St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM), the National Public Honors College, and the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) have partnered to create the SMCM Transfer Edge Program (STEP), which allows CSM students to pursue their associate degree and simultaneously work toward their bachelor’s degree at SMCM by taking one course per semester up to a total of four courses at a 50 percent discount. CSM students participating in the program will also have access to SMCM advising, the Hilda C. Landers Library, recreation facilities and can attend campus student events.
“The STEP program is designed to give College of Southern Maryland students an edge on completing their bachelor’s degree at St. Mary’s College while saving both time and money,” said David Hautanen Jr., vice president for enrollment management at St. Mary’s College. “While St. Mary’s College already offers an honors college education at an affordable price, this is an exciting value-added benefit for CSM students.”
CSM students interested in participating in STEP must have at least a 2.75 cumulative college grade point average and have completed a minimum of 15 college credits prior to starting STEP. CSM students also have the opportunity to transfer to SMCM before earning their associate degree, and also transfer SMCM credits back to CSM to be applied toward an associate degree.
“STEP creates an affordable and convenient opportunity for College of Southern Maryland students to work toward their bachelor’s degree and their associate degree at the same time,” said CSM Coordinator of Transfer and Articulation Jacqui Rogers. “We are thrilled to expand our local partnership with St. Mary’s College of Maryland to create this effective and efficient process for our students to pursue their higher education goals locally.”
This latest agreement builds on a long-standing partnership with SMCM and CSM that offer students numerous transfer opportunities. Last May, CSM announced that students can transfer to St. Mary’s College of Maryland with their AS in Computer Science with Cloud Computing to earn a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. That articulation agreement is in addition to 11 other agreements in place with St. Mary’s for students going for their bachelor’s in everything from English and STEM fields to Theater, Film and Media Studies.
To learn more about all of the transfer agreements and opportunities available for CSM students, visit the www.csmd.edu to conduct an online search by institution or by area of study.
STEP students wishing to transfer to SMCM must complete the Intent to Enroll Form by the application deadline date for the entry term of interest and meet the minimum SMCM admission requirements. SMCM will waive the application fee for students applying to the program.
CSM students may express interest in STEP at the time they apply to CSM or complete the STEP Interest Form on the CSM website or on the SMCM admission website.