LANDMARK AGREEMENT WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR NURSES TO PURSUE HIGHER EDUCATION 

     Annapolis, Md. (September 9, 2003) - In what has been called one of the most progressive nursing articulation agreements in the country, the state's Nursing Advisory Council, in conjunction with the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and the Maryland Board of Nursing, have developed an articulation program that will make it easier for nurses to pursue advanced degrees without the loss of credits.  The Maryland Council of Deans and Directors of Nursing Programs has approved the program for implementation at all Maryland higher education nursing programs.

     The program, the Maryland RN to BSN or RN to MSN Articulation Model, will guarantee that licensed registered nurses wishing to earn a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing will receive a minimum of 30 upper-division nursing credits when they enter a four-year college or university nursing program.  Under the agreement, RNs may also transfer from a community college up to one-half of the total credits required for the bachelor's degree. 

     A similar agreement for Licensed Practical Nurses has been established. The LPN to Associate Degree in Nursing Articulation Model, will allow LPNs to be awarded a maximum of one year of nursing courses in the program they are entering. 

     "These new articulation agreements make continuing nursing education more accessible and affordable in Maryland," said Dr. Sharon Bernier, chair of the Nursing Advisory Council.  "The agreements help nurses to advance to higher practice levels through education.  This will provide Maryland with continued excellence in patient care and a greater prospective supply of qualified nurse educators." 

     "We are hoping that this agreement will serve as an incentive to nurses wanting to pursue higher education," said Dr. John A. Sabatini, Jr., Acting Secretary of Higher Education. "As we work to address Maryland's critical nursing shortage, we want to remove barriers that would prevent students from entering the nursing field or nurses wanting to advance in their careers through further education."

     The articulation models were developed by the Nursing Advisory Council and approved by the Maryland Council of Deans and Directors of Nursing Programs with the endorsement of MHEC. 

     Full implementation is to be completed by Fall 2004.  Original Article.

• General Transfer Admissions

The preferred GPA for students transferring from a Maryland two or four year institution is 2.8, while still a 3.0 for out-of-state students.  Students with Associate’s degrees or over 56 credits from a Maryland institution can still be admitted under MHEC guidelines on a space-available basis.  Remember that the deadline for Spring 2004 is December 1, and November 1 for students with foreign documents.

• UMCP Limited Enrollment Programs 
  Architecture,  Business, Communication, Education, Engineering, Government and Politics, Journalism, Landscape Architecture, and Psychology

  It is important to note that grand fathering (special allowances for community college students) has ended for all Limited Enrollment Programs as of Spring 2003.  All transfer students applying for the Fall 2003 and thereafter will need to meet the requirements for each LEP before they can be admitted. 
  

  • Architecture – There are no direct admits due to course availability and sequential nature of the program.  Students will need to apply to the School of Architecture directly when they have completed all of the requirements.  New transfer students, as well as students already enrolled on campus who wish to change majors to architecture, will undergo a transfer admissions process. To meet the provisions of the process, these students must demonstrate their ability to complete the following prior to enrollment of the studio sequence:
    * Fundamental Studies CORE requirement (MC's EN 102 or EN 109)
    *  Distributive Studies CORE requirement
    * ARCH 220, 221 ( = MC's AR 209 & 210 History of Architecture) and ARCH 170 & 242 (take both at UMCP) with a minimum grade of B in each.
    * MATH 220 (= MC's MA 160) PHYS 121 and 122 ( = MC's PH 203 & 204) with a minimum grade of C in each and a 2.67 combined GPA for the three courses
    Students may be enrolled in ARCH 221, PHYS 122 and completing their distributive studies contemporaneous with the review process during their fourth semester. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in all college level coursework is also required. In addition, the review will include an assessment of three letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, and a portfolio.

  • Business – All students need to meet the requirements by the semester in which they reach their 45^th credit in order to be directly admitted.  Afterwards, they will be competing with a competitive pool of applicants for a limited number of spaces.  MC Suggested Business Courses.

  • Communication – All students need to meet the requirements by the semester in which they reach their 56^th credit in order to be directly admitted.  Afterwards, they will be competing with a competitive pool of applicants for a limited number of spaces. 

