Upside Down Degree Program
- Are you completing a two-year technical degree at a community or technical college?
- Would you like to transfer your technical credit to Evergreen so that you can complete a bachelor's degree?
The Upside Down Degree program may be for you! The Upside Down Degree program (or just called "Upside Down") is a process that will allow you to transfer your approved technical degree or AAS-T degree as a block of 90-credits.
Answers to these questions appear on this page:
- Why "Upside Down?"
- What is an AAS-T degree?
- How does Upside Down work?
- How do I apply for admission?
Why "Upside Down?"
During the freshman and sophomore years, students register for a broad variety of courses such as English, writing, mathematics, natural science and art. As juniors or seniors, students focus their studies and may gain technical skills or proficiencies in an academic area—computer generated graphic art, measuring water quality, graphing geologic formations, multicultural counseling, for example.
Transfer students with a two-year technical degree or an AAS-T complete this focused, skills-based work during their freshman and sophomore years. When you transfer to Evergreen, you will broaden your studies in an interdisciplinary program. Compared to Evergreen, your learning process is reversed and when you enroll at Evergreen you are "upside down." This illustration (PDF) may help you visualize this process.
Washington community colleges offer many technical degree programs. To discover whether Upside Down may be available to you, please select "Degree" for your community college listed on the Community College page.
What is an AAS-T degree?
The Associate in Applied Science-Transfer degree is another form of a technical degree offered by the community college. The community college is responsible for developing the curriculum for the AAS-T degrees and ensures that the course content meets with accreditation requirements.
When you look at the "degree" sheet listed for your college, you may see the AAS-T designation. This designation comes from the community college, not from Evergreen.
How does Upside Down work?
Generally, technical and AAS-T degrees do not represent a variety of courses in the liberal arts and sciences—e.g., the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. In fact, your initial transfer credit award will not yield 90 quarter-hour credits. Ninety credits are the maximum awarded for work completed at the community college level. However, if your degree is approved for the Upside Down program and your cumulative GPA is 2.5 and you completed college-level English composition at a 2.0 GPA or better, the Credentials Evaluator will offer you the following agreement:
- When you enroll at Evergreen, you will work with an Academic Advisor to develop your educational plan.
- The first 32 credits you earn at Evergreen need to be in an interdisciplinary program. Your Academic Advisor will assist you in selecting a program that will broaden your academic studies. You will be advised not to register for a program that is similar to your technical degree.
- After you have completed these 32 credits, ask the Credentials Evaluator in Admissions to review your transfer credit again. Put this request in writing.
- Successful completion of the Evergreen credit will ensure that your technical degree or AAS-T will transfer as a block of 90 credits.
The agreement is time sensitive and you must accept these conditions within 30 days from the date of the transfer credit award.
How do I apply for admission?
- Complete the online or paper application. The nonrefundable application fee is $50 (US). You'll find additional information about the application process on the Apply for Admission page.
- Request official transcripts from every college/university you've attended and have them sent to Evergreen.
A Credentials Evaluator in Admissions will review your application and official transcripts. The Evaluator may determine that additional documents—such as an official high school transcript, pre-college test scores (SAT or ACT) or GED test scores—are needed.
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