Commonwealth campuses:
- Biology, BS (Beaver, Brandywine, Schuylkill, Scranton and York)
- Business, BS (Beaver, Brandywine, DuBois, Fayette, Hazleton, Greater Allegheny, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, York, Lehigh Valley, Mont Alto and Scranton)
- Criminal Law, BA/BS (Beaver, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Shenango and Wilkes-Barre)
- BS in Cybersecurity Analysis and Operations (Beaver, Brandywine, Greater Allegheny, Lehigh Valley, Shenango, Schuylkill and York).
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies (Brandywine, DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, Shenango, Scranton and York).
- Information Technology, BS (Beaver, Brandywine, DuBois, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and York).
- Multidisciplinary Studies, BS (Brandywine, DuBois, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Mont Alto, Shenango and Scranton).
- Nursing, BSN (Fayette, New Kensington, Shenango and Schuylkill)
- Project and Supply Chain Management, BS (Beaver, Brandywine, Greater Allegheny, Lehigh Valley, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Scranton and York
- Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (Beaver, Brandywine, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Scranton and York).
