In an effort to make getting a degree from Oklahoma State University easier, OSU Institute of Technology President Bill R. Path hosted OSU System President Burns Hargis and OSU-Tulsa President Howard Barnett Monday to sign the articulation agreement between the three campuses as part of the Finish Orange initiative.
OSUIT students who earn an associate in science degree are now guaranteed an easy transfer to a four-year program at either campus.
“Together we have developed agreements aligning coursework so students will know what credits will be accepted and applied to their degree programs at OSU in Stillwater or Tulsa,” said Path.
In Oklahoma, 42 percent of high school graduates still require remediation in order to be ready for college courses.
“Some students who wish to earn a degree at OSU may not yet be eligible for admission at the Stillwater campus. If we want our students to Finish Orange we must provide them with avenues to start orange,” he said. “With our applied learning methods and low faculty to student ratio, OSUIT can provide a solid foundation necessary for students to seamlessly transition from Okmulgee to Stillwater or Tulsa.”
Even if a student hasn’t completed an associate’s degree, he or she can still utilize the credits they have earned at OSUIT and apply them toward a bachelor’s degree.
The same is true for students who have earned college credit at the Stillwater or Tulsa campus who want to pursue a degree from OSUIT.
Hargis said all three institutions are unified in their efforts to provide students with the best opportunities to earn a degree from OSU.
“It’s incumbent upon us to remove barriers to higher education, making college completion simpler,” Hargis said.
For OSU-Tulsa, which provides classes and credit for a master’s degree or the last half of a bachelor’s degree, an articulation agreement with OSUIT makes perfect sense, Barnett said.
“I think a lot of people wonder why this wasn’t done years ago,” he said, adding that he appreciates all the hard work it takes to align courses between campuses so transitions are as seamless as possible for students.
The articulation agreement doesn’t just benefit the OSU system. The higher number of completed college degrees means a workforce qualified for better, higher paying jobs in the state.
“Finish Orange offers students greater opportunities to create their own path within the OSU family,” Path said. “We celebrate that today and hope to forge successful strategies going forward to ensure higher levels of degree completion in Oklahoma.”