ALMA — Alma College and Montcalm Community College have added chemistry to the list of majors covered by their transfer agreement, the college announced Aug. 27.
Under the arrangement, a student completes an associate degree in arts or sciences at Montcalm, then transfers to Alma to finish a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. The college describes the Alma portion as two additional years.
The two schools have had a transfer agreement since 2023. Until now it covered four fields: accounting, business, communication and psychology. Chemistry is the first laboratory science on the list.
Alma says its chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society. Two Alma chemistry faculty members, associate professors James Mazzuca and Jeffrey Turk, are quoted in the announcement; Mazzuca said the agreement gives transfer students a clear direction.
The college describes a department built around laboratory work. According to the announcement, chemistry students do research alongside faculty, present at professional conferences and appear as co-authors on published papers. Turk called the department immersive.
For a student starting at Montcalm, which serves Montcalm County west of Gratiot, the arrangement means spending the first two years at a community college and knowing in advance what remains for the bachelor's degree. The college directs interested students to the Transfer Pathways page on its website.
The announcement arrives as the college reports growth among transfer students. In its separate fall enrollment release, Alma said transfer enrollment rose 27.3% from a year earlier.