State Board set to approve 100th applied bachelor's degree

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is set to approve the college system's 100th applied bachelor's degree at its meeting Feb. 7. The board, scheduled to meet from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will give final consideration to four applied bachelor's degrees:

• Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity at Clark College
• Bachelor of Applied Science in Interior Design at Clover Park Technical College
• Bachelor of Applied Science in Integrated Design at Highline College
• Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Business Management at Pierce College

The board has approved 98 applied bachelor's degree programs at 29 colleges, and 13 degree proposals are in the approval process. In the 2017-2018 school year, colleges enrolled 3,960 students in applied bachelor's programs.

Prior to its regular business meeting, the State Board will hold a study session Feb. 6 on efforts to eliminate equity gaps for students. The presentation is the first of three meetings to develop an equity statement that reflects the State Board's values on diversity, equity and inclusion. Board members will also hear an update on the 2019 legislative session's progress and State Board session legislative interns, Mustapha Samateh, a student at Edmonds Community College, and Kristina Pogosian, a student at Tacoma Community College.

The study session and business meeting will be held at the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges office, Cascade conference room, 1300 Quince Street SE in Olympia. The meeting agenda and background materials are posted at the State Board website.

Both meetings are open to the public.