Bachelor's Degree Programs

Bachelor's degree information for students

Raising the Bar in Higher Education

Washington needs more people with bachelor's degrees, and the state's colleges and universities are stepping up to help. As part of that effort, community and technical colleges work with their local communities to identify areas of need and develop educational programs that will meet the demand for an educated workforce.

The result: successful alumni, healthy families and a prosperous Washington.

Program Types

Our system currently offers two options for bachelor's degrees:

Increasing Bachelor's Degrees in Washington

Community and technical colleges play an important role in producing baccalaureate degree graduates in Washington state. SBCTC advocated for community and technical college applied baccalaureate programs to help:

Meet state goals for increasing the overall number of bachelor's degrees awarded to 42,400 per year. The community and technical college system will need to increase the number of their students who transfer to a baccalaureate program to 22,000 by 2030 including 1,400 bachelor's degrees awarded.
Expand the workforce mission of community and technical colleges to serve the needs of local and state employers.
Increase educational pathways for professional and technical associate graduates who have been limited in their ability to apply credits toward a bachelor's degree. The workforce student population is comprised of a large portion of people of color, older working adults and people (women) who are place bound with family responsibilities.

Background Information

Applied baccalaureate programs started after the 2005 Washington State Legislature passed HB 1794 giving the State Board authority to select pilot programs at designated community and technical colleges. As part of the 2010 System Design Plan legislation, the status of applied baccalaureate degrees offered by Washington state's community and technical colleges was changed from pilot to regular status.

In 2012, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill authorizing the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to approve all Applied Bachelor degree programs offered by community and technical colleges.