ESU Signing Two Articulation Agreements With Northampton Community College

Posted by: admin on April 23, 2014, One Comment

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is signing two articulation agreements with Northampton Community College (NCC) for social work and criminal justice degree programs. The articulation agreement for social work will allow students who graduate from NCC with an Associate of Arts in Social Work to seamlessly transfer into ESU’s Bachelor of Science in social work program (BSSW). Students will enter ESU as juniors and will be able to complete their degrees within two years. The BSSW program at ESU was implemented in the fall of 2012 and granted Candidacy by the Commission on Accreditation (COA) of the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) in June of 2013, marking an important milestone in the 42-month process of achieving CSWE Initial Accreditation which may conclude in June of 2015 with a COA vote on initial accreditation. Receiving initial accreditation will enable BSSW graduates to attain advanced standing in their M.S.W. studies.

The articulation agreement for criminal justice also will allow students who graduate from NCC with an Associate in Applied Science in criminal justice to transfer into ESU’s Bachelor of Science in criminal justice program. Students will enter ESU as juniors and will be eligible to complete their degrees in two years. The ESU social work and criminal justice degree programs are part of the College of Arts & Sciences.

“The establishment of these articulation agreements will enable social work and criminal justice students to experience a seamless transition to ESU as they continue their studies in both fields,” ESU Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice Associate Professor and Chair John Kraybill-Greggo, Ph.D., said. “The ESU programs will build on the excellent educational foundation provided by the NCC programs and further prepare students to enter the regional workforce in a variety of social work and criminal justice practice settings.” Founded in 1893, ESU is one of the 14 institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. ESU offers nearly 60 undergraduate degrees and more than 20 graduate degrees.

The articulation agreements will be officially signed on Wednesday, April 30, at 10 a.m. by the Presidents of NCC and ESU in Bethlehem, Pa.

ESU is the top transfer destination for NCC students, with about 125 students transferring each year to ESU. Including the state-wide articulation agreements approved for NCC students graduating this spring, the total number of articulation agreements between ESU and NCC now stands at 19.

To learn more about ESU’s social work or criminal justice programs, contact the admissions office at 570-422-3834 or the department of sociology, social work and criminal justice at 570-422-3453.