St. Ambrose participates in transfer majors program

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For The Catholic Messenger

DAVENPORT — St. Ambrose University is the second Iowa private university to join the statewide Transfer Majors Associate Degree program. Community college graduates from across the state can now enroll in 11 St. Ambrose degree programs prepared to succeed and on schedule to graduate by having completed core courses in their intended major while earning their associate degree.

St. Ambrose has more than 60 undergraduate programs. The programs included in the statewide agreement are Business, Chemistry, Communications, Criminal Justice, English, History, Mathematics, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work and Sociology.

The Iowa Board of Education introduced the Transfer Majors program in 2018 to ensure that graduates of Iowa community colleges could transition smoothly to four-year state institutions, with all credits fully accepted and the opportunity to affordably graduate in four semesters.

Iowa community college graduates will take at least 18 hours of core curriculum courses in their four-year major and then enroll in upper-level courses on arrival at St. Ambrose. The university has had a Major Transfers agreement for two years with nearby Scott, Clinton and Muscatine community colleges — the collective members of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges.

Now, SAU can offer the same advantage to graduates of 10 additional community college systems — Des Moines Area, Hawkeye, Iowa Central, Iowa Lakes, Iowa Valley, Kirkwood, North Iowa Area, Northeast Iowa, Northwest Iowa and Western Iowa Tech.

“These students will start at the third-year level and on the same path to graduate as students who started here as first-year students,” said Maureen Baldwin, St. Ambrose dean of student academic services and community college relations. “There is a definite affordability advantage in that they can graduate within four semesters.”

St. Ambrose also offers a Dual Admission Program to community college students who enroll prior to completing their associate degree work. The benefits include a $1,000 dual admission scholarship; early access to academic advising; an SAU student ID to access to the SAU Library; use of the Wellness and Recreation Center; access to events at the Galvin Fine Arts Center and guidance from the Career Center while they are still enrolled in community college.

“Transfer students are St. Ambrose students, even before they get here,” said Paul Koch, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs. “We value and welcome them, and encourage them to get to know the campus and the SAU community as soon as possible. We want them to maximize their Ambrosian experience.”
For additional information, please visit www.sau.edu/admissions/transfer.

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