It’s Official! Rio Hondo College to offer a 4-year degree.
Rio Hondo College has been selected to offer a baccalaureate degree in the rapidly growing field of Automotive Technology thanks to a new law allowing a limited number of community colleges to develop baccalaureate programs in career technical fields. The new law, Senate Bill 805 was authored by Senator Marty Block.
Rio Hondo College was among 15 California community colleges selected to begin offering a baccalaureate degree program as early as Fall 2017. Rio Hondo and the other selected colleges will become the first community colleges in California to grant four-year degrees under the state’s historic Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program. A final vote by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors affirming the selection took place May 18, 2015.
The Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program was fueled in part by several studies showing that the state needs to produce 60,000 more graduates with bachelor’s degrees annually by 2025 to meet workforce needs. California is joining 21 other states that allow their community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees.
This program will build on the college’s existing Associate of Science (A.S.) degree program in Automotive Technology. Our current program—which is well aligned with the automotive industry both regionally and nationally—provides a solid foundation for the development of the new bachelor’s program. Successful candidates for employment within organizations requiring a baccalaureate degree in this field need high-level advanced Automotive Technology skills and knowledge. Graduates need to be technically competent and possess strong interpersonal skills, such as the ability to communicate effectively, solve problems, work in teams, and pursue continued professional development. The primary goal of the proposed Bachelor of Science in Automotive Technology Degree (ATD) is to provide the automotive industry with employees with these skills. Students will receive training in various business, management and technical courses such as Managerial Accounting, Leadership, Marketing, Advanced Vehicle Systems Design, and Performance. Other courses will emphasize soft skills, such as communication, business, and technical writing, and human relations. For more Information please call Faculty Advisor, Steve Tomory at 562-463-7371 or to make an appointment with a CTE Counselor call Monica Francis at 562-908-3460.
Admission criteria will be posted on the Rio Hondo College website in a future at www.riohondo.edu
Approved BA/BS Degree Pilot Programs:
Antelope Valley College – AIRFRAME MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Bakersfield – INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
Cypress – MORTUARY SCIENCE
Feather River – EQUINE & RANCH MANAGEMENT
Foothill – DENTAL HYGIENE
MiraCosta – BIOMANUFACTURING
Modesto – RESPIRATORY CARE
Rio Hondo – AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY
San Diego Mesa – HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Santa Ana – OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES
Santa Monica – INTERACTION DESIGN
Shasta – HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Skyline – RESPIRATORY THERAPY
Solano – BIOMANUFACTURING
West Los Angeles – DENTAL HYGIENE
Visit the link below for full details and answers to FAQ’s.