Transfer
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The purpose of transfer is to facilitate the smooth transition
of college course work taken at one college institution to another college for the
benefit of the individual student. These courses are generally intended to move
the student towards a baccalaureate degree.
Washington State’s community and technical college system provides educational
course work and degree programs which “transfer” to upper-division institutions,
both public and private. The notion of transfer is grounded in the peer-based accreditation
status of the participating colleges in supporting student mobility of course work
between and among the colleges.
The current community and technical college system grew out of legislation in 1967,
later revised in 1991, that fostered educational opportunity for students in their
own communities. These opportunities were clearly intended to include course articulation
between the community/ technical colleges and the baccalaureate colleges.
These transfer arrangements have evolved over many decades to include a variety
of degrees and articulation arrangements. Effective 2009, technical colleges may
also offer transfer degrees in selected fields in support of professional baccalaureate
work.
Transfer Within the Community and Technical College System
The Washington State Community and Technical Colleges Instruction Commission established
policies that govern the acceptance of credits within the CTC system:
Common Course Numbering
Common course numbering makes course transfer easy between and among Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges. Common courses are those courses delivered by a number of community and technical colleges that have official college catalog descriptions similar enough to be accepted as equivalent at a receiving college for transfer purposes.
Technical College General Education Course Acceptance
The Instruction Commission and the Washington State Student Services Commission expect that all
colleges in the Washington community and technical college system accept transferable
technical college general education courses as equivalent to their own similar general education
courses in content and purpose, in transcript credit value, and as applied to degree requirements.
The Instruction Commission and Washington State Student Services Commission members will communicate
this position to those in their colleges responsible for accepting transfer
courses, and will send this resolution to the Education Services Committee of WACTC.
CTC Inter-College Reciprocity Policy Transfer Distribution Courses and Areas
The inter-college reciprocity policy
ensures that students moving between colleges are not penalized by the healthy differences in the specific general education requirements imposed by individual campuses within the general guidelines of the Transfer degrees (DTA and AS-T). Reciprocity of Prior Learning Credit added by Instruction Commission, May 2012.
Placement Reciprocity Policy and Procedure
The Placement Reciprocity Policy and Procedure was approved by Student Services Commission and Instruction Commission, Spring 2013.
Prior Learning Assessment of Credit
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is an opportunity for colleges to award credit for student learning done outside of the academic system that meets NWCCU Accreditation standards. Credit earned through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) at one college will be accepted toward the appropriate course or program at any other Washington community and technical college (Guidelines for Prior Learning Assessment - approved by WACTC January 2000)
Transfer to Baccalaureate Institutions Policy
Historically, transfer policy in Washington consists of several cross-sector agreements,
some of which have been adopted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB),
the agency responsible for state transfer policy. The agreements include:
Direct Transfer Agreement
The Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) Associate Degree, sometimes called the Associate in Arts or Associate in Arts and Sciences, is the community college degree designed to transfer to most bachelors of arts degrees at Washington’s four-year institutions.
Associate in Science-Transfer (AS-T) - Tracks 1 and 2
The Associate in Science-Transfer (AS-T) degree is designed for community and technical college students seeking to major in engineering and science. Degrees structured under the AS-T umbrella provide:
- Priority admissions consideration at public universities for most science and engineering majors ahead of non-degreed transfers.
- Completion of similar lower division general education requirements as first- and second-year university students in engineering or science-based fields.
- Credit for all courses completed within the AS-T up to and in some cases beyond 90 credits.
- Opportunity to complete math and science prerequisites for the chosen major.
- Opportunity to explore other fields within the electives included in the degree.
This degree is for students interested in chemistry and related fields.
This degree is for students interested in engineering and physics and related fields.
Associate in Applied Science-T (AAS-T) Degree
The Associate in Applied Science-Transfer degree is built upon the technical courses required for job preparation but also includes a college-level general education component, common in structure for all such degrees.
Major Related Programs (MRPs)
Major related programs help transfer students better prepare for the junior year
upon transfer. Major Related Program (MRP) pathways follow one of the two statewide
transfer agreements. "Major Related" includes early selection of academic
interests for competitive selection at four-year colleges and universities.
