Southwestern Illinois College and Greenville College will offer a bachelor's degree in elementary education taught entirely at the SWIC Belleville Campus.

The Undergraduate Teacher Education Partnership program permits students to transfer seamlessly with junior status from the SWIC Associate in Arts education pre-major programs to Greenville College's Bachelor of Science in elementary education degree.

The two institutions ratified the agreements in March and officially signed the pact May 10 at a meeting in the SWIC Schmidt Art Center.

To enter the transfer program, SWIC students must maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA; complete a minimum of 64 credit hours, with a grade of C or better in English 101, English 102, and all education classes; complete a Greenville College application; pass the

Illinois Certification Testing System Basic Skills Test; and supply official SWIC transcripts to Greenville College.

A course to help students prepare for the Basic Skills Test will be offered in the summer and fall.

Students entering the program can take advantage of advising from both institutions to assist them in completing the degree in a timely manner.

The Greenville College portion of the program takes a minimum of three semesters including a student teaching internship, 52 credit hours of prescribed Greenville courses and six credit hours in transferable electives from either institution.

The program leads to an Illinois elementary teaching certificate, which allows a teacher to work in kindergarten through ninth grade.

SWIC and Greenville are both accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Contact 866-942-7942, ext. 5279, or caroline.adams@swic.edu, or contact the Greenville College admissions coordinator for education programs at 800-345-4440, ext. 6757.