The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is partnering with two northwest Iowa community colleges to offer a new type of transfer program, creating more opportunities for different kinds of students who want a degree in agricultural studies.

The program includes two years of coursework from Western Iowa Tech Community College or Northwest Iowa Community College, one year of online coursework from Iowa State and one year of on-campus coursework to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural studies from Iowa State.

Iowa State and these community colleges reached agreements for the degree late last year.

The program is starting with these two community colleges because they offer the first two years online, said Ben Chamberlain, academic adviser for agricultural education and studies.

Chamberlain organized the class structure to align with the agricultural studies degree to make the two-plus-one-plus-one plan of study possible.

Western Iowa Tech and Northwest Iowa Community College are part of the Northwest Iowa Regents Resource Center, which allows them to connect with not only Iowa State, but the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa.

“Other community colleges are watching the program,” said Gaylan Scofield, director of the Brenton Center for Agricultural Instruction and technology transfer and director of CALS AgOnline Learning.

Since the start of the program, Chamberlain said he has received a request from Southeastern Community College to implement the same type of program there, which shows the interest that other community colleges have.

This transfer plan is different from the traditional transfer plan, which involves two years at a community college and two years at a university, because it allows students to only come to campus for one year instead of two. This could ultimately attract more students to Iowa State.

“This allows them to complete their degree from ISU while keeping them still engaged in their local agriculture industry and farming,” Scofield said.

Northwest Iowa is known for being a large part of Iowa’s agricultural production as a whole, which can make it more difficult for prospective students involved in production agriculture to find time to get a degree.

Chamberlain said he has received many requests from place-bound students about doing a degree online, however, CALS does not offer complete degrees online. The two-plus-one-plus-one structure acts as a compromise so they can earn their degree while only being away from home for one year instead of two.

“It will definitely strengthen the ties between people in northwest Iowa and Iowa State University,” said Steve Warnstadt, coordinator for the Northwest Iowa Regents Resource Center.

Prospective college students who live in northwest Iowa could also choose to go to South Dakota State instead of Iowa State to study agriculture because it may be closer and has competitive tuition costs.

Warnstadt believes that a program such as the two-plus-one-plus-one program will definitely help keep people in Iowa to receive their college education.

To promote the program, the two community colleges are going through ISU Extension organizations in northwest Iowa as well as resources within the colleges to make students aware of the “unique joint venture,” Warnstadt said.

Transfer recruiters from Iowa State meet with academic advisers at the community colleges and speak with prospective students there to raise awareness of these programs, said Kelly Friesleben, associate director of admissions for Transfer Relations and Recruitment.

The most important thing to take into consideration is the ease of transfer and meeting the students’ needs, said Barbara Clawson, program coordinator and adviser for the horticulture department.

The structure of the program allows students to have a clear plan of study set out for them at the start of their college career.

“It’s comforting to some students to know, ‘this is exactly what the program is going to entail, how long it’s going to take me and then I’ll complete my degree.’ It provides a pathway for them,” Friesleben said.

Clawson and Friesleben are active in communicating with community colleges in Iowa to make better transfer programs between them and Iowa State.

CALS has done a great job of communicating with all Iowa community colleges in each major, which is why its transfer program is so successful, Clawson said.

A total of 60 percent of all transfer students in 2014 came from Iowa community colleges, according to the Iowa State Office of Admissions.

“Transfer students are important here and that really shows,” Friesleben said.

The two-plus-one-plus-one program is opening options for people who may not have thought a four-year degree was feasible for them before. It will keep people in the state and allow them to earn a degree in agricultural studies while still being able to be involved in their own farm or other career.

“It’s been great to work with the College of Ag to have this be the first venture or cooperative in finding a way to shorten the amount of time that one has to be in Ames to get a degree. I think too that northwest Iowa will greatly appreciate that,” Warnstadt said.