Clark College is seeking approval to add a second baccalaureate program next year.
Clark’s proposed Bachelor of Applied Science degree in applied management has been approved by the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges. Next, the college is waiting for approval from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the college’s regional accrediting body.
If the program is approved, it will begin advertising the program this summer. Classes will begin in January, and there will be slots for 35 students in the first group.
The program is geared toward people who already have earned the Associate in Applied Technology degree in Clark’s two-year technical programs, said Tim Cook, vice president of instruction. He described the new program as being designed for “those folks with those technical degrees — welding, machining, culinary arts, pharmacy tech — all those designed to give people practical skills and off to work.”
In the future, a welding student who earns the two-year associates degree and is interested in becoming a manager in a welding shop can learn management skills by earning the new four-year bachelor’s degree.
Students who earn the new degree “increase their opportunities to advance in their careers, earn higher wages and salaries and to start and own businesses,” Cook said. “These are all vital to the health and economic stability of our region.”
Initially, the program will be offered as a day program. Eventually, Clark plans to add an evening program to accommodate students who work.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Cook said. “Prior to this, they haven’t had an opportunity. Sometime this summer, we’ll get our approval and can begin advertising.”
Clark College will graduate its first students earning a bachelor’s degree on June 16 when the first students earning a Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene collect their diplomas.
Community and technical colleges around the state are eligible to apply to offer Bachelor of Applied Science degree programs as a result of legislative efforts that began in 2005. New Bachelor of Applied Science degree programs must address regional student and employer demand, aligning existing programs offered by the college, a rigorous curriculum, qualified faculty, appropriate student services and capability to make a long-term commitment to resources, according to Toccara Stark, Clark spokeswoman.
