Eighteen students at Santa Monica College have earned some of the first four-year bachelor of science degrees to be awarded by a community college in California, according to school officials.
The students were awarded four-year degrees in “Interaction Design” — “a field that blends user experience, design, and technology” on Friday, the school announced.
The students spent their first two years studying graphic design, and the last two immersed in upper-division interaction design courses, as well as related coursework in computer science, business, cognitive psychology, and media.
School officials said this is the first baccalaureate degree of its kind to be offered at a community college.
Santa Monica College was selected by the state to be part of a pilot program, where two-year colleges may offer four-year degree programs in a field where there was demonstrated local need, and where the programs are not offered at any California State University or University of California campus, the school said.