Washington 45
The list of courses in "Washington 45" does not replace the Direct Transfer Agreement, Associate of Science Tracks I and II or any Major Related Program agreement, nor will it guarantee admission to a four-year institution.
Transfer Degree Policies
Several higher education groups composed of community and technical college and
four-year college and university representatives collaborate to form policy for
students transferring from a community and technical colleges to four-year colleges.
Joint Transfer Council (JTC)
Orignially formed in 2003 as the Joint Access and Oversight Group (JAOG), the Joint Transfer Council considers statewide transfer issues and recommends policy strategies. It is a standing committee that meets about six times a year with representatives from the public and independent academic degree-granting institutions and the HECB. The name was changed to the Joint Transfer Council in the spring of 2011.
In December 2007, the JAOG prepared the JAOG
Transfer Policy Report, a report summarizing transfer policies as
they currently operate in Washington.
Intercollege Relations Commission (ICRC)
ICRC representatives from community and technical colleges and four-year colleges and universities work collaboratively to enforce transfer policies and make recommendations for policy change. The ICRC Handbook outlines transfer agreements, courses generally accepted for transfer and courses generally NOT accepted for transfer.
Student Transfer Rights and Responsibilities
The Student Transfer
Rights and Responsibilities document outlines
student rights and responsibilities as well as the rights and responsibilities of
colleges who receive students upon transfer.
General Transferable Courses
Each year the CTC system identifies course areas or specific courses that meet the criteria for generally transferable courses that have not yet been listed as generally transferable. A review process results in annual updates to the list of such courses (ICRC Handbook, page 23, Appendix B).
Proportionality Agreement of 1994
The Proportionality
Agreement of 1994was
developed by the Transfer Task Force convened by the HECB in fall 1992 in response
to an anticipated problem of lack of sufficient space at some public baccalaureate
institutions due to the potentially increasing numbers of transfer students at the
community colleges. (See letter
of transmittal, March 30, 1994.) The proportionality agreement states that each baccalaureate
institution will maintain its current (1992) proportion of community college transfer
student admissions and within that number grant priority admissions to those with
an associate degree or who have otherwise completed lower-division preparation. Proportional Goal for State Universities
1990 Cooperative Student Transfer Process
This 1990
Cooperative Student Transfer Process outlines
the joint process used by public four-year institutions of higher education and community
colleges to establish a cooperative transfer process, which will ensure that qualified
students can progress through their chosen courses of study toward their desired
degrees.
1984-86 Umbrella Transfer Policy
This 1984-86
Umbrella Transfer Policy commits to transfer as a key path to the bachelor's
degree and has been adopted by the HECB.
Reverse Articulation Agreement between
Western Governors University Washington and Washington CTCs
This Reverse Articulation Policy Agreement enables eligible students without an associate degree who transfer credits from a community or technical college to receive their associate degree from a CTC, while they are an enrolled student in the University, once they have satisfied the degree requirements of the community or technical college.
Transfer Degree Approval
As of summer 2009, all community and technical colleges must seek State Board approval for programs that transfer to four-year colleges and universities within Washington State. All programs that existed prior to summer 2009 are automatically approved by the State Board. Please review the program approval policy prior to completing the program approval request form
. Questions about the program approval policy should be directed to Michelle Andreas, 360-704-4338. The completed program approval request form should be emailed to Jackie Eppler-Clark.
College in the High School Academic/Transfer Guidelines
The College in the High School Academic/Transfer Guidelines were approved by the Instruction Commission and public baccalaureate provosts in 2004.
Transfer Degree Inventory
In addition to statewide direct transfer degrees (DTA and AS-T), each community and technical
college creates individual program articulation
agreements with four-year colleges and universities, inside and outside of Washington State.
University Center Partnerships
Community and technical colleges offer four- year degrees on their campus to increase student access to higher education.
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Page Manager: landerson@sbctc.edu
Page Reviewed/Updated: June 18, 2013, 10:54 AM