A new transfer partnership between Northern Michigan University and Oakton Community College in Illinois will create a "first-of-its-kind educational pathway" for Oakton students seeking to pursue a bachelor's degree tailored to the emerging cannabis industry. Representatives from both institutions formalized the agreement at a Dec. 11 ceremony at Oakton's Des Plaines campus.
According to a press release, students who incorporate Oakton's cannabis dispensary and patient care specialist certificate into an associate of general studies can seamlessly transfer to NMU and earn a bachelor's degree in medicinal plant chemistry.
“We are excited to be part of this partnership with Oakton,” said Robert Winn, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at NMU. “Our medicinal plant chemistry program, the first of its kind in the nation, will provide students with both analytical chemistry skills and a business foundation that will make them attractive to employers or give them the tools for starting their own business.”
“This pathway supports the medicinal cannabis industry's call for workers with formal education and relevant credentials,” said Oakton Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs/College Transitions Anne Brennan. “The training that these programs provide will appropriately signal their preparedness to employers.”
NMU's medicinal plant chemistry program combines rigorous science and business courses to prepare students for a wide range of careers in the medicinal plant chemistry industry. This includes positions such as analytical chemist, biotechnologist, chemical engineer, environmental analyst, pharmacologist, research scientist and toxicologist.
With the new Shimadzu Analytical Core Laboratory for Medicinal Plant Sciences, which opened this fall, NMU undergraduate students have rare access to cutting-edge instrumentation and technology applicable to numerous career options in and beyond the burgeoning cannabis industry.
This fall, Oakton launched its patient care specialist certificate program, Illinois' first community college health communications program focusing on medical cannabis. More than 100 students are currently enrolled, 10 of whom are expected to earn their credential at the completion of this semester. Students who transfer from Oakton to NMU with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher will qualify for a $5,600 transfer scholarship, which reduces tuition to the in-state level.
For more information on NMU's medicinal plant chemistry program, click here.
This is adapted from a release prepared by Oakton Community College.