Mark Stone was already hard at work on his bachelor’s degree in public policy at the University of Missouri–St. Louis when an unexpected opportunity called the Missouri Reverse Transfer Program came across his radar.
UMSL’s director of community college relations, Melissa Hattman, reached out to notify Stone that all he needed to earn an associate degree was a three-credit college algebra course thanks to MRT, a pilot project at the time.
“When I transferred from St. Louis Community College–Meramec to UMSL, I was only a few credits short of my associate degree,” Stone said. “I met with Melissa, filled out this one form, and I was so impressed with how simple it is.”
Now including all public colleges and universities in Missouri along with many independent institutions, MRT allows students at four-year institutions who previously earned at least 15 credit hours at a qualifying two-year college to transfer credit hours back to the two-year college for an associate degree.
Stone, whose field of study matches his interest in how policy is made, said adding the credential further inspires him to finish up his bachelor’s degree – and is also helpful as he looks toward a career, hopefully in diplomacy.
“It feels great,” Stone said. “It’s a motivating factor for me, and it’s nice to be able to say I have it, but also has improved my marketability to future employers.”
Reviewed 2014-11-04