Ralph Karl

Technical College Transfer Students: a Description and Study of Change Ralph Karl

Transfer of occupational and technical courses from technical colleges to universities has been a contentious issue in many states in the United States as well as in most countries since beginning of time. This study investigated problems associated with articulation and technical college transfer process, and examined alternative information needed to facilitate and improve articulation and transfer process between Wisconsin Technical Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-Stout. About 825 technical college transfer students who enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Stout at the undergraduate level in the fall semester of 2004/2005 academic year were surveyed. Several significant findings were made. About 50.3% of all respondents transferred 41 or more credits towards their majors; 22% enrolled in majors that had no relationship to their technical college majors; and 35% found quality of technical and professional education at the University of Wisconsin-Stout to be better than quality of similar courses offered at their technical colleges. Given a second opportunity to start life afresh, 61.1% of respondents would still attend a technical college.