FRANKLIN — A new partnership between two local colleges will make it easier for some students to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Students at Ivy Tech Community College will have the ability to complete a bachelor’s degree at Franklin College through a new program that accelerates the degree path.
Instead of the typical four years it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree, students in Ivy Tech’s Associate Accelerated Program, also known as the ASAP program, will be able to earn their degree in just three years.
The ASAP program is a liberal arts program in which students complete two years of education at Ivy Tech in 11 months. Students who begin the program this fall and complete it with at least a 2.5 GPA will be eligible to transfer to Franklin College next fall and complete their bachelor’s degree in two years, said Kerry Prather, Franklin College president.
“We’ve been in an ongoing dialogue with Ivy Tech about any programs that might lend themselves to transfer opportunities. This is the first of its kind, this specific program. We were attracted to this one with the obvious selectivity on the Ivy Tech end of this, the intensity of the academic program and the level of support and mentoring Ivy Tech provides the students,” Prather said.
The colleges announced the bachelor’s degree transfer program Friday. Students in the ASAP program will attend classes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, for five eight-week terms.
Once students complete the program, they will be able to transfer to Franklin College for programs in art history, art studio-graphic design, art studio-DFAP, art studio-painting, creative writing, economics, English, multimedia journalism, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, public relations, religion, theatre, sociology: general track or sociology: criminal justice track, according to joint news release from Franklin College and Ivy Tech Community College.
Though the tuition at Franklin College is significantly more expensive than that of Ivy Tech, transfer students can apply for aid from the state, the federal government or Franklin College itself, Prather said.
Students can apply for free to be admitted to Franklin College, but would need to pay a $200 deposit to secure registration if they are admitted.
Students who transfer as part of the Ivy Tech ASAP program will receive no fewer than 60 credit hours toward their Franklin College degree, according to the news release.
The program is an important way for students from underprivileged backgrounds to attain the same educational opportunities as students whose families are wealthier, Prather said.
“We do feel this strongly gives us another way to honor our commitment to greater access to higher education for disadvantaged students and students of underrepresented populations,” he said.
