Texas AM University-Commerce signed an articulation agreement with Eastfield College on Dec. 17, 2015. The agreement allows students from Eastfield College to begin their college careers before transferring seamlessly to AM-Commerce or its approved off-campus locations, according to program offerings.

“Texas AM University-Commerce is focused on improving student access and reducing cost and time to degree,” said Vice President of Student Access and Success Dr. Mary Hendrix. “We are proud to partner with Eastfield College so their students can transfer to our university to complete their baccalaureate degrees and never leave the community.”

The new articulation agreement between AM-Commerce and Eastfield College will formally establish an arrangement in which students studying Criminal Justice, Psychology or Interdisciplinary Studies will not lose semester credit hours when transferring.

“I am so pleased to sign this new articulation agreement with Texas AM University-Commerce so that students at Eastfield College will be able to transfer seamlessly and easily to AM-Commerce,” said President of Eastfield College Dr. Jean Conway. “Although we already had a general articulation agreement with AM-Commerce, this new one provides assurance to our students in specific programs that their Eastfield courses, both in the core and in these major fields, will transfer toward their bachelor’s degree at AM-Commerce.”

Through the agreement, Eastfield College advisors will work with AM-Commerce to provide students, in the degree programs covered by this agreement, with transfer information.

“The agreements will provide our students not only a clear path for completion of an associate’s degree; it will also allow students to clearly understand the next step in their education,” said Mike Walker, the dean of social science and human services at Eastfield College. “Not only will they see this clear path they will gain an understanding of how this seamless transition to a university will enable them to reach their career ambition as quickly as possible. With an agreement in place such as this, students will not be spending a lot of time and money taking courses that will not count toward their degree.”

The communication between Eastfield College and AM-Commerce will also ensure that students are academically prepared to complete their degrees at AM-Commerce.

“Academic advisors from both institutions will work closely together to develop a degree plan for course completion,” said Head of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at AM-Commerce Dr. Martha Hurley.

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction has worked with Eastfield College in the past in an attempt to help students interested in transferring. With the new articulation agreement, AM-Commerce will make the transition for students even smoother.

“For many years AM-Commerce Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Eastfield College have worked to assure that students matriculating from Eastfield would have a smooth transition and that the courses taken through their Associate Arts of Teaching Degree would prepare them for those in our teacher education program,” said Head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at AM-Commerce Dr. Martha Foote. “This recent collaboration that has led to the new articulation agreement makes that effort official and provides for updated course alignment and poises us for even more collaborative efforts. I think there will be significant numbers of students interested in the Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies degree path through the AM-Commerce and Eastfield College articulation agreement.”

The articulation agreement will offer students with more flexibility in their academic careers, and the close partnership will provide AM-Commerce with the ability to attract students from Eastfield College.

“This agreement will benefit the department by allowing students to seamlessly transfer into the Psychology major after their first two years, thereby increasing enrollment,” said the Department Head of the Department of Psychology, Counseling and Special Education at AM-Commerce Dr. Jennifer Schroeder.

AM-Commerce has several articulation agreements with other colleges, including a Social Work articulation agreement with Eastfield.