California community colleges could offer bachelor’s degree programs under proposed bills
By Brady Halbleib
There’s a push at the California State Capitol to allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degree programs.
Responding to student needs and expanding access — that’s what state lawmakers say two new bills aim to do. They would allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree at a community college without transferring to a four-year university.
“Our communities have changed,” Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria (D-Merced) said. “Our workers’ needs have changed, but our higher education system has not kept up to pace.”
Soria introduced one of the bills, AB 2301, which aims to address the nursing shortage. It would allow up to 10 community colleges statewide to offer a Bachelor of Science in nursing.
“Our communities cannot afford to lose our students who are the future of our workforce because of an outdated framework that limits where and how bachelor’s degrees can be offered,” Soria said.
Assemblymember David Alvarez (D–San Diego) introduced the other bill, AB 2694, which targets workforce shortages. If a region needs workers but no local college offers a specific bachelor’s degree, a community college could expand a specific program to allow students to complete their degree and enter the workforce.
Dr. Lisa Aguilera-Lawson, superintendent of San Joaquin Delta College, said it could be a game-changer, especially in specialized fields.
“We have our electron microscopy program, which is one of the only community colleges in the U.S.,” Aquilera-Lawson told CBS News Sacramento on a call. “To have such a program, it would be wonderful if we had a bachelor’s degree in that field.”
There’s been a debate over expanding bachelor’s degrees to community colleges.
Under a law passed in 2021, community colleges can only develop up to 30 degrees each year as long as they don’t duplicate programs offered at University of California or California State University campuses.
