Santa Rosa Junior College students hoping to transfer to a California state university now have the opportunity to earn associate’s degrees and receive priority admission to a CSU through the Transfer Model Curricula.

Designed to ease the transfer process for students, the TMC saves students time and money while increasing their chances of being admitted to their CSU of choice through priority admission.

“It makes it easier for the students to transfer with more confidence,” said Martin Lee, dean of counseling and support services. Once accepted, TMC students are ensured graduation after completing 60 units within their chosen major.

Traditionally, a student comes to SRJC with intentions to transfer to a CSU after completing all lower division coursework in their major of choice, simultaneously earning an associate’s degree. However, before the TMC, that process became an ordeal for many students because many CSUs have differing requirements for what is accepted as a major transfer. One university may require a specific number of units fulfilled through specific classes while another one may require the exact same number of units but fulfilled through different classes.

The student applying may want to have the option of being able to attend both schools and so takes double the classes thinking it may ensure him or her transferability. The fact is this student is only adding to his or her work load, paying more money and spending more time at the SRJC rather than moving on to a university and earning a higher degree.

TMC courses cut through this problem. The 112 California Community Colleges [CCC] and 23 CSUs partnered together to ensure that a TMC student will only have to complete 60 units of lower division coursework to earn an associate’s degree of arts or sciences in their major. They then will transfer to a CSU to complete 60 units of higher division coursework and graduate with a bachelor’s degree. In order for this to happen a student must be in the TMC program.

The best way to enroll is for students to meet with a counselor or visit the Transfer Center on campus. A student enrolled at SRJC can apply for the TMC at any time.

Although TMC students are guaranteed admission into a CSU, a student may not be admitted to his or her top choice due to the possible impacting of a school. If this occurs, the nearest CSU partner will offer this student admittance even if the student did not apply to that specific university. Sonoma State University is the closest CSU partner to SRJC.

Mary Kay Rudolph, vice president of academic affairs and assistant superintendent, said the TMC is not just about getting students through the school for the sake of it, but about increasing students’ opportunities for success by helping them “fight against the clock.”

Sometimes the longer a student is at SRJC the less likely their chance of transferring. Life happens or students lose motivation because an end is not in sight. The TMC helps by offering a direct path to earning a degree from a CSU.

The TMC follows standardized templates created by faculty groups for each academic department. Each template has been configured to apply to community colleges and CSUs statewide. All colleges and universities are to have all applicable majors 100 percent incorporated into the TMC program by the end of the fall 2014 semester. SRJC already has 80 percent of its programs approved.

It is recommended that students desiring a straightforward path to transferring to a CSU through the TMC meet with a counselor or visit the SRJC Transfer Center. Students can also learn more about the TMC by visiting adegreewithaguarantee.com.