The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and East Arkansas Community College are teaming up to provide undergraduate students with an easy path to earn a Bachelor of Social Work at UA Little Rock.

Through a new 2+2 agreement, students may complete the first two years of lower division coursework and earn an Associate of Science in liberal arts and sciences degree in social work. Afterwards, students can transfer to UA Little Rock to complete their Bachelor of Social Work degree after two more years.

“We are delighted to have East Arkansas Community College as a new partner. The School of Social Work has similar arrangements with three other schools (Hope/Texarkana, Pulaski Tech and National Park),” said Dr. Stephen Kapp, director of the UA Little Rock School of Social Work. “These arrangements create very clear and manageable paths for students from their local community to a professional degree in social work.”

Students who have earned the associate degree from EACC with at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA are eligible for admission to UA Little Rock’s social work program with a junior classification.

The Associate of Science in liberal arts and sciences is designed for students who wish to take the first two years of a four-year program with specific requirements before transferring to a four-year college or university. The associate degree offers the most flexibility for these students, who take a 35-hour general education core and 25 elective hours chosen from any discipline, such as an emphasis in social work, to fit their planned baccalaureate degree program.

“There are many people in our service area interested in a degree in social work,” said Dr. Cathie Cline, president of EACC. “So many professions in our region benefit from this type of education. An ASLAS in social work is something that has been a goal of the college, and I am so pleased we have achieved that goal.”