SFA, MUAS launch international community development program

Pictured are (from left) Murphy, MUAS President Michael Kortstock, and Dr. Susanne Elsen, dean of applied social science at MUAS. Not pictured is Dr. Freddie Avant, director of SFA's School of Social Work, who also made the trip to Germany. SFA President Dr. Baker Pattillo signed the agreement prior to the meeting.

Representatives from Stephen F. Austin State University recently traveled to Germany to sign an agreement with the University of Applied Sciences München (MUAS), launching a collaborative program titled the "International Certificate in Community Development."

In this program, students from both universities will mutually enroll in online courses taught by professors from SFA and MUAS. The certificate will be available through SFA's Master of Social Work program.

Students at SFA and MUAS may earn a certificate conferred jointly by the two institutions, allowing SFA students to gain a credential from a European university.

"A certificate recognized on both sides of the Atlantic should greatly enhance the marketability of our students on an international basis," said Dr. Brian Murphy, dean of SFA's College of Liberal and Applied Arts.

The development of the online courses will begin next semester, and the initial courses are scheduled to be offered in spring 2010.