On Feb. 5, the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges approved Spokane Falls Community College’s proposal to offer a Bachelors of Applied Science in Information Systems and Technology.
Along with Bellevue College,SFCC is set to offer students the first four-year degree this coming September. ThinkAdvisor.com rates a bachelors degree in IT as the 29th most lucrative degree, as of 2014.
“The first students will have been rolled to start classes for this coming fall quarter,”said Jim Minkler, Vice President of Learning at the Falls.“There are currently well paying jobs available and employers are eager to hire graduates of the program.
“Not only will the degree allow students to get good jobs, but it further enables them to be more easily promoted within the company once they are hired.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer and information systems manager is the 19th most lucrative occupation as of 2012. Information security analysts, the 16th fastest growing occupation, is set to grow 36.5 percent between 2012 and 2022.
“The great thing about the program is that once I finish my AS degree, I don’t have to transfer or take out massive student loans just to try and get a job,” said Levi Rustman, a student at SFCC.
“I can get my bachelors degree and easily transition into a stable career. Even if I don’t find the perfect job right away, there are so many jobs I can get with a BAS IST. I won’t be stuck in a huge pile of debt, and I can look for a new job without drowning.”
The new degree gives students a great opportunity to both save money and further their education, all without stepping on the toes of local universities.
“It is important that SFCC does not compete with area universities when it comes to duplicating the types of bachelor degrees offered,” said Minkler.
“SFCC faculty member and Computing and Information Systems Department Chair, Max Josquin, has worked closely with area universities for many years and he has found support for this particular program which fills a niche that the other university IT programs do not.”
For now, the BAS IST is the only approved applied bachelor degree, but SFCC is presenting a new proposal for a Bachelor’s of Applied Management to the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges this May. If approved, it will begin enrollment for its first students beginning in winter quarter of 2016.