Courses in College

Obtaining Your Bachelor's Degree at a Community College

In recent years, community colleges have been experimenting with bachelor's degree programs.

• With great success, many states are now encouraging community colleges to offer bachelor’s degree programs.
• The reason for this is they promote the acquisition of higher education for the greater public good.
• Community colleges also provide degree programs in an increasingly wide range of majors and subject areas.

Canva generated this picture of a community college class.

The Growing Trend

Baccalaureate degrees have traditionally only been earned through a university or four-year institution.

• However, things began to change in the 1990s.
• The Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) sought to change this tradition.

It devised a mission statement that it intended to: "promote the development and acceptance of the community college baccalaureate degree as a means of addressing the national problems of student access, demand, and cost.” In support, TheAmerican Association of Community Colleges has also recognized the community college baccalaureate as, “an emerging development in higher education.”

The reason community college baccalaureate degrees have become so popular is threefold.

1. Community colleges are able to respond to increased workforce needs more quickly than four-year institutions. For example, increased demand in recent years for qualified healthcare workers, such as nurses, has led to the explosive growth of bachelor's degree programs in nursing at the community college level.
2. Community colleges have been able to respond

Whether you have already decided on a career path, or if you’re looking to broaden your horizons, community colleges offer a wide variety of elective courses that can expand your personal and professional networks, while also leading to a fulfilling educational experience.

The Personal Benefits of Elective Courses

While every degree program has specific requirements, electives allow students to test the waters outside their main area of focus. By exploring elective options, you may gain a new perspective on your professional calling. Regardless of whether or not your electives lead you to a new career, or simply add to your community college experience, electives allow potential job-seeking candidates when applying for work. In fact, employers seek candidates who have well-rounded backgrounds. Showing a diverse academic background, along with your career focus, demonstrates that you are versatile and enjoy learning.

The Academic Benefits of Elective Courses

While electives often provide students with new opportunities and fulfilling educational experience, studies are also revealing that electives actually promote better thinking and learning. For example, in considering art electives, “more and more business leaders are realizing that arts education helps to prepare young people for the workplace, acknowledging that arts education develops collaborative skills, technological competencies, flexible thinking, and an appreciation for diversity,” according to Bernard Cesarone. Studies show that the study and practice of art allow students to foster better critical thinking skills, while building values that connect to fellow colleagues and peers, leading to a better-rounded employee or student.

It is no secret that college admissions are becoming more competitive. As the children of the baby boomer era enter their college years, the sheer number of applicants is overwhelming.

Since 2000, each year, we have seen record numbers of applications. For example, the University of California in 2007 saw more than 110,000 applications – a historically record-breaking statistic. According to NYU, their 2007 applications increased by 8.5% in 2007, which also marked record highs.

How can you stand out from the crowd of 4.5-wielding valedictorians, speech and debate captains, and decathlon champions? The answer is quite easy: get competitive with a college edge – a community college edge, that is.

Using community college classes to strengthen your application

College admission committees evaluate your application to answer one looming question: will this student be at our esteemed institution? Demonstrating your academic skills in high school classes, whether you are taking regular, honors, or AP courses, is undoubtedly essential. However, excelling at high school courses does not guarantee your ability to stay competitive at the college level.

Standing out from the crowd of applicants means demonstrating your academic prowess at a college level. You can easily make your application shine by taking courses at your local community college. With the variety of classes, you can take courses at night, online, or even on the weekend – making it easy to fit into your schedule.

You should speak with your

The advent of the internet has revolutionized society, and education has been dually impacted. With the rise in internet technologies, an increasing number of college courses are moved online – allowing students to learn with sheer convenience. Indeed, the National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2006 that more than 62% of all community college students take courses online.

Community colleges have paved the way for online courses, and students are noticing. In fact, according to research conducted by the Sloan Consortium, two-year community colleges have experienced the highest growth rate in online education, accounting for more than 50% of all online course enrollments in the past five years. The enrollment in online courses at community colleges surpasses the numbers of all other higher education programs combined.

Nationally, according to the Online Learning Consortium, approximately 20% of college students in America took an online course during the fall semester of 2006, which equates to 3.5 million students. In addition, the Sloan Consortium research found that enrollment in online courses is growing at a rate significantly faster than the standard student-growth rates.

Advantages to online curriculum

As more careers and jobs require technical skills in computing and internet research, students who do not develop these skills are quickly left behind in competitiveness. Therefore, online courses offer several benefits, such as convenient learning and an opportunity to hone your technical skills.

• Convenience: Taking an online course allows you