Cascadia College > Instructional Programs > Direct Transfer Agreement

Direct Transfer Agreement

What the Agreement Says

The Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) allows students in Washington state to transfer a “package” of credits for certain degrees, so that when you transfer from a 2-year college to most public 4-year colleges and universities in the state, the 4-year institution does not have to evaluate each course on your transcript. The DTA includes definitions of a number of “major-related programs” that prepare you for certain competitive majors.

Per the DTA, 4-year colleges will apply up to 110 quarter credits from Cascadia to the credits required for the bachelor’s degree, subject to their individual policies on the transfer of lower-division credits. To complete a bachelor’s degree, you must meet any additional requirements of the college you transfer to, such as general education core courses, cultural diversity courses, and foreign language courses.

DTA Degrees

While you do not have to complete a degree at Cascadia to be eligible to transfer to a 4-year college or university, all DTA degrees prepare you for transfer as a junior, satisfying the following requirements: Pre-University Skills, Competencies and Proficiencies, and General Education Core. To find out other specific requirements of the college or university you want to apply to, see an academic advisor.

If you have a DTA degree, you receive priority in the admission process at public colleges and universities over similarly qualified transfer applicants without a DTA degree. Admission to a college or university does not guarantee admission to a specific program or major. Admissions application deadlines vary; you must meet the deadlines of the colleges where you plan to transfer.

Most degrees at Cascadia meet DTA requirements.

General Transfer Preparation

Associate in Integrated Studies: Prepares you for a variety of majors; see an academic advisor to design an individual education plan. Four-year colleges and universities may have additional requirements for language courses, minimum GPA, application deadlines, and submission of necessary documents.
Associate in Integrated Studies: Global Studies degree: A variant of the associate in integrated studies and therefore it is equivalent to a Direct Transfer Degree. See an academic advisor for details regarding this option.

Major-Related Programs

Major-related programs (formerly called major-ready pathways) take the DTA one step further by specifying the prerequisite coursework that will provide the best preparation for entry into certain competitive majors. Each program is a specialized degree that also meets all the criteria for the DTA. Cascadia offers these major-related programs:

Associate in Business: Prepares you for transfer with a major in business
Associate in Pre-nursing: Prepares you for transfer with a major in nursing
Associate in Science: Engineering: Prepares you for transfer with a major in engineering

Associate in Science Transfer (AS-T) Degrees

These degrees prepare you for transfer as a junior to a 4-year college or university with a major in the natural sciences, pre-med, engineering, or computer science. AS-T degrees involve completion of a range of courses in the sciences and liberal arts. Courses are similar to what students would typically take in their first 2 years at a 4-year college or university. Cascadia offers these AS-T degrees:

Associate in Science: biological sciences, environmental/earth sciences, chemistry, and geology: Prepares you for transfer with a major in any of these subjects
Associate in Science: computer science, atmospheric science, and physics: Prepares you for transfer with a major in any of these subjects

Associate in Applied Science Transfer (AAS-T) Degrees

These degrees prepare you both for immediate employment and for transfer to specified 4-year colleges and universities. Cascadia works closely with business representatives in choosing programs and designing curriculum to make sure program graduates possess skills that are in high demand in the workplace. Except for the general education component, an AAS-T degree generally is not accepted for transfer into bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree programs. Cascadia offers these AAS-T degrees: