Articulation Agreements Explained

Image of two individuals in library sitting and smiling.

WHAT IS AN ARTICULATION AGREEMENT?

Articulation agreements exist between Portland State University and two-year or four-year institutions to assist students’ transfers. Articulation agreements formalize the process of developing and maintaining transfer options for students who wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree, especially when their coursework may not otherwise transfer. Typically, they provide students at community colleges with access to, and linkages with, Portland State University. The agreement often includes a minimum GPA requirement for admission and minimum or maximum number of credits hours that will transfer.

Articulation agreements allow coursework from specific programs at a partner institution to transfer in different and more specific ways for students who complete the terms of the agreement. Articulation agreements are not needed when courses would transfer the same way for all students regardless of their specific program or major at the partner institution or at Portland State University.

DEFINITION

Articulation is a broad term that relates to various methods by which students can receive transfer credit for specific course work that they have mastered.

Articulation Agreements are agreements between educational institutions for the transfer of course credit taken at one institution to another institution. They are concluded at the institutional level between Portland State University and a two-year or four-year institution. The agreements constitute a broad framework for more specific transfer planning that will define the articulation of baccalaureate degree program requirements at specific program course level.

A formal articulation agreement is a written document, signed by representatives of both entities, that permits credits that are earned through another institution’s programs to be transferred to Portland State University, and can be applied to a degree, counting either toward the degree major, general education or as elective credit. These agreements allow coursework from specific programs at a partner institution to transfer in different and more specific ways for students who complete the terms of the agreement.

GOAL

The goal of an articulation agreement is to increase the number of students completing an associate’s degree and/or coursework at a community college and going on to earn a bachelor’s degree, by ensuring that courses successfully completed at another institution will transfer to PSU. We assist students in reaching their educational objectives by providing information that supports a seamless transfer from a two-year institution to Portland State University.

PROCEDURE

PSU articulation agreements make it possible to properly advise students, allowing them to make more informed decisions about which courses should be completed at a partner institution, and which courses can be transferred to PSU. Transfer Guides included in the agreement are beneficial to students.

Articulation agreements will be posted on the PSU webpage by the TRSRC. Transfer Guides will be posted on the TRSRC website reflecting course equivalencies between Portland State University and partner institutions.

BENEFITS

Upon following the requirements that articulation agreements stipulate, students can meet the curricular requirements associated with a four-year degree. This allows them to enter a four-year college in the major they have chosen as a junior. Other benefits include,

Allowing students to make the transition to PSU easier
Having more credit count toward their bachelor’s degree requirements
Preventing students from taking unnecessary courses or repeating courses
If co-admitted, allowing students access to PSU I.D.s, PSU email and library accounts, university functions, and PSU advising

REQUIREMENTS

At PSU, the requirements for an articulation agreement depend on the specific agreement itself, but students must meet minimum grade requirements as outlined in the specific agreement. Most courses that are transferable are core, degree requirements, or general education courses. These help students prepare for higher-level courses that focus on a major. PSU also provides opportunities for Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS) graduates to transfer some or all of their credits to PSU by developing program to program articulation agreement for these graduates.

WHAT PRINCIPLES SHOULD GUIDE ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS?

Articulation is a process and relationship involving the vertical and lateral movement of students through a formal education system. The agreement is based upon guidelines, policies and accreditation principles. The agreements are intended to expand and create access for our students.

PSU intends to enter into agreements that:

Will be created for the purpose of increasing access to and attainment of students’ educational/career goals,
Will ensure alignment of PSU majors with and/or associates degree course offerings,
Will be established to have a compelling interest and need for current/future students,
Will serve to maximize educational opportunities and services to enhance career opportunities for students in workforce development programs,
Will provide effective and cooperative linkages to strengthen partnerships and initiatives that benefit students,
Will reduce costs to students,
Are mutually beneficial to all parties,
Align with PSU Strategic Plan.

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS?

VALUE TO STUDENTS
Articulation activities maximize the transferability of credits. Students can complete a course of study with assurance their accumulated credits will provide a skill set for their chosen career, will result in a certificate or other degree at the first institution, and will apply in part or in whole to a bachelor’s degree at the next institution. Other student benefits include:

Making the process of transferring easier,
Accelerating progress,
Reducing duplication of instruction,
The saving of money on tuition, fees, and books for students by eliminating repeats of courses already taken at the first institution,
Creating the opportunity to continue studies in their chosen subject or discipline,
Improving job readiness skills,
Improving job placement potential,
Earning college credit,
Offering motivation to continue with schooling.

