Bellevue College to offer new bachelor’s degree
Published 10:46 am Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Bellevue College will offer a new four-year bachelor’s degree program in healthcare technology and management.
Bellevue College officials said the transfer of medical records to online and electronic databases will lead to big job growth. Bellevue College cites estimates by the American Medical Informatics Association that say it will take as many as 200,000 workers to satisfy the projected job market demand, with thousands of positions in Washington State alone.
Graduates of the program could work everywhere from large hospitals to small physicians’ offices, developing and managing systems to record the vast amounts of electronic health information. The first classes are set to begin fall quarter, September 2012. The college expects to enroll 45 students in the first year, with annual enrollments growing to 90 students by year four.
“This new degree program is another example of how Bellevue College is educating people for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Dr. Kevin McCarthy, dean of Bellevue College’s Health Sciences, Education & Wellness Institute. “We did a lot of homework to identify a field that is going to be in-demand for many years to come. Our efforts are helping residents of our state gain access to affordable education so they can get jobs and progress in their fields, enabling them to better support themselves and their families.”
The program completed the approval process on Jan. 23 when the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities gave its authorization. It joins two other four-year degrees currently offered at BC: a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Interior Design, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiation and Imaging Sciences.
Community colleges like BC have typically offered only two-year degrees and certificates. However, a study by the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2008 concluded that existing universities could not provide enough graduates with bachelor’s degrees to meet the employment needs of companies and organizations here in Washington. Although no specific plans have been finalized, BC officials are currently studying options for creating additional bachelor’s degree programs in the future.
