CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is one of three community colleges in Ohio to win approval from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to begin delivering applied bachelor’s degrees.
Cincinnati State was approved for two degrees: a Bachelor in Applied Science in Land Surveying; and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Culinary and Food Science.
Both degree programs address unmet regional workforce needs in subject areas where local universities do not offer bachelor degrees.
“This is an historic development for Cincinnati State and for community colleges in Ohio,” said Monica Posey, president of Cincinnati State. “This will allow us to be even more responsive to the needs of employers while strengthening our collaborative relationships with our university partners.”
Cincinnati State will now seek final approval for the degrees from the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits post-secondary education institutions in the North Central region of the U.S.
State legislators enacted a law (Ohio Revised Code 3333.051) that went into effect in September 2017 making it possible for Ohio community and technical colleges to begin applying to the Ohio Department of Higher Education to offer applied bachelor’s degrees.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education received 16 applications for applied bachelor’s degrees from community colleges across the state. After an initial review, followed by a public comment period and public hearings, five degree programs received final approval to move forward for HLC accreditation.
In Chancellor Carey’s March 20 approval letter to Cincinnati State for the new land surveying degree, he wrote: “ODHE observed exceptionally strong evidence of workforce need in the field of land surveying (and) no evidence of duplication in the region was presented.”
Cincinnati State received a similar approval letter for its proposed applied bachelor degree in Culinary and Food Science. Graduates of that program will work in careers in the food, beverage and flavor industries as product development chefs, quality and safety technicians, and other similar positions.
Both programs received significant support from regional employers.
In addition to Cincinnati State, two other Ohio community colleges received approvals for new applied bachelor degrees: Sinclair Community College in Dayton (Aviation Technology/Professional Pilot and Unmanned Aerial Systems) and Lorain Community College in Elyria (Microelectronic Manufacturing.)
