DeSales University Establishes Transfer Pathways with Two Regional Community Colleges
DeSales University has entered into new transfer pathway agreements with Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) and Bucks County Community College, expanding access to affordable, well-supported bachelor’s degree options for community college students pursuing degrees in the arts and media.
Through newly signed memoranda of understanding, DeSales University’s College of Arts, Education, and Humanities has established guided 2+2 transfer pathways that allow students to complete two years at their community college and seamlessly transition to DeSales for the final two years of their academic program. The new pathways include TV/Film and Communication and Media Studies in partnership with Lehigh Carbon Community College and Dance in partnership with Bucks County Community College.
Under the agreements, students earning an associate degree in TV/Film at LCCC may transfer into DeSales’ Bachelor of Arts in TV/Film program, while LCCC students completing an associate degree in Communication may transition into the Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies. The partnership with Bucks County Community College creates a pathway for students completing an associate degree in Dance to transfer into the Bachelor of Arts in Dance at DeSales.
Each program-specific pathway builds upon existing Core-to-Core Articulation Agreements between DeSales and its partner institutions, which govern the transfer of general education credits. The new agreements extend beyond credit transfer to provide coordinated admissions guidance, academic advising, scholarships, and major-specific student support.
“We are excited to engage in partnerships of this nature with regional community colleges,” said Erin McLaughlin, PhD, dean of the College of Arts, Education, and Humanities at DeSales University. “These pathways provide students early access to DeSales admissions, advising, scholarships, and support while fostering relationships that build a sense of belonging and open doors for talented students to pursue creative and academic excellence in an affordable way.”
Students enrolled in a pathway who maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 along with a minimum 2.0 GPA in Dance for the Bucks County Community College pathway are eligible for DeSales institutional scholarships of up to a 60 percent all-inclusive discount off traditional undergraduate day tuition. DeSales also commits to providing timely transfer credit evaluations and coordinated advising beginning in a student’s first semester at their community college.
Pathway students benefit from a range of academic and experiential supports, including coordinated advising with at least one documented advising touchpoint each term; personalized two-year academic plans for both the community college and DeSales phases of study; peer mentoring matched with a current DeSales student in the same major; and library access in accordance with university policies and licensing agreements.
Additional program-specific benefits include access to DeSales TV/Film workshops, masterclasses, and Act 1 Productions performances for LCCC TV/Film pathway students; access to Communication and Media Studies programming open to non-matriculated guests for LCCC Communication pathway students; discounted tuition for the DeSales Summer TV/Film Institute; and participation in select DeSales academic and creative programming.
Beyond academics, the agreements also establish annual transfer fairs featuring program faculty, dedicated pathway information sessions for students and families, and ongoing course mapping to ensure transfer equivalencies and prerequisite sequences remain current. Designated representatives from each institution will meet annually to assess outcomes, update pathway requirements, and confirm scholarship ranges for incoming cohorts.
Students interested in a guided transfer pathway are encouraged to speak with their academic advisor at Lehigh Carbon Community College or Bucks County Community College, or to contact the Office of Admissions for the College of Arts, Education, and Humanities at DeSales University at admiss@desales.edu or 610-282-1000 ext. 1277 for additional information on eligibility and next steps.