Students at Georgia Highlands College now have a new way of transferring to the University of Georgia through a new articulation agreement between the two universities. The agreement allows students to transfer to the UGA Griffin campus to complete a bachelor’s degree in microbiology.

Students must complete an amended associates of science in biology at GHC and maintain a 2.8 cumulative GPA in order to be eligible for transfer. This new agreement guarantees GHC students admission into the microbiology program at the UGA Griffin campus.

Interim Dean for the school of STEM at GHC, Jason Christian, said that the degree students will walk away with from the microbiology program is no different than what is offered at UGA’s main campus in Athens.

Brandy Rogers, Interim Division Chair of the Biological Sciences at GHC, said that she thinks the idea is to grow the program on the Griffin campus specifically and that there are plans to put similar agreements in place in the future.

“They (UGA) want our students as much as our students want to go there,” said Rogers.

Rogers said that students can benefit from the research environment that the program offers.

Christian said the program has relationships with the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC.

“They (UGA representatives) were talking about students who had gone directly into working for the CDC,” said Rogers “so lots of opportunity that you maybe wouldn’t think of right off the bat, more opportunity than just microbes on a plate.”

Christian quoted a UGA representative in saying, “This isn’t the program if you want to go to Athens and party, this is the program if you want to be career ready, job ready and have a very strong degree that will take you anywhere, international or nationally.”

Biology major and Floyd campus student, Cole Alexander, plans to transfer to UGA.

Alexander said that even though he has a GPA that he is proud of, it is very good to know that he has a guaranteed pathway into UGA.

Alexander said the program was “way more attractive” than the traditional transfer pathway.

Christian said that a trip is being planned to visit the UGA Griffin campus around February for interested students. Interested parties can reach out to their advisors, Christian or any biology faculty for more information about the program.