April 26, 2018
Pew Reports San Diego Mesa College is making a Strong Case for Offering Four-year
Degrees
By Office of Communications
San Diego, CA ---- San Diego Mesa College is discussed in an article published today
by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The article, entitled, “More Community Colleges Are Offering Bachelor’s Degrees — And Four-Year Universities
Aren’t Happy About It”, discusses the merits – and controversy – of community colleges offering four-year
degrees. San Diego Mesa College will award the first baccalaureate degrees in the
College’s history in May 2018.
In California, 15 community colleges offer bachelor’s degrees in health and technology subjects such as biomanufacturing and health information
management. One California student, Elvia Esquer, is a mother of two college-age children
who has worked as a medical coder for 22 years near her home in San Diego. She is
going to a community college, San Diego Mesa College, to get her bachelor’s in health
information management. She hopes the new degree, which she is set to receive in May,
will help her move into a management position.
One of Esquer’s children also attends San Diego Mesa, and the other goes to a different
community college. Her husband is a bus driver, and she said cost was the most important
factor in her choosing San Diego Mesa over the closest four-year school. She said
she will have spent about $2,000 a year to go to the community college.
“This is a big deal for our family,” she said. “I’ve been encouraging my kids to go
to school, and I was encouraged by my father, who passed away. Education is the key
to success. That’s why it’s a big deal.”
Tuition at San Diego Mesa was also a factor for Linda Bredeson — but so was the commute.
Bredeson, 34, works at a hospital about a 20-minute drive from her home in San Diego.
School is 10 minutes from work. Going elsewhere, she said, would take 90 minutes.
“It’s a hop and a skip away, which makes going to school very easy,” Bredeson said,
adding that she has gained confidence simply by attending the classes, and got a promotion
in January.
Read the FULL ARTICLE.
About San Diego Mesa College
San Diego Mesa College is a fully accredited college serving 24,000 students, with
196 associate degree and certificate programs, and a four-year baccalaureate degree
in Health Information Management. Mesa College ranks as San Diego’s top transfer institution,
with small classes, award-winning faculty, and a reputation as the leading college
of equity and excellence. As a proud Hispanic Serving Institution and Military Friendly
campus, Mesa College is committed to the success of all students.
Tags: Academic Programs, Bachelor's Degree, Baccalaureate, Academics
