In a society where people often pick up and leave one town for another, staying on track for a college degree becomes a problem, since course credits may not move when people do. In Pennsylvania, 32 colleges hope to find a solution to this problem in a new Web site.
The Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Center, launched this week, allows users to search for transferable courses and get step-by-step instructions for transferring credit. There are 14 state community colleges, 14 state universities, three private colleges, and one state-related institution on the site. These colleges and universities guarantee that transfer credits will be accepted if students follow the steps outlined on the site.
State Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said that the current process of credit transfer is loaded with bureaucratic obstacles, and as a result students don’t get the credit they deserve when moving between institutions.
Now, with a few mouse clicks, someone can find out that World Literature I at Bucks County Community College meets transfer standards for English 115 at the Community College of Allegheny County. — Josh Fischman