Texas A&M and PJC ink second articulation agreement
Published or Revised November 13, 2014
Dr. Frank H. “Skip” Landis (right), special assistant at Texas A&M Public Health Studies, recently came to talk to PJC students about the new articulation agreement on the Bachelor of Science in public health (BSPH). This articulation agreement will open up additional career options for PJC students.
A new articulation agreement has just been signed between Paris Junior College and the Texas A&M University Health Science Center School of Public Health. The agreement will facilitate admission and academic transfer of PJC students into the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program at Texas A&M.
Students who successfully complete the new School of Public Health program at PJC and have a 3.0 GPA overall, with 60 hours of transferable course work and at least a “B” in the majors science and math courses will be able to transfer seamlessly when the agreement goes into effect with the Spring 2015 semester.
The TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences just renewed a five-year articulation agreement with PJC in August. For students to transfer under that agreement, they must have a 3.6 GPA, at least a “B” in the majors science and math courses and complete the degree plan.
Dr. Frank H. “Skip” Landis, special assistant at Texas A&M Public Health Studies, came to PJC to talk about the agreement and answer student questions.
Landis explained that the Bachelor of Science in public health (BSPH) opened up additional career options for students. This degree addresses the health concerns of communities and populations. Some career options available through a BSPH would include infectious disease research, forensic pathologist, hospital administrator, food inspector, disaster preparedness researcher or occupational safety engineer. The advantage of the public health degree is that it stands out.
“When 4,000 apply for medical school and only 1,600 get accepted,” Landis said, “all academic scores being equal, one distinguisher is what program you had and public health stands out among a majority of biology degrees.”
Landis also described high demand for those with this degree from industries such as oil and commercial pharmacies.
“Right now there’s a large oil company that has 400 public health openings it can’t fill,” Landis said. “That’s a ready and well-paid job for someone with a bachelor’s in public health.”
Landis praised PJC’s advantages to those interested in any of these options.
“It’s far better to take organic chemistry at PJC with 10 students than with 250 at a four-year university, as well as costing far less,” Landis said.
For more information about PJC’s science articulation agreements, contact coordinator Jack Brown at 903-782-0319 or jbrown@parisjc.edu.
