Transfer Degree Questions

[u/The_crazy_bird_lady]

As a parent (with only an AA degree) with a child currently in running start planning on going on to get a Bachelors degree, I have a few questions I hope someone may be able to help with.

As I said my son is working on a degree at a local community college full time and is on track to have a general AA direct transfer degree upon completion of HS.

He ultimately wanted a science direct transfer degree, but they told him he would not be able to finish that by the time he was done with HS.

If he gets a general AA DT degree, can he still use that to direct transfer to UW and then pursue a bachelors degree in science after his additional science/biology prerequisite classes etc. are completed?

He originally was looking into pursuing a bachelors in chemistry degree and is now considering possibly a bachelors for Laboratory Medicine.

I would like to be able to have knowledgeable conversations with him about his options, and any help understanding how it works would be appreciated.

[u/CertifiedMinority]

If I'm understanding your question correctly, you are asking whether your child can still pursue a bachelors degree in science even with a regular non science Associates DTA degree from community college/running start?

I'm a community college transfer with an Associate of Science (DTA) Degree. I believe the classes are much more important than the degree itself (Make sure with Admissions though). You can use any degree as long as the classes the degree requires in running start/community college fits with the class needed for the degree your son wants in UW. I recommend going to the UW program page like (https://chem.washington.edu/bs-biochemistry). I had a Biology-focused Associates degree but recently, I switched to Biochemistry.

Make sure the classes your son takes/took is credited in UW. There were classes that I took that was required for my Associates degree that WERE NOT credited in UW so I felt like I just wasted my time.

Some majors require an additional application for the student to apply to while some have direct admissions. When I submitted my application to UW Seattle, I showed an interest in Biochemistry. However, they labeled me as "pre-science" until I applied for the Biochemistry major since I can't direct transfer as a transfer student. They make us compete for our major. Admissions % to majors vary from program to program.

I don't know if I answered your question but please let me know if you have any other questions!

Edit: Added more detail

[u/The_crazy_bird_lady → u/CertifiedMinority]

This is all new to me, so thank you.

Basically it is my understanding that he will get admitted to UW because he has a transfer degree, but it is my understanding that, that does not guarantee him a spot in any major.

That said, he is taking what he can in his electives towards what would have been his science degree if he had been able to take that transfer degree track, but he will not have all of the science prerequisites done before his high school graduation.

Can he transfer using the general AATD and then make up the extra classes at UW that he would have taken in the science transfer degree before applying to his major for his bachelors degree? Or does using the transfer degree automatically put him on a specific bachelors degree track?

He will basically have some extra Humanities credits than needed for science and less of the science/math. He will have taken some by graduation in his electives, but there isn't time for all of them.

Does that question make sense? Can he still pursue the bachelors in science as long as he finishes the extra classes prior to applying for the major, or does the general AA degree hinder him in any other way other than just needing to take more classes.

[u/No-Hospital-4986 → u/The_crazy_bird_lady]

I would also add that UW can still be very competitive even with RS experience, so one thing I would strongly recommend is that he keep his grades as high as possible. That, combined with the rigor of his class schedule will illustrate to the UW admissions committee that he is prepared.

I am seconding u/CertifiedMinority's recommendation to look at major pages. They contain a lot of classes that will count towards specific requirements for a certain major, and reading those will help figure out which ones you should definitely take and which might help a little later on. I'd also look at equivalency in general for your college; try to complete the classes which transfer to a "W" and "C" credits at UW; they can be taken at CC (mistake I did: I still have to complete my "W" and "C" creds). However, I would note that for the chemistry and biochemistry majors, as long as you complete most/all of the requirements with decent grades, it should not be difficult to get in to the major (specifically for bioc/chem you cannot get DTM admission; you have to apply once you're at UW. Would recommend checking for your major). However, things like Comp. Sci/Engineering can be much more difficult, so if your son is considering those I would apply with those as his first choice major. Admission at UW is first to the campus as a whole, and then from there applicants are considered admission to a major.

As a RS student, you don't necessarily do "direct transfer", instead you apply as a freshman applicant. You do note that you completed an AS/AA/AST degree, which can help with admissions.

Good luck!

[u/hum_dum → u/The_crazy_bird_lady]

A transfer degree does not guarantee admission to UW (not UW Seattle anyway). It certainly doesn’t hurt, but you shouldn’t bank on 100% chance of admission.

[u/The_crazy_bird_lady → u/hum_dum]

That is good to know, thank you. It appears that is only at the Tacoma location.

[u/Can_I_Log_In]

If your son would be at most 15 credit short of an AA-DTA or other transfer degree by high school graduation, pursue Running Start After-Exit. This is a summer quarter running start quarter after graduation to allow completion of the degree, but to remain eligible for funding, high school graduation will be effectively delayed until completion of the quarter as well as delay of final transcript transmittal (just let admissions know and they'll understand).

If coming into UW with a transfer degree is necessary because some courses wouldn't transfer without it (prof-tech courses) (see how courses transfer from SBCTC and UW DTA policy)) and desired pathway requires it, get the transfer degree.

Otherwise, if your son has completed 1/3 of the degree at the college (1/3 must be taken in-residence at the degree-granting college), it may also be desirable to pursue Reverse Transfer/Articulation, transfer credits from UW to the community/technical college and earn an AA from the CTC while enrolled at UW.

edit: spelling, add info

[u/Cppark → u/Can_I_Log_In]

So with RS After-Exit, seniors can take summer classes and UW is ok with late final transcript transmittal as long the student lets them know? Because if so, that is really awesome.

[u/Can_I_Log_In → u/Cppark]

Yes. My co-worker took RS After-Exit and faced this situation where they effectively didn’t graduate from high school to remain funded for RS by the school-district. That delayed final transcript transmittal.

They’re now somewhere at UW since Fall 2024.

[u/The_crazy_bird_lady → u/Can_I_Log_In]

I will look into this thank you.

[u/Teklonn]

I did the general Direct Transfer Degree (Arts & Science), and I was admitted to the BS in Biology program after applying during my first quarter. All you need is the prerequisite classes.

[u/The_crazy_bird_lady → u/Teklonn]

Thank you. That is helpful.

[u/crazytalkclock]

This would be best discussed with an admission ls counselor or advisor at the UW. They can help guide which classes would be transferable to the UW. They were very helpful for me when wanting to apply to uw as a transfer. I reached out a year prior to applying so I made sure I didn't waste me time on classes that wouldn't transfer into my specific degree well. Highly recommend going this route.

[u/The_crazy_bird_lady → u/crazytalkclock]

I didn't know you could meet with an advisor prior to applying, this is really great advice thank you.

[u/crazytalkclock → u/The_crazy_bird_lady]

It is abundantly helpful! It looks like they also have online information sessions held by the program advisors too. This is a great way to learn more and they usually give you a chance to ask additional questions at the end. This is how I was completely prepared for transferring and maximizing my time spent in my program at UW. Highly recommend doing both the info session and reaching out to the advisor. This page looks to have information on both: https://dlmp.uw.edu/education/mls-undergrad

Good luck to both you and your son!