The California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Degree Program (BDP) was created to make it easier and more affordable for community college students to get their baccalaureate degree and be eligible for a broader array of employment opportunities.
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Top 10 Reason to Champion Community Colleges Bachelor's Degrees
Bachelor’s Degree Programs close equity gaps, address workforce demands and lead to better wages and social mobility for Californians.
Applications
BDP Applications for cycle 6 are due January 15, 2025. To apply click here. You may also download a pdf of the application below.
NOTE: There have been changes to the Workforce Need section of the application. Please contact your regional Centers of Excellence to obtain a labor market assessment specific to your proposed baccalaureate degree. See Establishing Workforce Need for a New Baccalaureate Degree Program for additional information.
Specific application questions will be addressed by Chancellor’s Office staff during the weekly Zoom call, BDP Office Hours. The call occurs every Tuesday from 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Join BDP Office Hours
General inquiries about the Baccalaureate Degree Program may be sent to BDP@CCCCO.edu. Additional information can be found in the Baccalaureate Degree Program Community located in the Vision Resource Center.
BDP Application Template Forms and Additional Resources
- 2025 Baccalaureate Degree Program Application (PDF)
- 2025 Baccalaureate Degree Program (BDP) Summary of Workforce Need and Demand for the Proposed Program (MS Word)(NEW!)
- Establishing Workforce Need for a New Baccalaureate Degree Program: An Overview (PDF)
- 2025 Baccalaureate Degree Program (BDP) Non-Duplication Analysis (MS Word)
- 2025 Baccalaureate Degree Program Application (PDF)
- 2025 Baccalaureate Degree Program (BDP) Administrative and Funding Plan (MS Word)
- 2025 Baccalaureate Degree Program (BDP) Program Quality and Curriculum Design (MS Word)
- 2025 Proposed Baccalaureate Degree Program (BDP) Description Template (MS Word)
- Guidance for searching CSU/UC/AICCU programs and subprograms for duplication (PDF)
- Guidance for searching UC Programs: Institutional Research and Academic Planning University of California baccalaureate degree duplication check process
- Scoring Rubric Baccalaureate Degree Program (PDF)
List of the approved Bachelor's Degree Programs.
Programs Pending Intersegmental Agreements
- Applied Cybersecurity and Network Operations
- Stem Cell and Gene Technologies
- Cloud Computing
- Cyber Security Technology
- Physical Therapy Assistant
- Digital Infrastructure & Location Service
- Land Stewardship and Sustainability
College | Degree |
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Antelope Valley College | |
Bakersfield College | |
Cerritos College | Dental Hygiene |
College of the Canyons | Building Performance |
Crafton Hills College | Respiratory Care |
Cypress College | |
DeAnza College | Automotive Technology Management |
East Los Angeles College | Respiratory Therapy |
El Camino College | Respiratory Care |
Feather River College | |
Foothill College | |
Fresno College | Dental Hygiene |
Fullerton College | Drone and Autonomous Systems (coming soon) |
Hartnell College | Respiratory Care |
Los Angeles Mission College | Biomanufacturing |
Los Angeles Pierce College | Biomanufacturing (recently approved) |
Los Angeles Valley College | Respiratory Therapy |
MiraCosta College | Biomanufacturing |
Mission College | Emergency Services Administration (coming soon) |
Modesto College | Respiratory Care |
Moorpark College | |
Mt. San Antonio College | Histotechnology |
Oxnard College | Dental Hygiene |
Rio Hondo College |
Electronic Digital Instrument (coming soon) |
San Bernardino College | Water Resource Management (coming soon) |
San Diego City College | Cyber Defense and Analysis |
San Diego Mesa College | Health Information Management |
San Diego Miramar College | Public Safety Management |
Santa Ana College |
Automotive Technology (coming soon) |
Santa Monica College | Interaction Design |
Shasta College | Health Information Management |
Siskiyous College | Paramedicine (coming soon) |
Skyline College | Respiratory Care |
Solano College | Biomanufacturing |
Taft College | Dental Hygiene Administration |
Ventura College | Automotive Career Education |
Victor Valley College | Respiratory Care (coming soon) |
West Los Angeles College |
Background, Implementation and Resources
On September 28, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 850 (Block, 2014) authorizing the California Community Colleges Board of Governors to establish the statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program at 15 California community colleges. In November 2014, the Academic Affairs division of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office sought applications from colleges that were interested in participating in the pilot program. In May 2015, the Board of Governors approved 15 colleges to participate. The first Baccalaureate Degree Program graduates received their degrees in spring 2018.
