Law Enforcement is the newest Transfer Pathway available to students at Ridgewater College. It’s a post-secondary option that can save students time, money, and stress.
Students can transfer a two-year Law Enforcement Transfer Pathway Associate of Science degree to any of Minnesota’s seven state universities with related participating programs.
“The Transfer Pathway streamlines the course selection process for community college students planning to pursue four-year bachelor’s degrees after their time at Ridgewater,” said Mike Kutzke, Ridgewater dean of instruction. Each pathway has a structured plan, while still allowing elective customization. “It is important that our students have junior status when they transfer from Ridgewater College to their chosen university. We don’t want them to lose credits or need to take extra courses, but we do want them to benefit from an affordable start at Ridgewater College.”
Improving transferability of college credits has been a Minnesota State system goal for several years. In 2016, Minnesota State took one critical step. It began guaranteeing that students earning a Liberal Arts Associate of Art (AA) degree through the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum with a minimum 2.0 g.p.a. could seamlessly and reliably transfer from any of the 26 state community colleges to any Minnesota State public university.
In 2018, Transfer Pathways became options at Ridgewater College and other Minnesota community colleges. At Ridgewater, students studying business, communications, English, and psychology who want to pursue bachelor’s degrees in those same subjects can start at Ridgewater with greater focus than general Liberal Arts. Those students designate one of the four approved Transfer Pathways and rest assured that their successful work at Ridgewater will transfer as an associate degree package to a related baccalaureate major, assuring that they start at their four-year institution as a junior.
Under the former transfer process, universities accepted major-specific courses on an individual basis and not always predictably. The new 68-credit Law Enforcement Transfer Pathway – available at Ridgewater both online and in a combination of online and classroom – creates a solid foundation for students transferring to university level.
Note that students must still meet any special admission requirements for their major. For example, at the seven Minnesota State universities, minimum grade point average requirements range from 2.0 to 2.65.
Ridgewater’s five approved Transfer Pathways are just the start. Biology, math and other pathways are either in the development or approval processes in the Ridgewater-Minnesota State partnership.
To learn more about Transfer Pathways and partner colleges and bachelor’s programs, go to www.ridgewater.edu/transferpathways.