Nashville State Community College and Middle Tennessee State University expand partnership with two new agreements

Nashville State Community College and Middle Tennessee State University have an expanded partnership thanks to the recent signing of two articulation agreements by representatives from each institution. The two new articulation agreements will provide transfer pathways from Nashville State Community College graduates who completed associate degrees in aerospace technology or computer information technology with a cyber defense concentration to continue their bachelor degree education at Middle Tennessee State University.

According to an article on Nashville State Community College’s website, Shanna L. Jackson, the college’s president, was quoted as saying of the new agreements, “Nashville State is a natural and affordable bridge for students who are seeking a four-year degree. MTSU has been a great partner in expanding and improving transfer pathways for our graduates to continue their educational and career goals. I want to thank Dr. McPhee and his team for their continued collaboration and forward-thinking.”

Sidney A. McPhee, the president of Middle Tennessee State University, echoed these sentiments, sharing, “These new degree paths represent another example of the collaborative spirit between our institutions to provide ready-to-work graduates for our state and region in technical fields that are in high demand. I applaud Dr. Jackson and her team for constantly exploring ways to add value to their graduates’ degrees, and MTSU is thrilled to partner in that effort.”

One of the new articulation agreements stipulates that students who have graduated from Nashville State Community College with an associate degree in aerospace technology can transfer to Middle Tennessee State University to pursue a bachelor degree in aerospace, with a technology concentration. The other states that students who have graduated from Nashville State Community College with an associate degree in information technology with a cyber defense concentration can transfer to Middle Tennessee State University to pursue a bachelor degree in cybersecurity management.

JP Morgan Chase funded a five-year New Skills Ready grant that made possible the agreement for students on the pathway for cyber defense and cybersecurity management degrees. The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce administered the grant and also played a role in the collaboration between the two schools for this particular agreement.

Other existing agreements between Nashville State Community College and Middle Tennessee State University include an articulation agreement for graduates with an associate degree in  Architectural, Civil, and Construction Engineering Technology with the Civil and Construction concentration transferring to Middle Tennessee State University for the Construction Management bachelor degree with the Commercial Construction Management concentration. Another articulation agreement is for students who graduate with certain concentrations of an associate degree may transfer for Middle Tennessee State University for a bachelor degree in Professional Studies with a focus on Organizational Leadership in Information Technology. The third agreement between the two schools lays out a scholarship: the Guaranteed Transfer Scholarship Program. It provides students with $3,000 per year for two years.

Greg Van Patten, who serves as the dean of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Basic and Applied Sciences, the home of the university’s aerospace program, is hopeful that this agreement will bring more Nashville State students into the university’s acclaimed aerospace program. The aerospace program at Middle Tennessee State University has been running for 80 years. Van Patten is quoted as saying, “While Nashville State is one of our college’s top transfer institutions, and the Aerospace bachelor’s program is the largest at MTSU, we have not previously seen many students from NSCC go into Aerospace. I hope this articulation agreement will make it easier for those students interested in aviation careers to transition seamlessly to MTSU.”

For more information about Nashville State Community College, visit the school’s website.

More information about Middle Tennessee State University can be found on the school’s website.