Need a bachelor's degree for a promotion? Del Mar College's bachelor degree plan approved

Del Mar College learned this week it has secured the necessary approvals for its second bachelor's degree program.

The college plans to launch a bachelor of applied science degree in organizational management and leadership in the fall.

Del Mar College President Mark Escamilla announced Tuesday at a Board of Regents work session that the plan was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The new degree is for students who already have an associate's degree. Building upon the two-year degree, which at Del Mar College includes 15 hours of core classes and 45 hours of technical classes, the new degree adds an additional 27 hours of core classes and 33 hours of organizational management and leadership courses for a total of 120 credit hours.

There are 55 associate degree programs at Del Mar College that could feed into the program, dean of business entrepreneurship and health sciences Jennifer Sramek said.

"All of those can transition into this bachelor of applied science degree," Sramek said. "We call it stackable."

The organizational management degree aims to serve people who already have technical skills in their field and are interested in a higher leadership position, including jobs that might require a bachelor's degree.

"When they're taking that associate's degree, it's very technical, like welding, process technology, firefighting," Sramek said. "This is going to get them that business knowledge to go along with that so they can advance their career from maybe a staff position at an organization up into a leadership or management position."

The degree will focus on management and leadership principles, marketing, accounting and budgeting, ethics and operational and business law concepts.

Sramek said the college plans to admit as many students into the program as possible. Potential students will need to start a new application with Del Mar College and send in any college transcripts they have.

"We're in the process of creating an application form that we're going to put onto our website," Sramek said.

In order to offer a bachelor's degree, a community college must show there is a local workforce need. The college also needs the support of any local institutions that offer competing programs.

The college already offers a bachelor of science in nursing.

"We're excited to offer this to the community," Sramek said. "We know that it will help to elevate our student's education and make them more employable in the community."

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Del Mar College to launch second bachelor degree program in fall