Cal State Concerned About 7 Proposed California Community College Bachelor’s Degrees

• In 2021, the California Legislature authorized California Community Colleges to propose bachelor's degree programs.
• Thirty programs can be established each year, and programs must not be a duplicate of a program offered at a nearby four-year institution.
• Seven proposed programs this year were flagged by California State University for having duplication concerns.

California State University (CSU) this week raised concerns that seven of California Community College's proposed bachelor's programs are too similar to existing programs offered at a nearby CSU campus.

California Community Colleges (CCC) can propose up to 30 bachelor's degree programs a year and must ensure curricula do not duplicate a program offered at a nearby CSU or University of California (UC) campus, under Assembly Bill 927.

But according to a report from the most recent California Community Colleges Board of Governors meeting, CSU has duplication concerns over seven programs:

• Sustainable Architecture at College of the Canyons
• Biomanufacturing at Los Angeles Mission College
• Applied Cybersecurity and Network Operations at Moorpark College
• Stem Cell and Gene Technologies at Pasadena City College
• Performance and Production of Electronic Popular Music: Emphasis on Electronic Digital Instrument Performance at Rio Hondo College
• Public Safety Management at San Diego Miramar College
• Cloud Computing at Santa Monica College

"The Chancellor's Office is working with CSU to collect the details regarding the duplication concerns and, if needed, will convene the applicant and objecting institutions to collaborate and establish a written agreement that addresses the objections," the July 24 report read.

Once a duplication concern is flagged, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors negotiates with the university that brought the claim.

Objections over a proposed program do not automatically rule out the program completely.

Three of the 10 proposed programs in January 2022 had duplication concerns by CSU. All were eventually resolved and approved as programs, including the Ecosystem Restoration and Applied Fire Management program at Feather River College, which involved California legislators.

According to the report, 29 applications were submitted this year by 26 different community colleges across the state. Fourteen programs made it through the first round of reviews, and seven did not receive duplication objections.

Those programs are:

• Dental Hygiene at Cerritos College
• Dental Hygiene at Fresno City College
• Respiratory Care at Hartnell College
• Respiratory Therapy at Los Angeles Valley College
• Dental Hygiene Administration at Taft College
• Automotive Career Education at Ventura College
• Aviation Maintenance Technology: Avionics at West Los Angeles College

The additional programs bring the total number of bachelor's degrees offered by the California Community Colleges to 31.

The California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Degree Program began with a pilot program at 15 community colleges in 2014 aimed at helping local students and military veterans more easily access bachelor's programs.

In 2021, the program expanded indefinitely to include up to 30 baccalaureate degree programs in two application cycles per academic year, according to the CCC.