The primary goals of the Bridge Program are to ensure the success of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics students who transfer to Truman from the community college partners and to solidify new institutional partnerships among Truman State University and Metropolitan, Moberly, and St. Charles Community Colleges in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Several initiatives supporting this Program include Automatic Scholarship, a Bridge Week, an Academic Year Mentoring Network, and Undergraduate Research Opportunities.
Students must be accepted to Truman State University prior to their acceptance into the Bridge Program. Please visit Truman's Transfer Student Website for more information.
Priority Application deadline for Scholarship Assistance is April 15th.
Apply now for the Bridge Program
Transfer students from the community college partners are eligible to receive a $2,000 scholarship. The scholarship is available for any student with a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics major.
Students interested in the Scholarship must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) and identify Truman (Title IV Code 002495) as one of the schools to receive your application results.
Transfer students have the opportunity to participate in a coordinated orientation week, or Bridge Week, that runs concurrently with Truman’s orientation for first-year students. The Bridge Week includes social activities, workshops on Truman resources, and individual meetings with faculty members to discuss curriculum and degree planning. Each participating transfer student receives a stipend and a room-and-board allowance ($500 value). A Science or Math faculty member, with the help of an upper-level student preceptor, teaches each Bridge Week class; class size is small to promote significant interaction.
Through this Bridge Week class, transfer students learn about the support services available to them at Truman, opportunities for research, and key information about their chosen major’s degree programs. Transfer students also meet and get to know at least two faculty members who help them adjust to the academic and social challenges that await them. Through their Bridge Week course, transfer students participate in some social and orientation events organized for first-year students, and they also participate in social and orientation activities crafted specifically for them. These include mixers with other upper-level majors and faculty, dinners with faculty advisors, workshops on resources at Truman’s Career Center, and private conferences with faculty from their chosen major on curricular expectations. By the end of the bridge week, the transfer students are prepared for the academic challenges that lay ahead, and they have a network of resources, acquaintances, and faculty that help support them.
Academic Year Mentoring Network
Transfer students are assigned a faculty member as an Academic Mentor; the pair meet regularly to discuss academic, as well as non-academic topics. Academic Mentors invite their student to family dinners, take them out to local restaurants, and include them in other events and activities. In addition, students participate in a monthly Workshop Series in which topics such as professional development, study and testing skills, graduate education and applying to graduate school, and working with mentors and advisors are discussed. Dinner is provided. Transfer students are also able to take advantage of free Tutoring offered by experienced and trained upper-level math and science students.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Transfer students who pursue a research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor are eligible to receive Research Support for their academic year project. In addition, numerous opportunities are available to participate in paid full-time, internship-type Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. The summer experience provides a generous $3,200 stipend, free room-and-board ($1,700 value), 3 hours of academic credit in the major ($600 value), and funds for research supplies and travel to a professional conference.
Apply now for the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience