Three Rivers, Univ. of Missouri now 'Partners in Education' | People

POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) - Three Rivers College and the University of Missouri in Columbia signed six new transfer agreements on Tuesday, July 31, during a ceremony held at Three Rivers’ main campus in Poplar Bluff.

Three Rivers says this new partnership will allow their students with associate degrees in several different fields to transfer seamlessly into corresponding bachelor degree programs at MU.

“The transfer agreements being signed today mark the first formal partnerships between MU and Three Rivers College that acknowledge a 2+2 agreement,” said MU Provost Dr. Brian Foster, referring to the two years of community college credit and two final years at the University of Missouri to complete a four-year degree. Foster described the Three Rivers and MU programs as “stackable” and the Partners in Education agreement as providing “seamless transitions from one higher education sector to the next.”

The six transferable programs are:

• Three Rivers Associate of Arts in Teaching to MU Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
• Three Rivers Associate of Applied Science (RN) in Nursing to MU online Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Three Rivers AA or AAS in Forestry to MU BS in Forestry
• Three Rivers AAS in Occupational Therapy Assistant to MU online Bachelor of Health Science 
• Three Rivers AAS in Physical Therapist Assistant (in cooperation with Linn State Technical College) to MU online Bachelor of Health Science
• Three Rivers online & face-to-face AA to MU online Bachelor of Health Science                

 “The student can be guaranteed that the courses they take here, plus the courses they articulate to Mizzou, will guarantee a bachelor’s degree,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Three Rivers College.  “In the past, we’ve heard of students from community colleges who would go to a four-year institution, and that institution would not accept all their credits, or they couldn’t apply all the coursework into a particular curriculum.  This will ensure that the students who take their first 60 credit hours here can go to Mizzou as juniors and come out with a bachelor’s degree.  This is significant, so that you don’t see a waste of money or time.”

The transfer agreements demonstrate both institutions’ commitment to providing accessible, high-quality education to residents of Southeast Missouri. Students can continue to take advantage of the lower tuition costs afforded by Three Rivers while also starting down a path to earn a four-year bachelor’s degree from Missouri’s flagship university.

Among the attendees at the ceremony was Justin Warren, who will be the first student to transfer to MU in the forestry program.

For more information on programs of study available at Three Rivers, please visit trcc.edu/academics.

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