WARREN — Northern Pennsylvania Regional College and Wilson College, a four-year institution located in Chambersburg, have signed a guaranteed transfer agreement.

The agreement will enable NPRC Associate of Arts in Education Studies and Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education graduates to transfer into Wilson College’s Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education or Bachelor of Arts in Special Education programs with no loss of credit.

The signing took place in December and was effective immediately. Wilson College will accept a maximum of 60 hours of college-level coursework offered by NPRC through this pathway. Such courses may be used to fulfill a portion of Wilson College’s general education curriculum and portions of the Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education degree or Bachelor of Arts in Special Education.

The terms help define a pathway for students enrolled in the NPRC’s Paraeducators Pathway Program to move onto Wilson College upon graduation and complete their goal to become a K-12 special education teacher. Ultimately, this is a step for both NPRC and Wilson College towards fulfilling the need for qualified professionals in special education that is problematic not just in Pennsylvania, but around the United States.

The agreement will also allow learners to complete their bachelor’s degree remotely, with a combination of asynchronous and live instruction, and the opportunity to fulfill their student-teaching requirements at the school district they are currently employed in as a paraeducator. Another key attribute of the signing is it helps provide important accessibility for NPRC graduates to complete their goal of leading a classroom of their own someday soon, without having to uproot their career and life to gain access to advanced education.