The Maricopa to ASU Pathways Program (MAPP) provides specialized advisement, guaranteed acceptance to in-demand programs such as psychology or accounting, and offers merit based scholarships and tuition incentives for students who've successfully completed the general education requirements at MCC.
(Media-Newswire.com) - MESA, Ariz. – July 20, 2009 – A recent partnership between the Maricopa District of Community Colleges and Arizona State University is expanding the options for Mesa Community College students.
The Maricopa to ASU Pathways Program ( MAPP ) provides specialized advisement, guaranteed acceptance to in-demand programs such as psychology or accounting, and offers merit based scholarships and tuition incentives for students who've successfully completed the general education requirements at MCC.
The program encourages and enables students to continue their education by streamlining the transfer process to ASU where they can apply their MCC credits towards a bachelor degree.
According to MCC Vice President of Academic Affairs, James C. Mabry, the partnership with ASU is intended to provide students with a well defined plan for obtaining a four-year degree. "The Maricopa ASU Pathways program will provide a seamless and transparent transfer process for MCC students. It will be easier to plan a path to the higher education goals of our students," Mabry said.
The MAAP program includes dedicated advisement by ASU Transfer Advisors who hold office hours at MCC, priority or guaranteed admission to ASU degree programs, merit based scholarships and tuition caps that limit tuition increases to 5 percent for MAPP participants.
Mabry said he believes a variety of students will benefit from the program. "It will help students who come to MCC without a plan. They will be able to easily see how obtainable a four- year degree is when they look at the clearly prescribed pathways." He added that students with big dreams and limited resources will likely benefit not only from an affordable MCC degree but also from potential scholarships and other financial incentives built into the MAPP program.
The MAPP program represents a mutually favorable relationship between local educators that will benefit the entire community. "This will improve enrollment for MCC as more students see that they can get from MCC to ASU on an easily definable route. It will help ASU's retention and graduation rates because MCC students who transfer to ASU persist and graduate at very high rates," Mabry said. "This should help increase the number of graduates with a bachelor degree which will have a positive economic impact on the community."
Mesa Community College has been serving the city of Mesa since 1965 by promoting education, community involvement and volunteerism. In addition to offering more than 200 Associate degrees and Certificates of Completion, the college also provides summer youth programs for elementary or high school students, a variety of guest speakers and theatrical or musical events, as well as an innovative service learning program that allows students to earn college credit for volunteer work.
MCC was recently recognized by Community College Week magazine as one of the nation's Top 100 Associate Degree and Certificate Producers for 2009. The college placed 12th for Two-Year certificates in all disciplines and in the Top 50 nationally for both Nursing and Liberal Arts and Science degrees.
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