In a win for New Jersey college students, Thomas Edison State University (TESU) and Bergen Community College (BCC) have joined together in an articulation agreement that makes the pathway to a baccalaureate degree easier.

The new Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both college presidents recently, improves alignment of curriculums for 2+2, 3+1 and 3+2 transfer pathways. Once approved by the state, Bergen students can complete as many as three years or 90 credits at their home institution before transferring to TESU to complete a degree. This approach will enable students to take advantage of the most economic degree-earning method ever available. Additionally, in an innovative approach to the recognition of prior learning, many articulation agreements between TESU and Bergen will embed credit-earning opportunities through TESU’s suit of prior learning options including portfolio assessment, noncollegiate learning evaluations such as police academy training, apprenticeship education and more, and TESU’s proprietary testing environments.

“TESU is the state’s leader in partnering with community colleges and industry to reduce time to and cost of a degree,” Dr. Merodie A. Hancock, president, TESU, said at the signing ceremony. “We know our students who have successfully completed their degree at community college have a proven success rate. And with this agreement, Bergen students can stay in their county, keep working in the county and earn a degree to put them on the path to higher earning potential.”

TESU has entered into articulation agreements with many colleges and universities across the country. These articulation agreements determine which courses will transfer for degree credit or fulfill Thomas Edison State University course equivalencies. Additionally, TESU has had a decades-long association with the assessment of prior learning, assessing on-the-job training for credit and an array of learning pathways that reduce costs and accelerate degree completion for its students. The institution awards more than 66,000 college credits to students for prior learning annually, with each TESU student earning an average of 38 credits toward their degree by leveraging prior learning options. 

New Jersey’s community colleges offer an affordable education for more than 325,000 students at more than 60 campuses, making them the largest provider of higher education in the state. By working together, Thomas Edison State University and Bergen Community College will help the state’s economy grow and industries thrive by producing graduates with the skills necessary for high-quality careers.

“As a community college with a significant number of students who plan to continue their education, Bergen has always sought to maintain robust transfer agreements with four-year partners such as Thomas Edison State University,” BCC President Eric M. Friedman, PhD, said. “However, it remains incredibly important to periodically review these agreements and enhance them for the benefit of our students. Providing a streamlined transfer process helps all sides – Bergen, the four-year college and, most importantly, the Bergen graduate.”

To learn more, go to https://www.tesu.edu/degree-completion/transfer-pathways/ or www.bergen.edu.

The post TESU and Bergen Sign New Articulation Agreement first appeared on TrentonDaily.