SIAST, University of Saskatchewan sign transfer credit agreements

The agreement was signed today at an event held at SIAST. It will enable qualifying graduates of the Resource and Environmental Law diploma program to continue their studies and receive a Bachelor of Arts in northern studies from the U of S. The articulation agreement will recognize up to 48 SIAST credit units towards a bachelor's degree.
At the same event, SIAST and the University of Saskatchewan also renewed a two-plus- two transfer articulation agreement with SIAST's Chemical Technology diploma program. Qualifying graduates will be able to complete a Bachelor of Science in chemistry at the U of S in as little as two years.
"Articulation agreements provide the best of both worlds for our students," says Arnold Boldt, SIAST's provost and vice president, academic. "They graduate from SIAST with marketable skills and can go straight into a rewarding career, or they can apply for advanced standing in a degree program."
Transfer agreements make it easier for students to move between institutions without having to repeat course material. SIAST and the College of Arts and Science have 12 transfer agreements currently in place, with more being discussed.
College of Arts and Science Dean Peter Stoicheff says transfer students have, statistically, performed well academically at the U of S. Since the college has capacity for more third and fourth year undergraduate students, it makes sense to actively identify programs where transfer agreements could potentially fit.
"The transfer articulation agreements we are creating are meaningful and strategic ones," Stoicheff said. "Students who come from SIAST or a community college are extremely well qualified. They know how to complete something and they tend to be educationally very mature."
The increased marketability of students with both a diploma or certificate and degree is another reason Stoicheff says it is important to move decisively on transfer agreements.
The U of S College of Arts and Science is currently home to nearly 3,500 transfer students—defined as students who come to the college after spending time in other colleges or institutions. That number comprises nearly 21 per cent of the university's total undergraduate population.
SIAST is Saskatchewan's primary public institution for post-secondary technical education and skills training, recognized nationally and internationally for its expertise and innovation. Through annual program and course registrations, SIAST serves 26,000 distinct students with programs that touch every sector of the economy. SIAST operates campuses in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon, and provides a number of courses and programs through distance education.
The University of Saskatchewan, proudly situated on Treaty 6 land, is one of the top 15 medical-doctoral, research intensive universities in Canada. Each year, more than 21,000 students study in the university's 13 colleges and three graduate schools. The U of S is home to the Canadian Light Source, Canada's only synchrotron, and VIDO- InterVac, a facility that studies infectious diseases in both animals and humans.
Information about SIAST can be found at www.goSIAST.com. Information about the University of Saskatchewan can be found at www.usask.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Kirk Sibbald
College of Arts and Science
(306) 966-1982
kirk.sibbald@usask.ca
Tess Hodgins
SIAST Marketing and Communications
(306) 659-4041
Cell: 306-280-6320
hodginste@siast.sk.ca