PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 15, 2010) – Officials at Saint Joseph’s University and Bucks County Community College (BCCC) signed a new transfer agreement that allows students at the two-year school to transfer more seamlessly to complete a bachelor’s degree.

At a signing ceremony on BCCC’s Newtown campus, the institutions finalized an official agreement that allows Bucks students pursuing select associate degrees to transfer credits to Saint Joseph’s University’s College of Professional and Liberal Studies (PLS) for credit toward one of seven corresponding bachelor’s degrees.

“Bucks students look for smooth paths to bachelor’s degrees,” said Barbara Ford, director of transfer services at BCCC.  “This transfer agreement meets the needs of our adult students by providing a specific outline of how course choices in a Bucks associate degree will directly apply to a Saint Joseph’s College of Professional and Liberal Studies degree.”

As part of the agreement, Bucks graduates are guaranteed admission into PLS for select bachelor’s degree programs after filling out an “Intent to Enroll” form before completing 45 transferable credits. The transferring students must also achieve a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5.

BCCC credits can be transferred toward degrees in the following areas of study: a Bachelor of Science in business administration, criminal justice, professional and liberal studies, legal studies, psychology, sociology; or a Bachelor of Arts in English professional communications.

“We welcome BCCC transfer students and look forward to helping them reach their educational and professional goals,” says Vice Provost and Dean of PLS Paul DeVito, Ph.D. “We are pleased to provide this exciting opportunity to the students of Bucks and look forward to formally continuing our relationship with BCCC.”

Renewable merit scholarships are available for transfer students taking classes at Saint Joseph's main campus. To be eligible, students must have a transferrable GPA of at least 3.0 and be enrolled in at least six credits for the spring or fall semester.

This transfer agreement is part of the University’s ongoing dedication to providing increased educational opportunities to Bucks County. The arrangement follows a spring 2009 expansion initiative that offers an accelerated degree completion program in criminal justice at Bucks County Public Safety/Police Training Center location — a program that already serves many BCCC transfer students.

“Through this articulation agreement, we hope to strengthen our transfer partnership with Bucks County Community College,” says Judith Gallagher, M. Ed., associate dean of PLS.  “Our goal is to make it easier for Bucks students to continue their studies with Saint Joseph’s University by offering a variety of options, including classes at our main campus or through our criminal justice degree completion program at the Bucks County Training Center.”