Klamath Falls, Oregon – Klamath Community College (KCC) is poised to provide its first-ever bachelor’s degree programs in a major educational milestone. Focusing on salon management, the college will add a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Management with the recent permission from the KCC Board of Education. This historic decision marks KCC’s first foray into four-year degree programs in 28-year history.
KCC President Dr. Roberto Gutierrez expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “This is a historic day for KCC with the approval of these two degrees by the KCC Board of Education.”
Emphasizing the need of this growth into four-year educational programs, he pointed out the college’s lengthy history of issuing certificates and two-year degrees. At its December 3 meeting, the board unanimously accepted the new degrees, therefore attesting to the result of years of work aimed at improving academic possibilities at the community college level.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing aims to address the critical shortage of qualified nurses, particularly in rural areas.
“No one can doubt that there is a tremendous shortage of nurses in this country, especially in rural areas,” said KCC Vice President of Academic Affairs Jamie Jennings. “This addresses that with the possibility of graduating a minimum of 42 nurses with BSNs across the state each year.”
“We hope to start off with seven students taking our classes through KCC. Each of the other colleges would do the same, though those numbers may ratchet up quickly,” Jennings said. All of the classes are online, so if a current RN is working, they can take the classes at their convenience.
Working with six community colleges—Central Oregon Community College and Chemeketa Community College among others—the project shows a strong statewide effort to improve nursing education accessibility. With the first cohort of students most likely beginning in fall 2026, the approval of the program by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission and the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is expected by the end of February 2025.
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Concurrent with the nursing degree, KCC will also provide a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Management with an emphasis on salon management. This curriculum targets certified cosmetologists who want to develop their administrative abilities to potentially run or own companies. When considering the program, Jennings pointed out the expected quite notable increase in employment for salon managers, above the national average.
These initiatives come after two important laws passed successfully that gave community colleges the right to provide four-year degrees under particular criteria. Supported by local and state lawmakers, these legislative initiatives have opened the path for KCC and other community colleges to extend their academic horizons, this directly addressing local employment demands and educational goals within the community.
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For more details about KCC’s new degree programs and other educational opportunities, interested individuals can visit the college’s website at klamathcc.edu.
More details about these particular programs can be found here.
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