The Community College as a Baccalaureate-Granting Institution

Abstract

The introduction of baccalaureate degree programming and credentialing expands the mission and may lead to the alteration of the institutional identity of the community college. This study examines baccalaureate-degree granting community colleges through the lenses of both globalization theory and institutional theory, in a multisite, two-nation investigation. In addressing potential outcomes of baccalaureate-degree-granting status for community colleges, this study questions whether the institution can maintain its traditional role.