Seeking to provide students with advanced Aviation Maintenance Technology coursework, Gavilan College was one of 36 districts to submit letters of intent to host baccalaureate degree programs to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.
Authored by Sen. Marty Block, D-San Diego, and signed by Governor Jerry Brown this fall, Senate Bill 850 allows up to 15 districts to establish pilot baccalaureate degree programs in a field of study not offered by the California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC).
“The districts’ strong interest in building baccalaureate degree programs is heartening,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris. “They are pioneering a new mission for the California Community Colleges and opening up pathways for Californians who may not have had the chance to earn a four-year degree.”
Along with Gavilan, which serves the communities of Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister, other districts that expressed interest included Allan Hancock Joint Community District in the Central Coast, Los Angeles Community College District, San Diego Community College District, State Center Community College District in the San Joaquin Valley, Foothill-De Anza Community College District in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College District in far Northern California.
The coursework is expected to cost between $46 and $84 under the new program, with an estimated cost of about $10,000 to obtain a bachelor’s degree, according to the Nov. 19 announcement from the state Chancellor’s Office.
“SB 850 is a game changer for California students,” Block said. “Students now have another door that can lead to a quality, affordable four-year degree. It tells employers that California is doing all it can to ensure that our state is open for business and will stay open to employers looking for highly trained employees.”
Among the wide variety of diverse vocational field degrees community colleges submitted for consideration are airframe manufacturing technology, biomanufacturing, respiratory therapy, dental hygiene, engineering technology, and public safety administration.
Many of the proposed programs are in fields where graduates with associate degrees can already expect to earn $60,000 a few years after graduation, according to the release.
Districts have until Dec. 19 to submit applications for the baccalaureate degree program. A team comprised of Chancellor’s Office staff, a member of the business and workforce community, representatives from CSU, UC, and community college administrators, faculty, and staff from districts that did not apply to host a program will review the applications.
The chancellor will select from those applications and submit them to the board of governors for ultimate consideration and approval, in consultation with representatives of the CSU and UC.
The board is scheduled to make its decision on Jan. 21, 2015.
Under the law the four-year degree programs must be up and running by the 2017-18 academic year. However, districts may start their programs by the fall 2015 semester. Districts must also gain approval from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
Twenty-one other states also allow community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees.
