This semester Ball State took another step toward redefining education by enacting a transfer agreement with Indiana University.
The agreement would allow students earning a master's degree in adult education at IU to transfer up to 30 credits to the adult, higher and community education doctoral program at Ball State.
The agreement is the culmination of the efforts of Ruby Cain, assistant professor and advisor of adult and community education at Ball State, and Marjorie Treff, lecturer and adjunct faculty at IUPUI, to simplify the process of moving into a doctoral program for their students.
"Initially, it was to streamline the process for the transfer part," Cain said. "But it also makes the program more attractive because you know up front that your credits are going to transfer."
If a student wants to transfer credits from their graduate program to their doctoral program, they typically need to negotiate each individual course with advisors in the doctoral program. Treff said this process is time consuming for both the students and the advisors and it's not a guarantee that credits will transfer.
This agreement takes the guesswork out of that process.
"It makes sense for my master's students to be able to graduate from this program and go straight to Ball State's program," Treff said.
For Cain and Treff, they said the agreement is all about supporting students like Katherine Kress, 35, in attaingin their doctoral degree. Kress, who works full time at the Riley Hospital for Children, is the first student to take advantage of the credit transfer agreement.
"It was perfect timing," Kress said. "Ball State is very reputable, and it was the perfect opportunity."
The 90 credit hours required for the adult, higher and community education doctorate could take her up to seven years to complete if she continues working while going to school. Being able to transfer some of her credits could shave years off her time in the program and save her thousands of dollars.
"I've done the work, I'm being recognized for it and for me that's huge," Kress said.
Ball State has credit transfer agreements with Ivy Tech, but John Jacobson, dean of Teachers College, said this is the first agreement in the state that he is aware of that will transfer credits from a master's program to a doctorate program.
"It shows how the institutions in Indiana articulate to support one another," he said. "IU doesn't have [a doctoral program] — that's why they reached out to us to help their students."
Jacobson said the agreement came together quickly. The first talks took place in April and by the end of October, they announced the new partnership at the annual American Association for Adult and Continuing Education Conference.
Cain said the response from other educators was very positive. She said it gives her hope that similar agreements will be made with other universities in the future.
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