West Chester University and Delaware County Community College Sign New Agreement to Benefit Students
(Delaware & Chester Counties, PA • March 29, 2018)—West Chester University and Delaware County Community College signed an on-site degree completion agreement recently that will enable graduates with an Associate of Science in Business Administration degree, or other associate degrees with the required business prerequisites, to earn a West Chester University Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management with a minor in Business Law without ever having to leave the Marple Campus of Delaware County Community College. The first cohort of students will begin in the fall of 2018.
The agreement offers students convenience of location, ample free parking, and on-site admissions and academic advising from University representatives. West Chester University faculty will teach the courses at the College, and the courses will be open to all University students, but with preference given to Business Management majors who graduated with an associate degree in Business Administration from the College. Qualified students can early select the University’s most popular courses and will have access to events and facilities at the main campuses of both higher education institutions.
“This agreement paves the way for our graduates to have even greater access to a baccalaureate degree from the College’s number one transfer institution,” said Dr. L. Joy Gates Black, president of Delaware County Community College. “It also enables students who find it difficult to get to West Chester the opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degree in a location close to home, the College’s Marple Campus.”
“West Chester University is excited to partner with Delaware County Community College in order to provide students with a seamless path to continue their education,” said Dr. Christopher Fiorentino, president of West Chester University. “As a community of educators committed to ensuring access to a quality educational experience, West Chester University is particularly proud of this collaboration given that the inaugural academic program is business management, which has been designated a high priority occupation by the Department of Labor and Industry for both Chester and Delaware Counties.”
Students may take University courses online and/or at the College’s main campus in Marple Township. The courses will be offered in a “cohort-like model” that will encourage small groups of students to progress through their coursework together. Studies have shown that cohort and cohort-like study arrangements benefit students by encouraging academic camaraderie and accountability.
Upon successful completion of this 60-credit program, students will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, with a minor in Business Law.* More degree programs may be added at a later date.
Delaware County Community College serves more than 23,000 credit and non-credit students online and at eight locations in Delaware and Chester Counties. The College, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, offers more than 50 associate degrees and 35 certificate programs.
Enrolling over 17,000 students, West Chester University is the largest member of the 14-institution Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, the University is a comprehensive public institution, offering 118 undergraduate programs, 103 master’s degree and 4 doctoral programs in more than 50 fields of study. In addition to the main campus in West Chester, the University offers programs through its graduate center, the Philadelphia campus, and online. Five colleges and two schools comprise the University: Colleges of Arts and Humanities, Business and Public Management, Education and Social Work, Health Sciences, and the Sciences and Mathematics, as well as the School of Music, and the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies.
For more information about the new West Chester University Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree-completion program with Delaware County Community College, contact Catherine Oberholtzer at 610-436-3479, or coberholtzer@wcupa.edu, or see www.wcupa.edu/dccc.
*Pending approval by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
(Photo Caption: Delaware County Community College President Dr. L. Joy Gates Black and West Chester University President Dr. Christopher M. Fiorentino sign the new West Chester University Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree-completion program agreement.)
