Local Community Colleges to Offer Affordable 4 Year Degrees

Californians will be able to earn four year degrees at community colleges as early as this fall under a bill signed into law last year. On Tuesday, the California Community Collegesystem announced which colleges will offer the degrees and their fields of study.

Some local colleges are included in the pilot program, expected to receive final approval in March.

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Right now, a bachelor’s degree will cost about $10,000 from a community college, a fraction of what it would cost at the University of California or California State University and College systems.

And those degrees could be free, if President Barrack Obama gets his wish. In Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address to asked Congress to “give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college.”

Here are the degrees that received approval:

• Antelope Valley College - airframe manufacturing technology
• Bakersfield College - industrial automation
• Crafton Hills College - emergency services and allied health systems
• Cypress College - mortuary science
• Feather River College - equine industry
• Foothill College - dental hygiene
• MiraCosta College - biomanufacturing
• Modesto College - respiratory care
• Rio Hondo College - automotive technology
• San Diego Mesa College - health information management
• Santa Ana College - occupational studies
• Santa Monica College - interaction design
• Shasta College - health information management
• Skyline College - respiratory therapy
• West Los Angeles College - dental hygiene

The legislation that created the four year degrees was sponsored by Sen. Marty Block (D-San Diego), who is pleased with Tuesday’s announcement, “SB 850 will expand opportunities for California students by increasing affordable and accessible paths to a four year degree while also helping veterans and other nontraditional students. This historic and landmark change will also help keep our state a global economy --competitive and open for business.”

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