  • Education –The Early Childhood and Elementary Education majors have limited spaces available and will admit students with the most competitive records out of the entire pool of applicants.  For full admission into a teacher education major, a student must meet the following requirements:
    * Complete the English and math lower-level CORE fundamental studies (six credits) with a grade of C or better.
    * Earn 45 semester hours with an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
    * Submit a personal goal statement that indicates an appropriate commitment to professional education.
    * Have prior experiences in the education field.
    * Submit three letters of recommendation/reference.
    * Achieve passing scores on the Praxis I: Academic Skills Assessments of the Praxis Series Assessments. 
    Students who earn the AAT at a community college will be considered for admission based on their competitive GPA and requirements above on a space-available basis.

  • Engineering – Internal and External Transfer students will be directly admitted to the Clark School if they meet the Gateway requirements, MATH 141 (= MC's MA 181), PHYS 161 (PH 161), and CHEM 113 or CHEM 135 (CH 135) with a grade of C or better, have completed Fundamental Studies English (MC's EN 102 or 109), and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and who have not previously been admitted to the Clark School of Engineering. Only one repeat of a single course to the set of Gateway courses, either at the University of Maryland or at any other university or college, will be considered to meet the review requirements. A course in which a grade of "W" (withdrawn) is earned is counted as an attempt. Students may apply on or before the semester in which they attain 45 earned credits. Computer engineering has a limited number of spaces and requires a 3.75 GPA in order to be directly admitted. Appeals will be considered.  Please consult with an Engineering Advisor here at Montgomery College each semester.

  • Government and Politics – Students will no longer be grand fathered into Government and Politics and will need to meet all of the requirements before they can be admitted.  Students must complete (1) GVPT 100 (Principles of Government) [must be taken at UMCP]; GVPT 170 (American Government)[= MC's PS 101] and ECON 200 (Micro-Economics) [= MC's EC 201 or 202] with a minimum grade-point average of 2.6 (2 Bs and 1 C) for the three courses and C's or higher in Fundamental English [MC's EN 102 or EN 109] & Math [MC's MA 110 or higher].

  • Journalism – Transfer and upper-level students wishing to major in journalism must satisfy the Limited Enrollment Program (LEP) "gateway" criteria:
    a) A grade of "C" or higher in ENGL 101 ( = MC's EN 102 or 109)
    b) Completion of 60 percent of distributive studies CORE requirements.
    c) A grade of "C" or higher in JOUR 201 [must be take at UMCP]. Grammar skills competency is a prerequisite for this course.
    d) Current grade point average 2.8 (September, 1999). However, transfer seats are limited. Access to those seats will be on a competitive basis based on overall scholastic performance.

  • Landscape Architecture – Admission to transfer students is limited by space considerations.  
    1. Completion of ENGL 101[ = MC's EN 102 or 109] with a grade of "C" or better
    2. Completion of 3 CORE Distributive Courses
    3. Completion of MATH 115 [ = MC's MA 180] with a grade of "C" or better
    4. Completion of LARC 140, 141, and 160 [ all at UMCP only] with a grade of "B" or better in each
    5. Completion of an acceptable four-credit plant sciences course with a lab, with a grade of "C" or better (PLSC 100 = MC's LN 108 and LN 109]
    6. Completion of LARC 120 (489 A) [at UMCP] with a grade of "B" or better
    7. A cumulative minimum GPA of 2.7 based on all previous college-level coursework
    8. A portfolio review, the nature of which is specified by the landscape architecture faculty.

  • Psychology – 
    1. Completion of PSYC 100 [MC's PY 102] with a grade of "B" or better
    2. IF AP/IB credit for PSYC 100, must take PSYC 221 [= MC's PY 211] with a grade of "B" or better
    3. Completion of MATH 111 [MC's MA 116 is acceptable here], 220 [= MC's MA 160], or 140 [ = MC's MA 181] with a grade of "C" or better
    4. Completion of one: BSCI 105, BSCI 106, PHYS 121, or CHEM 103 [= MC's BI 107, PH 203 or CH 101] with a grade of "C" or better
    5. A cumulative minimum GPA of 2.7 [note that a 2.8 is recommended for general admission to UMCP prior to admission to this major].
    Students cannot repeat more than one gateway course.
    

• Transfer Tours 

Maryland UpClose Information Session/Campus Walking Tours begin with a 45-minute information session and question and answer period conducted by an admission counselor. Immediately following the presentation is a 90-minute walking tour of the campus led by a Maryland Images student ambassador. Walking tours of the campus generally include classroom buildings, a residence hall room, a dining hall, the library, athletic facilities, and the student union.  For reservations, call 1-800-422-5867.

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