Two-Plus-Two Construction Management Programs and Articulation Agreements

Abstract

To meet workforce needs of U.S. industries, colleges and universities nationwide are increasingly being asked to develop better 2 + 2 programs and articulation agreements to guide a smooth transfer of students between 2-year and 4-year institutions. However, creating a good articulation agreement can be a challenging task. This article presents two case studies of formal articulation agreements between a 4-year and two 2-year construction management programs. In the case studies, the two articulation agreements provided means to formalize the transfer process for coursework and facilitate the transition for students from one campus to the other. The well designed matrices of course equivalencies allowed students to complete part of their coursework at either the 4-year or 2-year institution and earn both associate and bachelor's degrees within four years. By performing statistical analysis and comparisons of 2 + 2 transfer and non-transfer students’ grade point average (GPA), this research found that in both cases the transfer students had maintained good academic performance in the 4-year program when compared with non-transfer students. This was deemed as a positive indicator for the success of the two 2 + 2 programs and articulation agreements in keeping the continuity of coursework and preparing students for higher level courses.