ASHLAND — A career as a forensic pathologist seems almost within reach, said 20-year-old April Rice Wednesday after college officials signed a series of transfer agreements at Ashland Community and Technical College.

A sophomore at ACTC, Rice is studying criminal justice and plans to earn an associate’s degree in science.

Now she’ll be able to transfer the credits from that two-year degree to Marshall University and earn her bachelor’s degree in forensic chemistry there, thanks to the agreements, inked in a ceremony by ACTC President Gregory D. Adkins and Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp.

Adkins and Kopp signed pacts in 12 degree areas, opening career paths for ACTC students in science and communications.

Under the agreements, ACTC students with associate degrees in science could transfer their credit to Marshall for the following programs:

-Bachelor of science in biology with minor in chemistry.

-Bachelor of science in chemistry with minor in biology.

-Bachelor of science in forensic chemistry with minor in biology.

-Associate degrees in arts could transfer to the following Marshall programs:

-Bachelor of arts in advertising with minor in history.

-Bachelor of arts in advertising with minor in marketing.

-Bachelor of arts in broadcast journalism with minor in political science.

-Bachelor of arts in electronic media management with minor in history.

-Bachelor of arts in online journalism with minor in history.

-Bachelor of arts in online journalism with minor in political science.

-Bachelor of arts in print journalism with minor in history.

-Bachelor of arts in print journalism with minor in political science.

-Bachelor of arts in public relations with minor in political science.

The agreements provide students with a detailed roadmap toward their degree, said Marshall provost Sarah Denman.

A comprehensive list of required courses shows students what they need to take at ACTC, she said. That eliminates confusion and uncertainty in putting together a course schedule.

“It makes it much easier,” she said. “The responsibility for the student is to take the courses and pass them.”

Not knowing which courses to take is a serious stumbling block for high school students planning their college careers, Kopp said. “We want to do anything we can to demystify the process.”

Rice said she’s already intended to take the required courses and transfer, but the agreement would simplify her planning. “This will make it easier. I won’t have to take classes I don’t need,” she said.

The programs for the agreements were chosen because of “tremendous interest” in science and communications, Adkins said. “There has been an explosion in communications. The world of communications has completely changed in the past 10 years.”

Marshall has a leading forensic science program, he said.

Younger students in particular are interested in those subject areas, he said.

The agreements, known as 2+2 agreements because they combine two years of study at the community college with two more years at the four-year institution, promote higher student achievement because they encourage completion of the associate’s degree before transfer, Adkins said.

The agreements require students to have certain minimum ACT or SAT scores and grade-point averages, and have to complete Marshall graduation requirements, including at least 56 hours at Marshall.

Students don’t necessarily have to complete the programs in four years.

More agreements are likely between ACTC and Marshall, Denman said.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.