Spring 2017 Commencement

COLLIN COLLEGE TO OFFER SELECTED BACHELOR DEGREES

Collin College is breaking barriers and entering a new frontier – baccalaureate degrees. After passage by the Texas Senate and House, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2118 authorizing certain public community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees. Collin plans to introduce a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree, a bachelor of applied technology degree, and a bachelor of applied science degree.

The college has begun the process of seeking approval to grant baccalaureate degrees from the Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Colleges and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

For the BSN, approval will also be required by the Texas Board of Nursing and a national accreditation commission. The college’s goal is to begin offering a BSN no later than the fall of 2019. If that goal is met, students who enroll in the nursing program this fall will be able to transition into the bachelor’s program in 2019 and complete their BSN entirely at Collin College.

Over the last five years, students in Collin College’s associate degree program in nursing have demonstrated first-time pass rates on the National Council Licensure Examination that are consistently higher than state and national averages. In 2011, Collin’s nursing program was the first in Texas to be designated by the National League for Nursing as a Center of Excellence in nursing education.

“We are ecstatic about this milestone achievement,” said Dr. Bob Collins, founding trustee and chair of the Collin College Board of Trustees. “The approval of the BSN degree in particular will allow us to broaden the pipeline of qualified nurses and deepen our partnerships with area hospitals.”