Why Community Colleges Should Offer Bachelor’s Degrees | Editors' Picks - EDUCAUSE Review

California community colleges have launched baccalaureate degree pilot programs that may allay some of the concerns regarding an increase in bachelor's degree availability at two-year institutions.

---

In April 2019, Inside Higher Ed published an article entitled "Presidents Divided on Community College Bachelor's Degrees."¹, writes Judy C. Miner, Chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, headquartered in Los Altos Hills, California.  

On behalf of my California colleagues, in both two-year and four-year institutions, who believe that is it is essential for our community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees, I would like to address several concerns stated in the article. I believe there are reasonable responses that might allay some of the fears expressed not only in California but in other states as well.

Mission Creep and Increasing Competition with Four-Year Colleges California Senate Bills 850 and 769 authorized the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC), to establish baccalaureate degree pilot programs. CSU and UC are protected from competition by virtue of the legislative requirements:

1. Programs can be offered at no more than fifteen community college districts, with only one baccalaureate per district.
2. Programs cannot duplicate a program offered by CSU or UC.
3. Programs must meet local workforce needs.
4. An independent evaluation will be completed by the Legislative Analyst's Office.
5. The pilot sunsets on July 1, 2028.

Thanks to the pilot, students can now earn baccalaureate degrees in airframe manufacturing technology, industrial automation, mortuary science, the equine industry, dental hygiene, health information management, biomanufacturing, respiratory care, occupational studies, automotive technology, interaction design, and biotechnology...

Contributing to Credential Inflation  
Credential inflation is often confused with degree inflation. A 2017 report from Accenture, Grads of Life, and Harvard Business School offers definitions to better inform discussions. Degree inflation is "the practice of seeking a candidate with a four-year college degree for a position currently held by someone with a high school diploma or an associate's degree." Credential inflation is "the decline in the value of academic credentials over time as more people obtain them." According to researchers, "As the concentration of educated labor increases, the minimum credential requirements for jobs [will rise] concurrently and irreversibly."²
Read more... 

Source: EDUCAUSE Review