Students transferring from community colleges to Shepherd University to benefit from new policy
Core curriculum classes will no longer be required for transfer students who have obtained an associate’s degree from a community college.
Shepherd University's new policy to eliminate core curriculum requirements for students transferring in from an accredited community college will allow students to complete their bachelor degrees more cheaply and more easily than before.
According to an article on Shepherd University’s website, Dr. Robert W. Tudor, who serves as the school’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, said of the change, “It’s a very simple thing. It saves someone time and money. We were finding that students who came over from a two-year institution had as much as an entire extra semester or more added to their time at Shepherd because they didn’t have their core curriculum satisfied.”
The policy change will go into effect in the upcoming Fall 2024 semester. If a student who is transferring to Shepherd University from an accredited community college and has earned an associate of science or an associate of arts degree, they will not be required to take any core curriculum classes. These classes are typically required for everyone regardless of their major or course of study, and include English, math, and history, among others. Up until the policy changes in the fall, transfer students would have to take any of these classes they didn’t take to earn their associate degree.
“This is a much easier transfer pathway for students, and most will automatically be here for only two years and can graduate with a bachelor’s degree,” said Will Bell, the acting vice president for enrollment management. We want students to graduate with bachelor’s degrees and the community colleges want students to graduate with associate degrees, so it is a win for everyone.”
Tudor believes the policy change will hold an immense benefit to students, speaking from his own personal experience. “It’s nice to be able to say that we’ve dropped a barrier that equals time and money. As someone who attended a two-year institution and transferred to a four-year institution, I see this as an action that says we value a student’s time.”
For more information about Shepherd University, visit the school’s website.