The purpose of this study was to describe the transitions, support, and current activities of students who completed baccalaureate degrees after completing community college non-transfer degrees. The population was limited to students who earned an associate degree of Applied Science, Science, or General Studies from Oregon community colleges, and who completed a baccalaureate degree from Portland State University. A telephone questionnaire was used to collect descriptive data and anecdotal information. At the time of community college entry, only 15% of participants identified "transfer" as their reason for attendance, yet each participant in this study did go on to transfer and complete a baccalaureate degree. Half began their community college enrollment after age 22 and excluding previous post-secondary education experience took 6-10 years to complete their baccalaureate degree. At the time of this study, a surprising 33% were enrolled in graduate study. Examining the transitions in retrospect from baccalaureate degree completion, the participants relied upon faculty, family, and employment networks to complement their personal goal-strength. In addition, participants identified an initial reliance on student services for information, especially in maximizing credits used in transfer. However, more than half of the participants identified inconsistent information from services and therefore used their support network of faculty, family, and employment members to obtain information relating to academic success, transfer requirements, and degree completion. The study concluded that no educational program is necessarily terminal, that community colleges cannot configure programs that meet all learner needs, and that the availability and quality of information are catalysts for student goal-achievement. The principle implication of this research is that readily accessible and reliable information of the baccalaureate degree structure is essential to students in community college non-transfer associate degrees programs. / Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (D. Mus. Arts)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-91).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Barbara A. Mann (Professor Emeritus), Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 26, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 108 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 344 p. : col. ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 308-316).

The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn about the perceptions and experiences of students who graduated with the Associates of Arts/Oregon Transfer (AA/OT) degree. This study answered the following questions: 1) How did the AA/OT degree attainment assist in the overall achievement of goals? 2) How did AA/OT graduates view the transfer process? 3) What factors influenced the transfer process? 4) What was the overall perception of the AA/OT degree? A phenomenological approach was used. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with 18 students who graduated with the AA/OT degree at an urban community college in Oregon. Data analysis occurred through the creation of profiles of the participants and the emergence of themes. As a result of answering the research questions about the experiences of AA/OT graduates, five themes emerged. These included: Theme 1: The AA/OT degree made the transfer process easier and helped students overcome common barriers or obstacles to transfer. Theme 2: AA/OT graduates were frustrated with the academic environment at the community college. Theme 3: AA/OT graduates encountered stigmas associated with community college attendance. Theme 4: Advising and mentoring were crucial to goal attainment. Theme 5: Degree attainment influenced behavior change. This study concluded that articulated degrees can help make the transfer process smoother by freeing students from worrying about how or if their credits will transfer, thus allowing the student more time to concentrate on other aspects of the transfer process. The findings of this study suggest there are advantages to obtaining the Associate degree prior to transfer. / Graduation date: 2004

There are two major purposes of this study. One purpose is to provide faculty, administrators, and advisory committees of the Human Services program at Clackamas Community College (CCC) with information for use in recruitment and curriculum planning. The other purpose is to fulfill practicum credit requirements of the Master of Social Work program at Portland State University. The four chapters of this practicum cover background information about Associate of Arts (AA) programs and CCC, the review of the literature, the empirical research, and implications of the study for the CCC Human Services Department.

Public community colleges enroll a high percentage of high risk students. The majority of these students dropout of college. At Gloucester County College, New Jersey of 718 entering students in the Fall of 1988 only 196 or 27% completed requirements for a certificate or two year associate degree after six semesters. In an effort to increase the success of entering students, Gloucester County College gave each student a state mandated placement examination in Reading Comprehension, English Composition, and Mathematics Computation and placed those students who failed the exams in pre-collegiate developmental courses hoping thereby to prepare them for regular collegiate level work. In this study, the possible effects of 19 variables on the students’ academic progress toward program completion were examined. These included: personal and education attributes of the students, characteristics of the high schools from which they were graduated, their scores on entry level tests of basic skills, and their performance in remedial, developmental, and regular collegiate level classes. In general, high risk students were more likely to drop out of Gloucester County College regardless of their initial placement in regular, developmental, or remedial courses. On basis of this study, it remains unclear whether or not remedial courses promoted program completion. It is clear, however, that students who were assigned to pre-collegiate level courses dropped out sooner than other students, earned fewer credits, and with lower QCAs when doing so, and rarely persisted through graduation. Yet, on basis of entry level test scores alone, as many as 20% of those who failed one or more tests were graduated and an additional 16% were still persisting after six semesters. / Ed. D.