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Wright State University and Sinclair Community College have agreed to continue a partnership that allows students to “move seamlessly” from one school to another as they pursue a bachelor’s degree.
The Double Degree Program provides students with academic advisors and resources from both schools so they can transfer credit hours from Sinclair to Wright State as they pursue a four-year degree. It also allows WSU students who become academically ineligible to take classes at Sinclair.
The renewed partnership comes after the Ohio Department of Higher Education called for an increase in the number of bachelor degrees awarded and an increase in bachelor’s degrees earned with at least one year of credit from a community college.
“We’re working to close this gap to make it easier for students to get a degree,” Johnson said.
Johnson refered to Sinclair and Wright State as “big friendly giants” because of how much they work together and because of their combined enrollment of nearly 50,000 students.
Johnson welcomed Wright State Provost Tom Sudkamp to Sinclair on Thursday to sign a renewal of the partnership.
“Sinclair and Wright State are innovative partners,” Sudkamp said. “The program has been working and we want to keep refining it.”
Sinclair Provost Dave Collins, who Johnson said was instrumental in establishing the program, also spoke of its benefits. Collins’ daughter started off at Sinclair before transferring to Wright State and obtaining a degree in human resources.
“They can move through rapidly, and in addition it’s a tremendous cost savings to students who pursue that opportunity,” Collins said.
Students starting at Sinclair who elect to join the program can use Wright State’s facilities, join student organizations and live on campus. Sinclair and the University of Dayton announced a similar collaborative earlier this year.
Sinclair students participating in the program can live on Wright State’s campus and six currently do, Johnson said.
There are 213 students enrolled at Wright State who got there through the Double Degree Program, said Sinclair spokesman Adam Murka.
More than 3,000 students have transfered from Sinclair to Wright State since 2012, according to the schools.
Tyler McDonough, a West Carrolton High School graduate, is heading to Wright State this fall to finish a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
Being a first-generation college student, McDonough said the Double Degree Program helped him navigate the “unfamiliar territory” of higher education. McDonough said he has met with advisors at both colleges to make sure his credits will transfer to Wright State.
“I feel like it’s going to be an easy transition,” he said.
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