Mercer University, West Georgia Technical College Sign Agreement Facilitating Transition for Students from Associate’s to Bachelor’s Programs

Representatives of Mercer University and West Georgia Technical College gathered in Douglas County January 24 to sign an addendum to the current statewide articulation agreement between Mercer and the Technical College System of Georgia.

Under this updated agreement, Mercer and WGTC affirm that both entities will support the smooth transition of qualified students enrolled in eligible WGTC associate’s degree programs into Mercer’s Douglas County Regional Academic Center.

“Everyone majors in changing the world at Mercer, and many of our graduates are making great strides within the communities that Mercer serves. Through the continuation of this second decade of partnership, Mercer and WGTC are providing greater access to education throughout the state of Georgia and the West Georgia region,” said Dr. Penny Elkins, senior vice president for enrollment management at Mercer.

“While we’ve had a system-wide articulation agreement with Mercer University for some time now, the signing of this agreement makes it personal for West Georgia Technical College and our students,” said Dr. Scott Rule, acting president of WGTC. “We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with Mercer through this agreement, which gives our students more pathways and opportunities to pursue a bachelor’s degree in their desired career field.”

Under the terms of the agreement, WGTC students are eligible to enroll into Mercer’s Penfield College, Stetson School of Business and Economics and/or Tift College of Education. Students then have the option to pursue bachelor’s degrees in the areas of accounting, general business administration, communication, criminal justice leadership, early childhood/special education, early learning and development, healthcare leadership, homeland security and emergency management, human resources administration and development, human services, informatics, liberal studies, marketing, middle grades education, organizational leadership, and psychology.

A particular provision in this new agreement allows an undergraduate WGTC student who earns an associate’s degree to transfer into Mercer’s Stetson School of Business and Economics to complete a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree with concentration offerings in marketing, accounting and general business.

“The quality of students entering Mercer from West Georgia Technical College continues to be impressive,” said Dr. Susan P. Gilbert, dean of Stetson School of Business and Economics. “This partnership will enable us to help WGTC students transition into a bachelor’s degree program that will support their business career goals. There is so much demand in the market for these students who have exactly these credentials.”

Mercer’s BBA is available to students online and/or in person at the University’s locations in Douglas County, Henry County and Atlanta.

About Mercer University

Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,600 students in 12 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing, health professions, and Penfield College of Mercer University – on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah – and three regional academic centers in the Atlanta metro area. The Mercer Health Sciences Center includes the University’s School of Medicine and Colleges of Nursing, Health Professions and Pharmacy. Mercer is affiliated with five teaching hospitals – Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah; The Medical Center, Navicent Health, and Coliseum Medical Centers in Macon; and Midtown Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The University also has an educational partnership with Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Warner Robins. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is one of only 286 institutions nationwide to shelter a chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society; one of eight institutions to hold membership in the Georgia Research Alliance; and the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. www.mercer.edu

About West Georgia Technical College

West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties offers over 120 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is the fourth largest of the state’s 22 technical colleges. For more information, please visit westgatech.edu.