Magnet School Students Can Earn Degree At Edison’s Middlesex College

EDISON, NJ — Students from the Middlesex County Magnet Schools will now be able to obtain an associate degree from Middlesex College in Edison, thanks to a new program.

The students can obtain the degree while still in high school.

The program, called the Dual Degree Pathway – is also available to students at the Woodbridge Academy Magnet School.

“It’s a great benefit to the students,” said Linda Scherr, Middlesex College Vice President for Academic Affairs. “They can graduate high school and be halfway to a bachelor’s degree.”

Students must complete at least 15 credits on the Middlesex College campus or virtually through the college, at the High School Scholars reduced tuition rate or four-credit course.

Combined with AP credit and dual-enrollment courses taken at the Magnet Schools, they can reach the 60 credits necessary for an associate degree.

Jorge E. Diaz, Magnet Schools Superintendent, said the innovative initiative will greatly benefit high school students. “It adds to our roster of articulation agreements that allow our students in all career majors to obtain college credits and employment credentials while still in high school,” Diaz said.

Mark McCormick, President of Middlesex College, said the new program will help save money and time for the students.

“Our data show that students who take Dual Enrollment classes have a higher retention and success rate in college than students who do not,” McCormick said.

Several students at the county’s Edison Academy Magnet School, which is on the Middlesex College Campus, are on track to earn their associate degree before they graduate in June, Scherr said.

The program will reduce the tuition students will have to pay for their four-year bachelor’s degree at all state colleges, including Rutgers and NJIT.

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