Maricopa Community Colleges Start Developing Four-Year Degrees

Phoenix AZ

05 December, 2021

2:43 PM

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Community Colleges across the state are beginning to develop their four-year programs now that the legislature passed SB 1453 earlier this year allowing them to offer four-year degrees. Sen. Paul Boyer (R-Glendale), who was the primary sponsor of SB 1453 and was a contributing factor to SB 1453 passing in the Senate, has experience in education and is a product of the community college system, having attended Pima and Paradise Valley community colleges. Boyer said he had to pay for his own schooling working fill time and that was a motivation to sponsor SB 1453. "I want to make sure there are multiple opportunities for students at all levels to find the best fit for them when it comes to higher education," said Boyer. On Nov. 3rd the Maricopa Community Colleges system announced that it will offer four-year degrees in, Information technology, Programing and Data Analytics, Public Safety administration, Behavior Health Science, Nuclear Medicine Technology and Computed Tomography and Early Childhood Education-Dual Language. "I think right now the way the world is moving it is very heavy into tech and that is where a lot of job opportunities lie so I think that is a good starting point, tech is an incredible place to start," said Peter Caswell, a current Phoenix College student. With other states already offering four-year degrees at community colleges, Arizona becomes the twenty-fourth state to offer these degrees. "It's time Arizona is on board with it as well," said Morgan Hunter, an Estrella Mountain Community College nursing student. Community colleges have been lobbying the Legislature for years to offer four-year degrees. The new legislation will help students overcome some of the barriers they face to attend community colleges. "Culturally, I find community colleges, and Maricopa community colleges in particular, much richer and more diverse," said David J. Ortiz-Leon, a Phoenix College alumnus who now attends Arizona State University's Barrett honors school. "I think having schools offer four-year programs allows for students to continue to be immersed in education that is built by and for the local community. There is nothing more authentic than that." With the programs that are being offered, there is hope for a better workforce with the knowledge that students will gain in these four-year programs. "I think everyone wants a higher education and society wants a skilled workforce. This is helping to achieve just that," Hunter said. Maricopa Community Colleges put an emphasis on community by offering educational opportunities close to the homes of students, "A lot of students want to start with us and finish with us. They like our small class sizes and our individualized approach," said Helice Agria, Maricopa Community Colleges faculty District Director of Academic Affairs and a member of the committee that is planning these four-year degree curriculums. For students who work full time, trying to get into a class schedule that doesn't conflict with work is difficult. Being able to attend a community college that is more accommodating for those who work full time is convenient for these students. "Even though I am less than half a mile from the school, my work schedule does not allow for me to be a traditional in-class student. I take classes when and where I can make them fit. For me, that's nights and even weekends," Hunter said. The four-year degrees being offered at community colleges will be more affordable than the alternative of going to a four-year university. However, the degrees will be limited due to some concessions that were made while debating the bill in the Senate. Community colleges can only offer 5% of the current degrees offered as four-year degrees for the first five years. After the first five years, community colleges can offer 10% of the current degrees offered as four-year degrees, according to as outlined in the legislation. When it comes to tuition in the legislation it states that Maricopa Community College District can't charge more than 150% of the current tuition rates for the bachelor's degrees. "What this means is that the 100 and 200 level classes will be the current tuition rate that is 85 dollars a credit hour where the 300 and 400 levels classes, that will complete the last two years of the bachelor's degree will be up to $127.50 per credit hour. For a full-time student that could be a third of the cost of a university education," said Agria. Making college more affordable is something that students with children said they welcome. "Community colleges offering four-year degrees makes education more affordable for individuals who like myself have children and a home to maintain," said Cordero Holmes, a Rio Salado Community College student who will graduate in the spring with two associate's degrees. "The terror of having to pay for school is lessened because I can now use the credentials attained to better my job placement while continuing my educations a lesser cost." Now that legislation has passed faculty and administrators have started working on building courses, said Agria. "We are now in the process of creating the courses and requirements for the degrees and we have to seek our governing board approval as well as our crediting agency which is the higher learning commission our goal is to have all of that done by August of 2022 and begin enrolling in Spring of 2023, which is when we start enrollment for Fall of 2023 with classes starting in the Fall of 2023," said Agria. Amy MacPherson, a Phoenix College faculty member and advisor to Phi Theta Kappa International Honors Society members at Phoenix College and across the state said something about the issue of being invited to cap a transfer to university. "I do know that my community college students who are invited to cap a transfer and are enormously successful academically at universities but that initial hurdle of having to learn the systems at the University really causes anxieties," said MacPherson. "I think not having this hurdle in their place will allow students to take advantage of this opportunity to stay in a place where they are already familiar with the systems and complete a degree." As a district, Maricopa Community Colleges offering four-year degrees can really allow students to go far close to home. "I think this is a huge step forward for the district, and students as well. Even if this makes it easier for one student, that is one student who achieved a higher education made possible by these changes," said Morgan Hunter. Still unresolved, however, is how many of the new four-year programs will be funded. "That is part of the considerations as we work through the development of these degrees we are looking at the financial and resource analysis to see what additional costs may occur as a result of offering a bachelor's degree. And those costs may be overtime," said Agria. "We may start year one with the minimal costs but then over time as there is expansion as a program hopefully there is approval because people really want to become a part of it and we may need to look at additional costs, more faculty, more staff and those things and that is part of the conversations right now looking at what we might need in terms of resources and financial and human to support the degrees and that will, in turn, inform future budget cycles." When considering what kind of degrees could be offered in the expansion of the program, as part of the legislation, to be considered as an offering for a bachelor's degree the career field must fit specific guidelines, "The requirements as to what degrees they can offer as four-year degrees are, demonstrating workforce need, student demand, financial and resourceful readiness, and avoiding unnecessary implication of degree programs of other higher education institutions in the state of Arizona," said Agria. Even though planning is taking place, for Boyer the legislation is only the first step in what he calls a years-long process to make college more affordable. He said now it's up to the community colleges to offer a great product to their students. "It's really hard to foresee five or ten years down the road but the community colleges know that the burden is on them to deliver a quality product because they know they have to do well on this in order for the legislative body to consider expansion," said Boyer. The bachelor's degrees being offered will be offered at multiple different colleges and are Programming and Data Analytics, which will be offered at Mesa Community College; Information Technology which will be offered at Estrella Mountain Community College and Phoenix College; Public Safety Administration that will be offered at Phoenix College and Rio Salado Community College; Behavioral Health Science which will be offered at South Mountain Community College, Nuclear Medicine Technology and Computed Tomography at Gateway Community College. Early Childhood Education-Dual Language will be offered at Mesa Community College and finally Education, Dual Certification in Elementary/Special Education which will be offered at Glendale Community College, Paradise Valley Community College and Rio Salado Community College.