Many students start at San Jacinto College with plans to transfer to four-year universities, so San Jacinto College makes that process easy and seamless with flexible transfer plans that meet the requirements of most upper level institutions.
Students are encouraged to earn associate degrees at San Jacinto College even if they plan to transfer to universities to complete baccalaureate degrees. Earning an associate degree is evidence of taking a definable step beyond a high school diploma, and it is an entry-level requirement by a growing number of employers.
Most associate degrees include general education “core curriculum” courses such as English, math, history, and government, which are considered to be core requirements for most baccalaureate degree programs. Many students refer to these courses as “the basics.”
San Jacinto College graduate Tracey Lozada traded her San Jacinto College duds for Longhorn gear when she transferred to the University of Texas at Austin.
Photo credit: Rob Vanya, San Jacinto College marketing, public relations, and government affairs department.
Educational planners at San Jacinto College help students set up degree and transfer plans that ensure all core requirements are satisfied. For example, San Jacinto College graduate Tracey Lozada’s transfer to the University of Texas (UT) at Austin was a smooth, seamless transition thanks to help she received from San Jacinto College educational planners.
“The time I spent meeting with advisors at San Jacinto College was definitely worthwhile,” commented Lozada. “Because of their guidance, when I went to enroll at the university I was instantly accepted, no questions asked. It was truly a seamless transfer.” Lozada earned an associate degree in biology from San Jacinto College in 2012 and transferred to UT, majoring in microbiology.
Counseling with educational planners also helped Lozada save money. “The advisors are the experts, and they keep track of all of the transfer and articulation agreement course requirements, which change from time to time,” she remarked. “With their help, I was able to take several courses at San Jacinto College that I had not planned on taking, and those courses would have cost a lot more at the university.”
Lozada offers no-nonsense advice to students. “Don’t put it off, make an appointment to meet with an educational planner and map out a transfer plan,” she said. “It does not take long, and you will save yourself time and money. Some students think they can figure out transfer plans on their own, but really they cannot. Educational planners keep track of all the partnerships and follow changes in degree requirements.”
Lozada scheduled meetings with educational planners at the beginning and at the end of each semester while attending San Jacinto College, just to ensure that her course load fulfilled her desired degree plan requirements. She also communicated regularly with UT educational planners to ensure that she was on track at the university level.
As a science major, Lozada is on a career track with solid potential. There is a critical need for students in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math), and San Jacinto College maintains transfer plans and articulation agreements that enable science and computer engineering majors to transfer seamlessly to numerous universities, including the University of Houston, the University of Houston Clear Lake, Sam Houston University, and Lamar University.
Additionally, San Jacinto College is a part of the Voluntary Mechanical Engineering Transfer Compact, which has the endorsement of many universities with engineering programs. “Four-year schools’ engineering programs are almost universally pleased to have our students transfer into them,” commented James Sells, a math professor at the College. “We offer significantly less expensive courses, smaller class sizes, and teachers whose focus is student learning.”
For more information about San Jacinto College’s transfer plans, please visit sanjac.edu/transfers.
– Rob Vanya