On October 6, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 927 (Medina) authorizing the Board of Governors to expand and extend the operation of the statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program indefinitely. The bill amends Education Code Section 78040 et seq. to authorize the Board of Governors to establish up to 30 baccalaureate degree programs in two applications cycles per academic year. The application cycles are open for submission approximately 60 days prior to the annual due dates of January 15 and August 15.
Approval of each program requires the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to review documentation submitted by each applicant district that addresses numerous program criteria required by the legislation, including: program accreditation; the requirement that students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or California Dream Act application; the district’s administrative and fiscal plans for the program; the program’s curriculum, faculty, and facilities; enrollment projections; unmet workforce needs; the program and program curricula’s non-duplication of California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) programs; and proof of consultation with the CSU and the UC regarding collaborative approaches to meeting regional workforce needs.
The Chancellor’s Office has developed a process for reviewing baccalaureate degree programs across nine required components:
- Policy Compliance: proposed BDP conforms to what is legally required
- Institutional Financial Stability
- Equitable Student Outcomes
- Program Quality: approval criteria and scoring rubric
- Non duplication and Intersegmental Agreement: negotiations with CSU and UC; written agreement required
- Institutional Capacity
- Curriculum and Program Design
- ACCJC Approval: required for programs to be established; colleges submit proof of approval
- BOG President Approval (informational item to the full board)
Upon completion of the application review process, applications that are policy compliant, earn a passing program quality review score, and have intersegmental agreement will be provided to the Board of Governors’ President for review and approval.
As a means of reviewing and scoring of BDP applications, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, in partnership with the BDP Implementation Workgroup, created both qualitative and quantitative baccalaureate degree program review criteria anchored in Education Code requirements, BDP application content, institutional stability and capacity, labor market demand, program and curriculum design, and equitable student outcomes. To assess these criteria, a scoring rubric and process were developed in which the quantitative criteria are verified and scored by the Chancellor’s Office, and the remaining qualitative criteria are reviewed and scored by the assembled BDP reader team.
Readers are assigned several applications to review and no reader scores a BDP application from their affiliated district. Up to 15 applications are awarded either conditional or provisional status (pending Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) approval and/or intersegmental agreement and the Board of Governor's full approval. Applications that are not selected are eligible to revise and resubmit during a future application cycle.
BDP Application Approval Types
Full Approval | Conditional Approval | Provisional Approval | Resubmission |
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Establishing Workforce Need for a New Baccalaureate Degree Program: An Overview (PDF)
2024 Baccalaureate Degree Workshop Day 1 - June 10, 2024 (PDF)
2024 Baccalaureate Degree Workshop Day 2 - June 11, 2024 (PDF)
Launching a California Community College Baccalaureate Degree (PDF)
California Education Code section 78040-78043
Program and Course Approval Handbook, 8th Ed.(PDF)
San Diego CCD Baccalaureate Degree Manual (shared with permission)
Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA)
California Community College Baccalaureate Association
Resources to check for CIP Code Duplication
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What Students Are Saying About Community College Baccalaureate Degree Programs
California Community Colleges’ Baccalaureate Degree Programs Help Close Equity Gaps and Improve Student Pathways to Greater Economic Mobility.