Big Bend Bachelor’s Degree Approved by State Board

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College received some positive news from the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) who gave BBCC approval to begin offering a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Applied Management.

The applied bachelor’s degree will be the first one offered by the college.

“I am very pleased that the State Board has been so supportive of Big Bend’s proposal to offer a Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management,” said BBCC Vice President of Learning and Student Success Bryce Humpherys. “The new bachelor’s degree will meet the needs of local employers for educated job applicants and the needs of our students for a local bachelor’s degree option.”

The process began during the summer and fall of 2018 when the college sent out an initial survey to local employers seeking input and gauging interest in a variety of BAS degrees. After receiving feedback from the local business community, Big Bend began to recognize a need for management training and education. Feedback from current and former students showed a similar slant.

The college got the approval of its Board of Trustees to pursue the BAS and submitted a Statement of Need to the SBCTC in the summer of 2019. The state board approved the Statement of Need in October of 2019 and almost exactly one year later, the degree has been approved.

Big Bend will launch the program in the Fall of 2021.

Humpherys explained that many people in the Big Bend’s expansive 4,600-mile rural service district do not have the resources to travel out of the area to continue their education. The new BAS will help to remove that barrier for local students interested in earning a 4-year degree and help produce an educated applicant pool of leaders for local business and industry.

“Employers have expressed concerns about their ability to locally recruit and retain qualified supervisors and managers,” Humpherys added. “Many of our students have limited opportunities to travel to other locations to earn a bachelor’s degree due to family and work commitments. Both current and former students showed an interest in pursuing the new degree. This new degree will expand the ability of Big Bend Community College to serve the communities in its service district and better meet the needs of both students and employers.”