Des Moines Area Community College and Purdue University Global have announced an innovative partnership to help students easily transfer into Purdue Global’s health sciences and nursing online bachelor’s degree programs and potentially enter the workforce faster.

With the new partnership, students who earned their associate’s degree at DMACC can apply those credits toward a bachelor’s degree in health sciences or nursing online with Purdue Global.

Additionally, upon receiving their associate’s degree, DMACC graduates will be eligible for a higher level of tuition reduction at Purdue Global. The new agreement also includes a “reverse transfer” option for eligible former students who did not complete their associate’s degrees while at DMACC in which they can simultaneously pursue an associate’s degree from DMACC and a Purdue Global bachelor’s degree.

Purdue Global, formerly Kaplan University, has four Iowa locations — Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids and Mason City — where students can receive support and take courses for clinical degree requirements.

Purdue Global officials said the new agreement with DMACC opens the door to offering other customized degree programs, including bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business administration and criminal justice.