VALUE TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Educational institution benefits include:

Improved student success,
Promoting curricular alignment,
Facilitating communication between educational institutions,
Facilitating communication between faculty and administrators,
Reducing duplication of instruction,
Expanding program content,
Enhancing public relations,
Increasing enrollment in articulated courses at the high school and college levels,
Assisting with recruitment at all levels of education,
Promoting a more unified educational system.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF AGREEMENTS AND COLLABORATIONS

AGREEMENTS MANAGED BY ACADEMIC UNITS

Agreement:	Description:	How it is developed/implemented:
AAS Program-to-Program Articulation Agreement	Specifies how courses in an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) major at a Community College (CC) will transfer to a specific major at PSU. Generally accompanied by a Transfer Guide and a Degree Map. Example: AAS in Fitness Trainer at Clark College to Physical Activity/Exercise in Community Health at PSU.	Generally initiated by departments, this is a formal agreement that must be vetted and signed by the Provost’s office as well as by school/college and department. These agreements can allow courses that might not otherwise transfer to PSU (because they are not part of the CC college preparatory transfer curriculum) to be accepted to meet major requirements for a specific major only.
Transfer Advising Guide	Transfer advising guides are designed to support and prepare students to transfer in to a specific major at PSU. These guides should be developed for the AAS program-to-program agreements as described above. They should also be developed to articulate transfer pathways for students completing a college preparatory curriculum at a CC into specific majors at PSU.	Created through partnership of PSU and a CC or other Partnering Institution.

AGREEMENTS MANAGED BY ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

Other Agreements/Collaboration:	Description:	How it is developed/implemented:
Course-to-Course articulations	Example : PCC = PSU EC 200 = EC LD EC 201 = EC 201 FN 225 = CH 250	Initial evaluation of courses by articulation specialists in the Registrar’s office. If how the course should transfer is unclear from the course description, the major department is asked to review and advise on how the course should be accepted.
Statewide Agreements	Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) Associate of Science Oregon Transfer – Business (ASOT-B) Organic Chemistry Agreement Core Transfer Map Major Transfer Map Curriculum Articulation Policy	Coordinated, vetted, and administered at the state-level, often through the Transfer Council.
"Memo of Fact" Statements	States what we already do for any student . . . Example: MOU w/ Honolulu Community College, Heald College	Memo that verifies that courses that meet academic transfer standards will be accepted in transfer. Must be reviewed by the Registrar’s Office (RO).
Reverse Transfer	Reverse agreements allow a community college accepts credits earned after a student transfers to PSU in order to allow them to apply toward an associate’s degree.	Initiated by Registrar’s Office (RO) or community college.
Admission Agreements: (Notices of Educational Collaboration)	Guarantees that students who meet certain criteria will be admitted. Does not identify how specific courses transfer. Example: North Island College, Canada – International Admissions agreement	These are generally focused on international students transferring from a community college in the United States. These agreements are generally initiated and signed by the Office of International Affairs, or by the Office of Admissions for domestic schools.
Co-Admissions Agreements	Students who apply for co-admission and are admitted to both PSU and a partner community college. These agreements provide many benefits to students including allowing students admitted to the program to continue to take classes at their CC before during or after matriculating at PSU as well as to count credits at both their CC and PSU toward their financial aid load.	Initiated by Enrollment Management. Various departments within EM, including admissions processing, communication with partner schools, transcript evaluations, and financial aid, carry out the primary functions of the agreement.

WHO CAN APPROVE AN ARTICULATION AGREEMENT?

All articulations, co-admissions, and reverse transfer agreements shall have all applicable administrative reviews completed and be signed by all parties prior to commencement of any duties/actions by the parties as stipulated in the agreement. Agreements do not involve rental or lease of PSU property.

An articulation agreement is a binding legal contract and requires review by PSU’s Contracting and Procurement Services Office before submission to the Partnering Institution.

Individual PSU schools/colleges are not authorized to enter into an articulation, co-admission or reverse transfer agreement without Office of Academic Affairs approval. Review by PSU’s Contracting and Procurement Services Office is required. Agreements must be signed by a PSU employee who has the authority to enter into contracts on behalf of the University, e.g. Contracts Officers.

A copy of the original agreement should be included with the amendment, change, extension or renewal at the time the documents are processed for approval.

Signed copies of the original agreement and any amendments, changes, extensions or renewals are kept with the PSU’s Contracting and Procurement Services Office as well as in OnBase.

Departments and Schools/Colleges can ensure better compliance and faster reviews by using the OnBase form following the articulation agreement guidelines.

If a formal articulation agreement is not necessary, a department chair, curriculum committee chair, program director or their designee may email the Registrar’s Office giving direction to how individual courses from another institution would transfer to PSU for all students, regardless of major. Please email articulation@pdx.edu.

PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING AN ARTICULATION AGREEMENT

INITIATION
The request for an articulation agreement may be generated from either an internal or external source.

