Flathead Valley Community College and the University of Lethbridge have established a new exchange program that provides Montana residents the opportunity to complete transferrable college credits at the University of Lethbridge.
Through this new partnership, students can complete the first two years of a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science at FVCC and finish the remaining two years of the degree at the U of L. Also, Lethbridge students have the ability to complete Associate of Arts and Associate of Science two-year transfer degrees at FVCC. In all, over 40 courses now are transferrable between the two institutions, creating an ease of course credit transferability that streamlines college degree completion.
“This partnership will allow Northwest Montanans the opportunity to gain a global perspective in a safe, friendly and like-minded community with a similar culture as ours,” says FVCC International Student Coordinator Dr. Gerda Reeb. “This will help our students become globally-proficient individuals, and yet, they will still be close enough to the Flathead Valley to come home when they desire.”
The new agreement allows for the two institutions to coordinate on program development, promote cooperation in academic activities and develop other mutually beneficial programs.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to build bridges with other institutions that also put students first and care about their students’ educational pathways,” says U of L Faculty of Arts & Science Dean Dr. Craig Cooper. “This agreement between the University of Lethbridge and Flathead Valley Community College opens doors for students from both institutions. We want to provide students as much flexibility as we can for their academic career, while still offering a top quality education close to home. This agreement fulfills all of those requirements.”
Through the new program, University of Lethbridge students also are able to continue their studies in the United States through FVCC’s partnerships with Montana University System (MUS) institutions. The articulation agreements between FVCC and The University of Montana, Montana State University and other MUS institutions afford U of L students the opportunity to earn credits at FVCC and seamlessly transfer those to other MUS institutions.
Flathead Valley Community College is the largest of three community colleges in Montana. The college has two campuses — its main campus in Kalispell and distance learning campus in Libby. Combined, the college serves a a rural region that spans over 5.6 million acres, an area larger than the state of Massachusetts. Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, FVCC offers more than 100 academic programs that prepare students for transfer to four-year higher education institutions and for careers in the workforce.