Schools caution new processes make immediate changes unlikely
REGION — Two new laws passed by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last month open the door for community colleges to offer additional bachelor’s degrees beginning in 2028. The changes would give students the option of earning a four-year degree for far less money than the same degree at a California State University, University of California or private college campus.
But tempering hopes that MiraCosta College in Oceanside and Palomar College in San Marcos could expand beyond the single bachelor’s degree each currently offers are what both schools describe as burdensome processes for justifying new degree programs.
In addition, CSU and UC campuses can register opposition to new community college bachelor’s programs under the new laws — even if the community college meets all performance requirements and can demonstrate a labor shortage in the field.
The two bills, one introduced in the state Assembly and the other in the state Senate, were companion measures, meaning neither would take effect without the other. Both had to pass and be signed by the governor.
Assembly Bill 2694, by Assemblymember David Alvarez, D-Chula Vista, modifies a 2021 law that banned community colleges from offering a bachelor’s degree already offered by any CSU or UC campus in the state.
Now, the prohibition applies locally — meaning that if no nearby CSU or UC school offers a specific bachelor’s degree, the local community college can offer it. However, AB 2694 also establishes graduation and transfer rate benchmarks that community colleges must meet before offering a new bachelor’s degree.
Senate Bill 960, by state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, D-Napa, establishes a process for documenting local workforce needs, providing another path to justifying a new bachelor’s degree program at a community college, even if a similar degree is already offered at a neighboring CSU or UC campus.
If the local CSU or UC campus has more applicants than available spaces in that major and turns down a certain percentage of local applicants — and there is a documented workforce shortage in that field — community colleges could apply to offer a duplicative degree.
SB 960 also caps the number of bachelor’s degrees a community college can offer at 12, depending on academic performance measures, down from the previous limit of 30.
Under California’s three-tier higher education system, CSU campuses are largely prohibited from awarding doctoral degrees. To do so, they must partner with a UC campus or private university that awards the degree. Some exceptions exist, mostly in professional and applied doctorate programs under a 2023 law.
MiraCosta and Palomar are two of California’s 116 community colleges. By comparison, there are 23 CSU universities and 10 UC campuses. A 17-member Board of Governors governs the community colleges, and Chancellor Sonya Christian oversees them. However, they have significant autonomy over their academic offerings.
When the two bills were introduced in February, community colleges strongly supported them. But as negotiations with the governor’s office and the CSU and UC systems continued, leading to numerous changes over the summer, the community college system reversed course and opposed the bills. Newsom signed them into law in September.
“We’re being asked to … support a process that is not completely understood or vetted at the last minute, and so that’s just not great policymaking,” Larry Galizio, president and chief executive of the Community College League of California, told the nonprofit CalMatters news outlet earlier this year. The league represents community college presidents and board leaders.
Now that the bills are law, community colleges will begin assessing their options for 2028.
In a written response to The Coast News, Palomar College — which this semester admitted its first class to a bachelor’s program in building performance and environmental design — explained: “While we appreciate the work and dedication of our leaders in the California State Senate and Assembly to keep accessibility to higher education at the forefront of a statewide discussion, the new legislation introduces a complex framework for approving and expanding community college bachelor’s degrees beginning in January 2028.
“This new framework will continue to be reviewed and clarified so that community colleges can plan, design, and move forward with baccalaureate degrees that align with both the needs of students and the regional workforce.”
MiraCosta has been offering a bachelor of science degree in biomanufacturing since 2017. In a written response to The Coast News, the college said in part: “The new legislation establishes a more complex framework for approving and expanding community college bachelor’s degrees, and some aspects of that framework will require further review and clarification. In particular, creating additional processes to resolve potential duplication with CSU and UC programs will need to be carefully evaluated.”
When asked about specific plans for new degrees, Palomar replied, “While we do not have a formal list of potential programs, we are having internal discussions that not only support the need for educated and trained employees in high-demand fields but also align with our strengths as an institution.”
The response continued, “We plan to submit applications for additional bachelor’s degree programs. The timing of the applications is yet to be determined. Our intent is to be responsive to the needs of our students, and the region’s workforce so that our students and our community are the ultimate long-term beneficiary of these efforts.”
MiraCosta’s response was less concrete: “MiraCosta has not established a timeline for adding another bachelor’s degree. Developing a new degree requires significant analysis and planning, including evaluating student demand, regional workforce needs, curriculum, faculty, facilities, and resources, as well as completing the state approval process.
For MiraCosta, the priority will be to identify programs that make sense for our students, local employers, and our region, rather than adding bachelor’s degrees solely for expansion’s sake.”
Both schools’ written responses included a nearly identical paragraph describing the process for adding a new bachelor’s degree. MiraCosta’s version reads: “Proposed programs are submitted through the California Community Colleges approval process, and the CSU and UC have a formal role in reviewing proposals for potential duplication.
“Under the new legislation, beginning in 2028, the process also places greater emphasis on demonstrated regional workforce need and consultation among California’s public higher education systems. In certain cases where CSU raises an objection on duplication grounds, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency will help determine whether there is an unmet regional workforce need and whether existing CSU capacity is sufficient.”
Asked for comment on the new laws, Cal State San Marcos shared a written response from the CSU system that reads in part: “When there is a clear workforce need, the bills allow for the duplication of existing CSU bachelor’s degree programs when local students do not have reasonable access to the CSU’s programs in their region. Critically, it also maintains the importance of California’s successful transfer pathway and encourages the CSU and community colleges to continue to work together, leveraging each other’s strengths to serve all students to the fullest.
“We believe that the final bills provide an appropriate balance of expanding access where it is needed, responding to workforce demand, and preserving the critical coordination that has long been a strength of our state.”
Samantha Nelson contributed reporting for this article.
