Degree-Completion Agreement with Elgin Community College (ECC): Human Services

Memorandum of Degree Completion Agreement Between Elgin Community College (ECC) and the  College of Applied Social Sciences at Dominican University (DU) in Human Services

Introduction

This Degree Completion Agreement is simultaneously entered into by ECC and DU in order to create a smooth and seamless process by which eligible ECC students will ultimately be able to complete a Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree in Human Services at DU. This agreement requires the completion of an Associate of Applied Science in Human Services at ECC.

As part of this Degree Completion Agreement, DU will automatically accept, in its entirety, an Associate of Applied Science degree in Human Services earned at ECC. Completing the aforementioned Associate of Applied Science degree at ECC is required for students to enter DU under the terms of this agreement. 

Participating ECC students may contact the Director of Transfer Admission for more specific information concerning the degree requirements.  The duly appointed representatives from the aforementioned parties will also govern all policies and procedures of this Degree Completion Agreement.

Student Eligibility

Students may apply to DU at any time during their attendance at ECC; it is recommended that students apply for admission to DU at least one semester prior to completing the AAS degree at ECC. Students must meet all applicable admission requirements at DU to remain eligible for this degree completion program; a minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0 is required for admission. Students’ eligibility for continued study at either ECC or DU will be governed by each institution’s policies on enrollment of probationary, dismissed, and re-entering students.

At any time before the completion of the aforementioned Associate of Applied Science degree at ECC, students may officially rescind the stipulations of the Degree Completion Agreement and transfer to DU, or any other institution of higher education, under the usual procedures.

Student Enrollment

Under this agreement, a student is exclusively enrolled at DU once the student has completed the aforementioned Associate of Applied Science degree at ECC and has been accepted to DU via the admission criteria above. After matriculation at DU, the student’s subsequent progress toward the bachelor’s degree is governed solely by DU’s academic standards. ECC students must request a final, official transcript to be sent to DU after completing the aforementioned Associate of Applied Science degree at ECC for final verification.

Residency Requirement

DU will accept a maximum of sixty-eight (68) semester hours from a community college specifically towards a bachelor’s degree. If a student exceeds sixty-eight (68) hours, DU will accept the most useful courses from the official transcript, not to exceed sixty-eight (68) semester hours towards the 120 minimum hours required for the bachelor’s degree.

Correspondence and Advising

The College of Applied Social Sciences at DU will provide participating students with the advising materials, including model plans of recommended study and coursework specific to the Human Services major at DU. Students who have expressed their desire to cancel their participation in the Degree Completion Agreement will notify ECC and DU of their decision. The Director of Transfer Admission at DU will inform ECC of any changes to the Legal Studies core or major curricula that may affect the integrity of this agreement. Moreover, ECC will also inform DU of curricular changes that would alter the nature of this agreement.

Program Requirements

The details of this agreement between the Associate of Applied Science in Human Services at ECC and the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Human Services at DU are as follows:

BPS in Human Services

Upon completion of the aforementioned degree program at ECC, a maximum of sixty-eight (68) semester hours of credit would transfer from ECC to DU. The sixty-eight (68) hours of the Human Services degree at ECC will be applied to the total hours required for the Human Services degree at DU. Thus, students would need to complete thirty (30) additional hours specifically in the Human Services core and major at DU, and a minimum total of fifty-two (52) hours for the bachelor’s degree. 

Suggested Curriculum for the Associate of Applied Science in Human Services at ECC in conjunction with the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Human Services at DU.      

Accelerated Degree Program

BPS in Human Services/Master of Social Work (MSW)

For ECC students who ultimately plan to earn an MSW, DU offers an accelerated format for more streamlined master’s degree completion.  Certain MSW courses count towards both the BPS in Human Services and MSW degrees, thus reducing overall completion time for both degrees by up to 30 credits.

Requirements for Admission to the Accelerated Degree Program

• Acceptance into the Human Services program
• Completion of at least 75 credits (including transfer credits) at the time of application and taking MSW courses
• A cumulative GPA of 3.25/4.0

Accelerated Human Services/MSW students must complete a minimum of 15 undergraduate credit hours at DU to earn the BPS in Human Services.  Students pay the undergraduate tuition rate for both BPS and MSW courses taken prior to earning the BPS in Human Services.  They then pay the graduate rate for all remaining MSW courses. 

The curriculum for the Accelerated BPS in Human Services/MSW is as follows: