New Center in Temecula Guarantees Business Degree in Four Years

Students attempting to transfer business credits from Mt. San Jacinto College to CSUSM can be assured not only that their courses will transfer but that they will graduate in a timely manner thanks to a new agreement signed by Mount San Jacinto College (MSJC) Superintendent and President Roger Schultz and California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) President Karen Haynes.

The innovative transfer agreement, signed at the Grand Opening of the new Temecula Higher Education (THE) Center on Saturday, September 27, creates a seamless transition from MSJC to CSUSM for students, allowing them to earn an associate's degree and a bachelor's degree from CSUSM. In this “two plus two” plan, the tuition rate is locked in with a guarantee that students will complete the program in four years if they meet all of their academic requirements successfully.

Students in this unique program, offered for the first time this fall, attend class at THE Center, located in the old City of Temecula City Hall building, and progress as a group. THE Center includes four classrooms, a lecture hall, a computer lab, a learning lab, a student lounge and a break room as well as offices for MSJC and CSUSM professors and staff. Currently only business administration is being offered but CSUSM and MSJC look forward to launching a similar program in kinesiology in fall 2014.

Cal State San Marcos has had a presence in Southwest Riverside County since 2008 when the University opened CSUSM at Temecula.

“I am excited to expand this innovative and future-focused model that leverages the strengths of the region’s educational institutions,” said President Haynes. “And I know this is just the beginning of a further conversation about expansion, as we know the demand is already here. The new cohort model with Mt. San Jacinto College business department and California State University San Marcos College of Business Administration is a prime example of new ideas in education that can be developed to create access for students and a career pathway for the Temecula region and workforce needs.”

THE Center is located at 43200 Business Park Drive in Temecula. For more information: www.msjc.edu/CSUSMbusiness.