Houston City College plans to offer three new applied bachelor’s degrees starting in spring 2027, an expansion meant to fuel economic growth in the region.

The college’s board of trustees unanimously approved the new degree programs – in early childhood education and teaching, information technology and project management – through the consent agenda at Wednesday evening’s board meeting. 

The majors will next have to be approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Commission on Colleges and Universities, HCC’s accreditor.

Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher has eyed new programs for years, as Texas’ two-year public institutions are increasingly offering four-year degrees at community college rates. Last year, HCC graduated its first bachelor’s students with degrees in healthcare management and artificial intelligence and robotics. 

The push for new programs contributed to a name change at HCC, formerly Houston Community College. While it remains a community college, Ford Fisher said that “Houston City College” reflected its broader offerings. 

Dual credit, certificate and associate degrees remain more common at HCC and other two-year institutions, but state law allows them to offer up to five nursing or applied bachelor’s degrees in areas that help meet the state’s workforce needs.  

Applied bachelor’s degrees are more technical than the bachelor’s degrees offered at universities. The new IT degree is a bachelor of applied technology while the others are bachelor of applied science.

HCC’s new degrees will require 120 credit hours each, which is typical for a four-year program. 

The programs are expected to cost the college a combined $597,000 in the first year – but to eventually earn more money in revenue from tuition and state appropriations. For the IT program, HCC anticipates taking in $3.7 million over five years but spending $2.1 million over the same period, according to board documents. 

Students will earn an associate’s of applied science before obtaining the bachelor’s in information technology. They can also specialize in software development, cloud infrastructure or cybersecurity.

The project management major also embeds two project management awards, an associate’s of applied science and a Level 1 certificate.