Regardless of the origin of the agreement, all requests to initiate developments of transfer agreements must be communicated by the PSU department or dean’s office representative by submitting the Intent to Develop an Articulation Agreement portion of the Articulation Agreement form in OnBase.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO DEVELOP AN ARTICULATION AGREEMENT
The dean’s office will coordinate and submit the request of the "Notice of Intent to Develop an Articulation Agreement" through the OnBase Unity Form.

Information included in the form:

Name of Program
Type of Articulation Agreement
Name of institution with which the agreement will be developed
Brief rationale to support entering into the agreement
Portland State University program contact person
Community College contact person

The TRSRC will then communicate the request to the Registrar’s Office (RO) and the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). A representative may reach out if there are any initial questions.

DEVELOPMENT
The development of an agreement may be initiated internally or externally.

Internally- The Dean's office designee initiates the articulation agreement through the form in OnBase. The dean’s office or department office where the program is housed, drafts program specific agreements (see Appendix B for templates and forms). Draft agreements are developed with the following considerations:
- Complies with the Articulation Agreement Guidelines
- Provides for input and review from the Partnering Institution
- *Pathway Advising Directors who work closely with the program should be key participants in developing the curricular details of the agreements.
Externally- The Partnering Institution may draft an institutional or program specific agreement. The draft agreement is reviewed by the Office of Academic Affairs, Registrar’s Office, dean’s office, and appropriate the department/program with the same considerations as an agreement internally developed. Comments and concerns are considered and brought to the Office of Academic Affairs, Registrar’s Office, and dean’s office for discussion with those who drafted the agreement.

ARTICULATION AGREEMENT CONTENT
To ensure quality and consistency of agreements, the following areas should be addressed in all articulation agreements into which Portland State University enters.

Purpose
This includes a brief statement indicating the reason for forming this agreement. Example: “Portland State University and … are forming a partnership through this articulation agreement to better serve students and prepare them to enter workforce. Both institutions recognize that working together, their collective efforts are much stronger than their individual efforts”.

Program Details
Description of degrees/programs that are covered in the Agreement include any parameters and/or exclusions of the agreement. A general agreement may address general admission to the institution with required GPA’s or other general requirements. A complete list of programs covered in the agreement should be included with available course lists. Transfer guides and degree maps that support the agreement will be developed and published on the PSU website.

APPROVAL
Portland State University final approval occurs in the Office of Academic Affairs after sign off from the Contracts Office.

COMMUNICATE/DISSEMINATE THE AGREEMENT
Following approval of the Office of Academic Affairs and obtaining the appropriate signatures, the original agreement is archived in OAA and posted to the PSU website. Transfer Guides and Degree maps are posted to the Transfer & Returning Student Resource Center website: https://www.pdx.edu/transfer-center/articulation-agreements

Others receive notification:

Deans
Divisional instruction leaders
Department chair
Director of Transfer Student Services and Undergraduate Recruitment
Academic Advisors

A copy of the agreement is disseminated as a PDF to:

Contracting and Procurement Services Office
Partnering Institution

Copies of the agreement are distributed to:

Participating academic units
Registrar’s Office
PSU advising community
Admissions

PROMOTION/MARKETING
The Office of Academic Affairs in partnership with Enrollment Management will coordinate promotion and marketing of transfer articulation agreements to students in several ways:

Inform academic advisors and curriculum teams of new agreements at departmental meetings, and/or training sessions.
Ensure that transfer guides and degree maps are posted on the PSU website by the Transfer & Returning Student Resource Center (transferpartnerships@pdx.edu).
Include a statement on transfer guides that indicates the guide represents an articulation (partnership) agreement between PSU and the Partnering Institution.
Consider other printed venues to promote agreements, i.e., brochure, college catalog, etc., and appropriate websites.
Promotion/marketing efforts will be monitored to determine the most effective methods of promotion as measured by students’ use of transfer articulation agreements.

ANNUAL REVIEW
Pending curriculum changes, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Registrar’s Office may prompt departments to do an annual review with the transfer institution. Any revisions to the program transfer agreement will be reviewed and approved by:

Program representatives,
Office of the appropriate dean.

Please keep in mind the impact academic curriculum changes have on Articulation Agreements. If a curriculum change will affect an articulation agreement, the department initiating the Articulation Agreement will need to connect with community colleges and those individuals/units to ensure that changes are communicated.

Each reviewed transfer articulation agreement will be dated to reflect the date of the review and to assist in maintaining the most current agreements.

ARTICULATION AGREEMENT RENEWAL
Articulation agreements typically expire after four years. Prior to expiration, the Contracting and Procurement Services Office or Office of Academic Affairs notifies departments that an agreement is about to expire. At this time the department works with the partner institution to review and revise the articulation agreement as appropriate. Departments update the Articulation Agreement forms as well as the Transfer Advising Guides and submit for review and approval following the standard process.