Bergen Grads Gain B.A. Pathway at Thomas Edison
PARAMUS, N.J – Bergen Community College and Thomas Edison State University (TESU) have established an articulation agreement that makes the pathway to a baccalaureate degree easier for Bergen graduates.
A memorandum of understanding signed by both college presidents during the fall semester creates transfer pathways that allow students to complete as many as three years or 90 credits at Bergen before transferring to TESU to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“As a community college with a significant number of students who plan to continue their education, Bergen has always sought to maintain robust transfer agreements with four-year partners such as Thomas Edison State University,” Bergen President Eric M. Friedman, Ph.D., said. “However, it remains incredibly important to periodically review these agreements and enhance them for the benefit of our students. Providing a streamlined transfer process helps all sides - Bergen, the four-year college and, most importantly, the Bergen graduate.”
The approach allows students to take advantage of a more economical and affordable pathway to earning a bachelor’s degree, according to TESU President Merodie A. Hancock, Ph.D.
“TESU is the state’s leader in partnering with community colleges and industry to reduce time to and cost of a degree,” TESU President Merodie A. Hancock, Ph.D., said at the signing ceremony. “We know our students who have successfully completed their degree at community college have a proven success rate. And with this agreement, Bergen students can stay in their county, keep working in the county and earn a degree to put them on the path to higher earning potential.”
Under the terms of the agreement, TESU will accept up to 90 credits from Bergen graduates who completed the institution’s A.A.S. in cybersecurity. Students will then transfer into TESU’s B.S. in cybersecurity, an entirely online program. The colleges expect to add additional programs to the agreement in the future. To learn more, visit tesu.edu/degree-completion/transfer-pathways.
Thomas Edison State University provides distinctive undergraduate and graduate education for self-directed adults through flexible, high-quality collegiate learning and assessment opportunities. One of New Jersey’s senior public institutions of higher education, the university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. Students earn degrees through a wide variety of rigorous and high-quality academic methods that can be customized to meet their individual needs. Identified by The New York Times as “the college that paved the way for flexibility,” the university is a national leader in the assessment of adult learning and a pioneer in the use of educational technologies. The New Jersey State Library is an affiliate. To learn more, visit www.tesu.edu or email admissions@tesu.edu.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.
Photo caption: Bergen President Eric M. Friedman, Ph.D., and Thomas Education State University President Merodie A. Hancock, Ph.D.
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