Netty Hull, an instructor in Yakima Valley College’s teacher education program, speaks with a group of students.
Credit: Michael Burke/EdSource
Up the West Coast in Washington state, some students want a bachelor’s degree to enter careers like teaching and nursing but don’t have a local four-year university to attend. Fortunately for them, they have another option: getting that degree from a community college.
It’s an idea that California has taken steps to embrace, with the passage of a law three years ago allowing the state’s community college system to approve up to 30 new bachelor’s degrees annually, not just associate degrees and certificates. But some officials and advocates believe the colleges could be doing more if not for restrictions on what they can offer.
The key, they say, is making bachelor’s degrees available to place-bound students — those who can only attend college close to…
