Overview
Framingham State University (FSU), formerly Framingham State College, is authorized by Section 5 of Chapter 15A of the Massachusetts General Laws and operates under the direction of a board of trustees, whose members are appointed by the Governor. The board is responsible for operating under the regulations promulgated by the Commonwealth’s Board of Higher Education; this includes setting policies, approving annual budgets, monitoring quarterly performance, and participating in the approval of internal audits. The president of FSU is the administrative head of the university and reports to the board of trustees. The president is supported by the executive vice president of administration, finance, and technology; the vice president of academic affairs; the vice president of enrollment and student development; the chief diversity and inclusion officer; the chief of staff / general counsel; and the executive director of development and alumni relations.
FSU is a member of the Massachusetts public higher-education system, which consists of 15 community colleges, nine state universities, and five University of Massachusetts (UMass) campuses. It is located at 100 State Street in Framingham.
In fall 2018, FSU had 5,565 students (3,937 undergraduates and 1,628 graduate students). The university employs 199 full-time and 127 part-time faculty members. FSU received appropriations from the Commonwealth in the amounts of $28,113,495 and $29,890,701 for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, respectively.
MassTransfer Program
The Commonwealth’s public institutions of higher education have partnered with the Department of Higher Education (DHE) to develop the MassTransfer Program, which includes the A2B Degree Program. DHE’s “MassTransfer Policy Guidelines” describe the MassTransfer Program as follows:
MassTransfer seeks to provide a broad population of students with straightforward and understandable options toward the completion of associate and baccalaureate degrees, clearing the way for student access and student success in Massachusetts’ public higher education system.
MassTransfer has two main purposes:
- to provide community college students who complete approved associate degrees under MassTransfer with the benefits of the full transfer and applicability of credit, guaranteed admission, and a tuition waiver (each benefit based on the student’s final grade point average) to linked baccalaureate programs; and
- to provide any student in the Massachusetts public higher education system the intermediate goal of completing a portable transfer block (“MassTransfer Block”) which satisfies general education/distribution/core requirements across institutions (with the receiving institution able to add no more than six additional credits/two courses).
A2B Degree Program
Students who complete their associate’s degrees at one of the Commonwealth’s 15 community colleges, and transfer to a state university or UMass campus within one year of graduation from community college, receive guaranteed admission (space permitting in the major and college) and transfer of credits. In addition, they are not required to pay application fees or submit application essays and are eligible to receive tuition waivers.
| Date published: | November 23, 2020 |
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