Urban College of Boston graduates will be able to make a seamless transition into Lesley University to earn their bachelor’s degrees — at a reduced cost — after earning their associate degree, under a new agreement between the schools.
"Access and affordability remain the primary barriers to higher education for many students, but Lesley is committed to creating diverse pathways to a four-year degree,” said Lesley Provost Margaret Everett. “Lesley University’s formal partnership with Urban College of Boston shows students that we value their prior learning and experiences as a sound foundation for obtaining a bachelor’s degree."
The agreement has two components. The first outlines articulation of Urban College associate degrees to Lesley bachelor’s degrees, ensuring that courses taken at Urban College fully apply toward completion of a Lesley bachelor's degree.
The articulation agreement ensures maximum transfer credits for students in Urban College of Boston’s programs in human services, early childhood education and general studies, providing a streamlined pathway to bachelor's degree completion at Lesley.
The agreement’s second component outlines a collaboration between Urban and Lesley to offer a bachelor’s completion program at Urban College’s Boylston Street campus. The partnership offers two specific pathways — early childhood studies and liberal studies. Students in the early childhood studies program will also have the option of completing a Certificate in Child Homelessness.
Classes are one night per week and on Saturday mornings, in a hybrid delivery format (on-campus and online), though human services and liberal studies students can opt for purely online.
Students will be able to complete a bachelor's degree from Lesley at Urban College's Boylston Street campus in early childhood studies or liberal studies.
“Urban College of Boston is delighted to partner with Lesley University to provide the opportunity for our graduates to earn a Lesley bachelor’s degree at Urban’s campus,” said college President Michael Taylor. “We are convinced this partnership will encourage more of our graduates to continue their education and enable all of us to benefit from the new and larger dimensions of service to the community that a bachelor’s degree would enable them to provide.”
Courses run in accelerated eight-week sessions, expediting Urban College graduates’ rapid progression through bachelor’s degree completion. In recognition of the associate degree’s credential, and to ensure maximum access, Lesley has committed to a reduced cost per credit, and support from Lesley advisors, for Urban College students who enroll in this program. Lesley advisors will also help Urban College’s human service majors transfer to Lesley-campus-based programs in either human services or social work.
The partnership developed after both institutions recognized a local need for a pathway for bachelor's degree completion that is affordable, flexible and accessible for Urban College students, many of whom live and work in the Boston area. This partnership will benefit Urban College of Boston graduates, who can capitalize on the full resources of Lesley while staying in the convenient, familiar and supportive Urban College location.