UNE President Danielle Ripich and CMCC President Scott Knapp sign an official agreement to expand access for CMCC Life Sciences students to 15 bachelor’s degree programs at UNE.

Central Maine Community College and the University of New England have adopted a memorandum of transfer agreement that will enable CMCC students to apply all credits from the CMCC Life Sciences program toward any of 15 bachelor’s degree programs at UNE.
The memorandum was signed in a ceremony recently at Central Maine Community College in Auburn. The event celebrated a partnership that offers students affordable and seamless access to UNE bachelor’s degrees in the sciences. 
CMCC Life Sciences students will now be able to transfer their Life Sciences credits to a wide range of UNE programs in the sciences and health professions, including Chemistry, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Marine Science (Marine Biology or Oceanography Concentration), Medical Biology (Medical Sciences or Pre-Physician Assistant Concentration), Aquaculture and Aquarium Science, Ocean Studies and Marine Affairs, Animal Behavior, Applied Exercise Science, Dental Hygiene, Public Health, and Health, Wellness and Occupational Studies. Some of these baccalaureate programs also prepare students for graduate study in the areas of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Osteopathic Medicine, and other health professions.
“This agreement provides a number of exciting new avenues for graduates of Central Maine Community College,” said CMCC President Scott E. Knapp. “We look forward to preparing our students to move on to a first-class education in the life sciences at the University of New England.”
“With the addition of its Life Sciences program, CMCC has demonstrated a dedication to the sciences and quality of education that make this partnership a natural fit,” said UNE President Danielle Ripich. “This agreement builds on our shared interests in innovation and educating the next generation of health professionals and scientists.”
This past spring, UNE was named CMCC’s 2015 Partner of the Year. The award acknowledged UNE’s role in providing curriculum development for CMCC’s new associate degree program in Life Sciences. The program provides a broad, general survey of scientifically accumulated knowledge focused on life and biological sciences. Students completing the degree can enter the workforce as scientific technicians or transfer into science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) majors at four-year colleges and universities. The 61-credit program, which includes 34 credits in lab science, provides appropriate course sequencing for efficient transfer and reinforces and deepens core learning across the curriculum.
Central Maine Community College is a comprehensive, public two-year college that provides career and technical degree programs; education for transfer to baccalaureate programs; and services to support economic development and community vitality. The College offers 41 associate degree and certificate programs. For more information, see www.cmcc.edu.
The University of New England is Maine’s largest private university. It offers dozens of undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs and is home to Maine’s only medical and dental schools. With coastal campuses in Portland and Biddeford and one in Tangier, Morocco, UNE attracts internationally recognized scholars in the sciences, health, medicine and the humanities. It is one of a select group of academic institutions with a comprehensive health education mission that includes programs in medicine, pharmacy, dental medicine, nursing and an array of allied health professions. For more information, see www.une.edu.