Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Mississippi University for Women recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate degree completion.

The agreement established a pathway for Co-Lin students to complete a degree in psychology, family science and a certificate program in child advocacy studies (CAST). Both Co-Lin and W advisers will collaborate to ensure seamless transition between programs.

“Co-Lin and The W have a strong history of uniting to support student education and are constantly exploring unique ways to enhance student opportunities through seamless transfer partnerships,” said Dr. Stephanie Duguid, Co-Lin’s academic dean. “The most recent agreement focuses on psychology, family science with an addition highlighting child advocacy studies, a powerful step in providing an opportunity to train individuals which will enhance prevention and remediation of child maltreatment.”

The MOU was finalized with signatures of both presidents in August.

“The W remains a national leader in developing concise pathways with our community college partners. This agreement creates a curricular bridge between the two institutions, so that Co-Lin students can pursue opportunities in psychology, family science and child advocacy studies with minimal transfer credit loss,” said Dr. Scott Tollison, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

Approved since 2004 by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), The W’s family science coursework provides students with opportunities to obtain knowledge and develop skills needed for provisional Certified Family Life Education (CFLE) status. Family life education focuses on healthy family functioning. Students seek to prevent serious family problems by helping families develop skills known to promote healthy family functioning.

“We are so excited to share this excellent opportunity that will allow for a smooth transition to The W and open up our wonderful degree programs in family studies science and psychology. Students from Co-Lin will arrive at The W ready to take upper-level courses in our majors, which will allow them to complete their degrees in a timely manner,” said Dr. Dorothy Berglund, chair of The W’s Department of Psychology and Family Studies Science.

For more information about Co-Lin visit www.colin.edu.