Community College Bachelor Degrees

COMMUNITY COLLEGES HAVE OFTEN BEEN CONSIDERED A STEPPING STONE TO A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE AND A BACHELOR’S DEGREE. BUT, THAT’S CHANGING IN A NUMBER OF STATES, INCLUDING CALIFORNIA, WHERE SOME COMMUNITY COLLEGES WILL SOON OFFER FOUR YEAR DEGREES. STUDENTS LOOKING FOR BACHELOR’S DEGREES IN AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY, EMERGENCY SERVICES, AND DENTAL HYGIENE ARE AMONG THOSE WHO WILL BENEFIT BY A PILOT PROGRAM ROLLING OUT ON A DOZEN CAMPUSES OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS: UNDER THE PROGRAM, DENTAL HYGIENE STUDENTS AT FOOTHILL COLLEGE, FOR EXAMPLE, WILL PAY ONLY ABOUT TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THEIR DEGREE, COMPARED TO UPWARDS OF ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS AT A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY. THE PILOT PROGRAM HAS SOME LIMITS. EACH OF THE PARTICIPATING COMMUNITY COLLEGES CAN OFFER JUST ONE DEGREE PROGRAM — AND, THEY CAN’T DUPLICATE DEGREES OFFERED BY U-C OR CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITIES. BUT, STUDIES SHOW CALIFORNIA NEEDS AN ADDITIONAL ONE MILLION ADULTS WITH A FOUR YEAR DEGREE BY TWENTY TWENTY-FIVE. ADVOCATES SAY TAPPING COMMUNITY COLLEGES WILL HELP MEET THAT CHALLENGE — AND, OFFER GRADUATES PATHWAYS TO BETTER JOBS. ONCE THE PILOT PROGRAM BEGINS NEXT YEAR, CALIFORNIA WILL BECOME THE TWENTY-SECOND STATE TO OFFER COMMUNITY COLLEGE BACHELOR DEGREES.