Final Legislative Approval Received for Bachelor's Degrees at Community Colleges
California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris Applauds Final Legislative Approval of Bill Allowing Community Colleges to Confer Bachelor’s Degrees
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris today issued the following statement in response to state Senate passage of SB 850 (Block), legislation authorizing the system to award bachelor’s degrees at 15 community colleges in limited circumstances:
“In today’s economy, many businesses require their employees to possess a four-year degree or higher skill sets than are offered through associate degree programs, even in fields such as dental hygiene or automotive technology where a two-year degree would have been sufficient in the past. This bill will enable California community colleges to confer bachelor’s degrees in areas not currently served by the California State University or University of California and help close the skills gap in our workforce. I applaud the Legislature for addressing California’s urgent workforce needs.”
The bill now moves to the governor’s desk for consideration. If approved, bachelor’s degrees could be offered by community colleges as soon as January 2015 in fields where CSU or UC do not offer such a degree or cannot accommodate demand for a program. California would join 21 other states that currently allow community colleges to confer four-year degrees.