SPSCC aims to launch its first bachelor’s degree in applied science in 2023

South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia is applying for its first-ever Bachelor in Applied Science degree program, one that’s fitting for the crowd of Washingtonians with a love for microbreweries and craft drink locales.

According to a news release from SPSCC, the degree program would be in Craft Beverage Management and Quality Assurance. It will be the first of its kind when it comes to preparing people for management roles in the craft beverage industry while simultaneously teaching the skills needed for brewing, distilling and cider making.

According to the release, the college will submit a formal program proposal to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities later this year. If both organizations approve the changes and proposed program, it will launch in the fall of 2023.

Alexis Calma, communications consultant with SPSCC, said that rather than a traditional four-year program, the bachelor’s program will be an additional two-year program students can apply for once they’ve received their Associate in Applied Science. This will make it the only program of its kind in the country, she said.

Val Sundby, dean of Social Science and Business at SPSCC, said in the release, “This program will allow students to learn in four years what can take around 15 years of industry experience to accomplish. This creates entry pathways for individuals who have not historically been represented in the industry, which will aid in creating a more diverse work population.”

The school’s Associate in Applied Science transfer degree program in craft brewing and distilling would change slightly with the launch of the new program. It would move to focus more on technical skills while the bachelor’s program would focus on business management and quality assurance to allow for the bachelor’s program to build off the already-existing program.

This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

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Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription