MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State University and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System recently signed an articulation agreement, allowing students to earn an associate degree at the technical college toward a bachelor’s degree from Murray State.

“Through this recently announced partnership with Kentucky Community and Technical College, we are proud to be one of the few institutions within the state of Kentucky that will offer a full transfer program across the spectrum of our academic programs, inclusive of our Hutson School of Agriculture, to best assist our students and their families,” said Bob Jackson, Murray State president.

“We are hopeful that hundreds of students matriculate to Murray State through this new partnership,” he added. “We are fortunate to enroll hundreds of students each year who transfer here from other community and junior colleges with which we have great relationships in a multi-state region.”

Through this program, Kentucky Community and Technical College students will obtain dual admission to Murray State by completing an application for a new degree program-to-degree program agreements established by both colleges, Murray State officials said.

These agreements will clearly outline selective admission requirements, course equivalencies, and other relevant information for students who will enroll in a particular academic program.

In addition, Kentucky Community and Technical College pathway participants will have access to Murray State advisors to assist in this transfer to Murray State, may obtain a Murray State ID, and will be invited to select events at Murray State.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to continue their education and earn a bachelor’s degree from Murray State,” said Paul Czarapata, Kentucky Community and Technical College president. “The dual admission aspect will make it easier than ever for our graduates to transfer.”

Jackson said, “In the days ahead, we are looking forward to working directly with Kentucky Community and Technical College to discuss further specifics with the particulars of this new transfer agreement.

“We anticipate jointly promoting this partnership in many respects,” he added. “Importantly, to inform prospective transfer students who may be currently enrolled at a Kentucky Community and Technical College institution of this opportunity and pathway to Murray State.”

Czarapata said the recently established joint admission program strengthened an already good partnership between Kentucky Community and Technical College and Murray State.

“Murray has ranked as one of our top five transfer institutions in the past five years,” he said. “In the 2019-20 academic year, we had 326 students transfer. We would be happy to see more students transferring to Murray as a result of this new partnership, but our main goal is to maximize the acceptance and application of transfer credits for our students.

“We have not established transfer pathways with Murray yet,” he said. “That will be the next phase, and we hope agriculture programs will be part of that work. In the meantime, we encourage our students to take advantage of the joint admission program we just established so they can receive proper advising from Murray counselors to ensure the courses they take at their Kentucky Community and Technical College will count toward their intended major.

“The partnership will be shared in a number of ways, including on Kentucky Community and Technical College’s internal transfer hub (the one stop location for all things transfer), and transfer staff and advisors at all Kentucky Community and Technical College schools have been notified of this and can share information with students.

“The Murray State University transfer admission counselor will attend transfer events at various schools, and information will be available in the Kentucky Community and Technical College Destination Transfer Newsletter; via social media, and other appropriate avenues,” he added.

Jackson said, “We are very proud that, starting in fall 2023, new, first-time transfer students are eligible to be awarded a scholarship when they are admitted. This information is available at murraystate.edu/transfer as well.

“We are extremely proud of our Hutson School of Agriculture, which is recognized statewide and nationally for meeting the needs of its students through enriching programs, hands-on and outside-the-classroom experiences, and extensive career development opportunities,” he added.

Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Murray State offers 148 academic programs and a 16:1 stzudent-to-faculty ratio, with programs ranging from agriculture to business, music to engineering, healthcare to education and more.

With 16 colleges and more than 70 locations, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the largest provider of post-secondary education, online education, dual-credit classes and workforce training in Kentucky, ranking number one in the nation in credentials awarded per capita by two-year, public post-secondary institutions.

For additional information, contact Murray State’s Transfer Center at (270) 809-3350, or msu.transfercenter@ murraystate.edu. Individuals can speak with a Kentucky Community and Technical College advisor at the nearest college, and view a listing of colleges at kctcs.edu.