Washington Community College Baccalaureate Students: How Life Experiences Shape Baccalaureate Education - Employment and Economic Security - Data Note 10 - October 2020

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Qualitative interviews with Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) students in Washington state document how life experiences influence enrollment and completion of newly available bachelor’s pathways. Using longitudinal, in-depth interviews, the note profiles three students’ experiences from pre-enrollment through graduation and employment. Participants view their CCB degrees as enabling baccalaureate completion, strengthening career advancement, and improving economic and personal stability amid COVID-19-era unemployment and financial insecurity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

The Problem

Literature

Research Design and Series Information

COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH INITIATIVES NEW BACCALAUREATE SERIES Washington Community College Baccalaureate Students: How Life Experiences Shape Baccalaureate Education, Employment and Economic Security Lia Wetzstein, Elizabeth Apple Meza, and Debra D. Bragg DATA NOTE 10 | OCTOBER 2020 This data note presents results from qualitative interviews with Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) students in Washington state. We use in-depth, longitudinal interview data to describe three CCB students’ experiences prior to CCB-program enrollment and through their programs to graduation and employment. The three students we profile credit community colleges with giving them an option to complete a baccalaureate degree that was previously unavailable to them, and they perceive that their CCB degrees contribute to improved employment and career opportunities. They also attribute to their CCB degrees greater economic and personal stability, particularly as many workers face long-term unemployment and financial insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. THE PROBLEM CCB degree programs have grown steadily since their inception in the United States nearly three decades ago. In a recent national study, Soler (2019) reported 23 states now authorize public, predominantly associate degree-granting institutions to confer baccalaureate degrees. Among these states, Florida and Washington stand out as having the most fully developed state policy and institutional adoption of CCB degrees. Florida has received extensive attention nationally because of early authorizing legislation in 2001 and subsequent scaling of CCB degrees throughout the state, but Washington has also scaled CCB degrees statewide. Thus far, Bachelor’s of Applied Science (BAS) degree programs have been approved in 29 of 34 community and technical colleges in the state. Our qualitative study helps to fill a gap in knowledge about students’ experiences and perspectives toward CCB degrees. Using longitudinal interview data, we studied how students perceive their CCB degrees in relation to their education and employment trajectories, as well as their career advancement. As one part of the Scaling Community College Baccalaureate Degrees: The Equity Imperative study, we attempt to create a fuller picture of who CCB students are and how they experience this relatively new form of bachelor’s degree. The Scaling Community College Baccalaureate Degrees study was conducted by our Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) group in partnership with the Center on Education and Labor at New America (CELNA). Together, we sought to better understand policies and programs associated with the scaling of CCB degrees nationwide. Nine data notes authored by CCRI researchers summarize results pertaining to the national landscape and Washington state. This data note (\#10) focuses on Washington CCB students and answers the following questions: 1. What aspects of the lived experiences of students contributed to their decisions to enroll and complete their CCB degrees? 2. How did students experience their CCB programs, and what were their perceptions ofthe value and meaning of their CCB degrees to their economic security? [uw. edu/cc ri](uw. edu/cc ri) 1 NEW BACCALAUREATE SERIES | WA State CCB: How Life Experiences Shape Baccalaureate Education, Employment and Economic Security 3. What does the CCB degree mean for the students’careers, and what are broader implications for their personal well-being and future opportunities? LITERATURE The preponderance of research on CCB degrees focuses on what state and institutional policies are adopted and how community colleges change to confer bachelor’s degrees (see, for example, Floyd & Skolnik, 2018; Martinez, 2019) . The CCRI team also studies these questions (see, for example, Bragg, 2019; Soler, 2019), but we also gather data to address unanswered questions about CCB students and graduates. Our research reveals that, to date, Was

FAQs

What does the data note study about Washington CCB students?

It studies how students’ lived experiences influence decisions to enroll and complete CCB degrees, and how those degrees shape program experience, perceived value, and economic security outcomes.

How was the study conducted?

It uses qualitative interviews with three CCB students, drawing on in-depth longitudinal interview data from before program enrollment through graduation and employment.

What benefits do students attribute to their CCB degrees?

Students credit CCB degrees with making bachelor’s completion possible, improving employment and career opportunities, and providing greater economic and personal stability, especially during COVID-19-related insecurity.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob