Rider and Bucks County Community College allows cybersecurity credit transfers

By Tatyanna Carman

Rider and Bucks County Community College (BCCC) signed an agreement to transfer credits from the community college to the university for the bachelor’s cybersecurity program.

According to a university press release, the transfer agreement was signed on Nov. 5 and will allow students from the BCCC to be a part of the 54-credit major. The cybersecurity program was chosen because of the rapid growth of the cybersecurity industry, according to Associate Vice President for University Marketing and Communications Kristine Brown.

“The goal of transfer agreements with our community college partners is to create a seamless path for students completing a two-year-degree to continue on to complete their bachelor’s degree,” she said. “This is beneficial for both the individual program (in this case cybersecurity) and the university as a whole as these transfer students become part of our university and are often highly motivated to achieve their goal of a four-year degree.”

Brown also mentioned that Rider is continually working with community college partners in the region such as Mercer County Community College, Brookdale Community College, Raritan Valley Community College and more.

The cybersecurity program was chosen because of its presence at both the community college and at Rider, according to Chair of Computer Science and Physics Department John Bochanski. He was heavily involved in the implementation of the new bachelor’s program in cybersecurity, which will debut in the fall 2020.

Bochanski said that transfer agreements are pretty common for Rider and nearby community colleges, and “we are always excited to team up with other schools with similar programs.”

“Most of Rider’s students come from within about 100 miles, so I think you won’t see a huge impact on the community, but I still think it’s a great thing,” said Bochanski. “It makes a lot of sense to partner up with schools that are nearby, have students in similar fields and want a great education.”

He also shared how he felt about the agreement and the upcoming major.

“I am excited by the opportunities that we offer students in the Computer Science and Physics Department. With the addition of cybersecurity, we will be offering one of the most in-demand majors in the country, and I am glad that Rider and Bucks students have the opportunity to pursue these studies.”

Senior computer science major Fredy Ulloa shared how he felt about the partnership.

“I think the partnership benefits Rider community a whole lot because it helps the new computer science grow. All the new students [are] eager to work with each other and grow the Rider community,” he said.