BCC receives initial OK for bachelor’s degree program

BELLEVUE, WASH.– Bellevue Community College (BCC) today received preliminary approval from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to offer a Bachelor of Science Degree in Radiation and Imaging Sciences.

The proposed program now goes to the state Higher Education Coordinating Board for approval. The Board is expected to review the proposal at its May or July meeting.

Approval also is needed from the college’s accrediting agency, the Northwest Association of Colleges and Universities, which is expected to issue its decision in the fall.

If approved, the program would be the only one of its kind in the state and one of just a few in the nation. The first classes would begin in September 2007, and information sessions for prospective students would be offered beginning in Fall 2006.

Providing state-wide access, BCC would offer classes in its bachelor’s program to students outside the immediate area via a “distance” format – using the Internet and interactive television at four sites. The program also aims to meet the needs of working adults by offering classes primarily in the evenings and on weekends.

“This is an important and exciting moment in the history of Washington’s community and technical colleges,” said BCC President Jean Floten. “Applied baccalaureate degrees provide another way for community and technical colleges to serve their populations and provide new pathways to advancement for working technical specialists.”

Developed with extensive input from the health-care industry, the proposed bachelor’s degree program is designed to address that industry’s acute need for people with advanced radiation and imaging skills and the ability to manage imaging and radiation departments at hospitals and clinics.

BCC has documented a need for at least 313 new radiation and imaging supervisors and managers in Washington each year, and 525 new positions each year for technologists with advanced radiation and imaging skills.

“Both options proposed in [BCC’s] degree will be of great value to our organization and to Washington state’s biomedical community as a whole,” said Han Nachtrieb, vice president for human resources at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "With the significant emphasis on quality of patient care and increasing complexity of health-care organizations, it is essential that our supervisors and department managers have strong knowledge and skills in management and organizational theory. We are also in constant need of technologists who have advanced certification and skills in specialty radiation and imaging.”

BCC’s baccalaureate program is intended for nationally certified professionals in Radiologic Technology, Diagnostic Ultrasound, Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine who have also completed a college program of general education requirements.

BCC already offers well-developed associate degree and certificate programs in the four specialties covered by the proposed baccalaureate program.

Two concentrations would be offered in the bachelor’s program: Health Care Management, for students who wish to lead radiation and imaging departments and clinics, and Advanced Radiation and Imaging Technology, for students seeking advanced technical expertise.

BCC expects the program to graduate 20 students per year.

The college’s bachelor’s degree proposal was developed in response to state legislation enacted last year that approved the development of four pilot applied bachelor’s degree programs at community and technical colleges, targeted to high-demand fields.

The legislation was part of an effort to redress the state’s lack of sufficient slots for students in existing baccalaureate programs and at the same time meet the most crucial needs of the state’s employers.

In addition to BCC’s baccalaureate program, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges also approved Olympic College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Peninsula College’s Bachelor of Applied Science Management, and South Seattle Community College’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Management as candidates for approval by the Higher Education Coordinating Committee.

BCC’s full proposal for the baccalaureate degree program may be found at: http://bcc.ctc.edu/bas/.

Those wanting further information may contact Dr. Paula Boyum at BCC at 425-564-2265 or pboyum@bcc.ctc.edu.

Serving 35,000 students per year, Bellevue Community College is the third largest institution of higher learning in Washington state. BCC offers associate degree programs covering the first two years of a college education, as well as degrees, certificates and continuing education programs in information technology, telecommunications, business, health sciences, social sciences, educational development and numerous other professional and technical fields.

###