A partnership between Mississippi University for Women and East Central Community College is giving students a chance to secure advanced business degrees in less time and at a lower cost.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed by both institutions’ presidents Tuesday, students in select career and technical education programs have a streamlined opportunity to earn an associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degree in certain fields in only five years.
“It’s affordable, it’s obtainable, and they have a reduction in credit loss,” said Dee Larson, chair for the MUW Department of Business.
After earning their associate’s degree over three years at ECCC, students on the “3+1+1” pathway will transfer to The W to earn their bachelor’s of applied sciences degree in a year. Then they have the option to also secure a master’s degree in one of 17 degree pathways at MUW.
The goal of the program is to help students transfer seamlessly without transfer credit loss, which can be difficult normally because many universities don’t accept credit transfer students have earned for technical classes, Larson said.
“These students have kind of been at an impasse,” she said. “If they decided after two years, ‘I really need the bachelor’s or I really want the bachelor’s,’ they’d have to start all over again.”
Through the new pathway, students can transfer up to 90 hours of credit from ECCC, including up to 40 technical credit hours. Aside from The W, none of the state’s regional universities accept career technical credit without an evaluation process.
Degree pathway options include culinary arts, health care management, sports management and information technology. Several of the programs are offered online, Larson said.
“A lot of these individuals are in their own communities, and they go to the community college because they live there,” she said. “That’s where they have a life. That’s where they’re working. They really can’t leave and come to us, so that’s where our eight concentrations that can be obtained all online are really a benefit to them.”
Once students complete their BAS degree, they are invited to further their education by applying to The W’s master of business administration degree program.
Obtaining an advanced business degree in addition to technical training will give students a leg up when they graduate and enter the job field, ECCC’s Director of Career and Technical Education Cody Spence told The Dispatch.
“They’re allowing themselves to be more set up to climb the ladder, so to speak, in whatever agency or corporate organization they choose to work for,” he said. “They come to East Central and gain the technical aspects. They learn the hard skills needed, and then they continue their education and do more educational pathways, so they are prepped and ready to go.”
By making advanced degrees more affordable and obtainable, the program also equips students to better meet the needs of Mississippi’s growing workforce, Spence said.
“Students who enter the (information technology) field, for instance, are now able to have an easier path to get their bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, so when we have companies come in, like Amazon, we are able to produce students who (can) meet those needs for larger corporations,” Spence said.
Larson said The W already has a similar pathway option for students transferring from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
“Our goal is to reach out to all of the community colleges,” she said. “It just takes time to build those pathways. … I feel like we are working together with the community colleges to help Mississippi as a whole (and) provide individuals who can create successful businesses.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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