[417] MTSU and Chattanooga State Community College Reach Dual--Admission Agreement

For Immediate Release: April 14, 2011
Contact: Tom Tozer, 615-494-7696

MTSU AND CHATTANOOGA STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
REACH DUAL-ADMISSION AGREEMENT

MURFREESBORO — Chattanooga State Community College students will find it easier to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro under an agreement reached this week by the leaders of both institutions.
The presidents of MTSU and Chattanooga State, in signing a Memorandum of Understanding, committed to a shared curriculum plan for students seeking an associate degree in Chattanooga who also wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Murfreesboro.
Under the agreement, Chattanooga students who meet specific eligibility requirements will qualify for dual admission at the community college and MTSU.
Students in the program will be guaranteed for acceptance into MTSU. They will get access to MTSU faculty and staff while attending the community college and can take advantage of enhanced advising and transition services offered on the Murfreesboro campus.
“Chattanooga State is an innovator and has pushed the envelope in many ways to make it one of the leaders among community colleges,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “This is just the beginning of many great things that will occur between our institutions.”
“I look forward to a long-lasting partnership with Chattanooga State Community College,” McPhee added.
James Catanzaro, president of Chattanooga State, called the agreement “great for Tennessee and certainly great for our students.
“Our students will be able to come to MTSU with the confidence that they won’t have to figure out how their credits will transfer and how they can navigate this university,” Catanzaro said. “This is a very important day for us.”
To qualify for dual admission, prospective students must plan to pursue both associate and bachelor’s degrees; meet admission criteria for Chattanooga State; have earned 29 or fewer college-level semester hours and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 (2.75 for the Associate of Science Transfer Degree).

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PHOTO: From left: MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Chattanooga State Community College President James L. Catanzaro sign a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a dual-admission program between the two institutions that will create a seamless transition for students with an associate degree to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. Recently, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.