WGTC Criminology Students Will Get a Break When They Transfer to UWG

WGTC Criminology Students Will Get a Break When They Transfer to UWG

Criminology students who transfer to the University of West Georgia from West Georgia Technical College will get full credit for five basic courses thanks to a recent agreement signed by officials from both schools.

“The agreement makes it easier for them to transfer and to continue their education,” said David Jenks, chairman of UWG’s Department of Criminology. “Now we have consistency.”

USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby has called for greater cooperation among educators.

Georgia’s Higher Education Completion Plan calls for more cooperation between the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia. Jenks and Louis Shepard, the chair of the Criminal Justice Program at West Georgia Tech, took that as a call to action.

Jenks and Shepard talked about the courses – and their content – that the two schools have in common to draw up the agreement. The agreement is effective immediately.

The transferable courses from West Georgia Tech are: Introduction to Criminal Justice; Criminology (Survey of Criminology at UWG); Principals of Law Enforcement (UWG’s Introduction to Law Enforcement); Criminal Procedure; and Juvenile Justice (UWG’s Juvenile Delinquency).

“This is a goal of our college,” said N. Jane McCandless, dean of UWG’s College of Social Sciences. “One of the goals of this college is to really connect with our community and to connect with other educators in our community.”

Pat Hannon, vice president for academic affairs at WGTC, said the agreement was groundbreaking. He noted that many of WGTC’s nursing students go on to UWG.

“We have lots of students who want to continue their education and making that opportunity seamless is extraordinary,” Hannon said. “We are delighted.”

After obtaining their two-year degrees, many of Shepard’s students enter the workforce. Then they decide to continue their education.

“I love teaching. I love educating,” Shepard said. “I love for my students to have other venues and avenues to progress.”