A four-year baccalaureate program is coming to Lake Tahoe Community College this fall. Partnering with Sierra Nevada College, LTCC is offering students the opportunity to get a bachelor’s degree in global business management. The major already exists at Sierra Nevada College — and many of the business classes offered at LTCC are transferable to those of the private North Shore college.

On Thursday, June 16, LTCC held an open house for those interested in the four-year program, which can be completed in as little as two years if students have taken comparable prerequisites.

“Our goal is to do this as economically as possible,” said LTCC counselor Aaron Barnett at the open house.

For California residents, the four-year program costs between $17,190 and $25,710. For Nevada residents living in the Tahoe Basin, it costs up to $31,290. Sierra Nevada College offers a $382 per-credit rate, so students pay for the courses needed for graduation. Rates depend on one’s financial situation and the amount of credits previously taken at LTCC.

Both LTCC and Sierra Nevada College’s boards of trustees mentioned the importance of giving students the option of receiving a bachelor’s degree without having to relocate.

“If you choose to live at home with your parents, you don’t have to pay for housing costs. It often reduces transportation costs,” said Dr. Kindred Murillo, superintendent/president of LTCC. “Especially for people who are working two or three jobs, which many of our students do, they can keep their jobs and not have to relocate.”

The global business management degree will be structured as a cohort, in which a group of students progress together through the program. Based on LTCC statistics, 75 percent of the student population is part-time. After assessing the needs of those in the program, Sierra Nevada College will offer enough face-to-face global business management classes on the LTCC campus for a part-time student.

“Our plan is that we will offer enough classes face-to-face for a part-time schedule to start the program,” said Shannon Beets, executive vice president and provost of Sierra Nevada College. “As we add more cohorts, we’ll add more courses. Eventually they’ll be able to take full-time face-to-face.”

For students who desire a full schedule during the program’s first semester, online classes will be available.

Lisa Maloff donated $5.8 million for a University Center, which is planned to be the four-year program’s home. As the center is not yet finished, the program will be held in available classrooms throughout the LTCC campus until the building is ready for use.

If the business pilot goes well, both colleges are looking to expand the partnership and offer other joint four-year programs in future semesters, starting as early as spring 2017. LTCC is also exploring the option of working with other four-year universities in the future.

For more information, call 530-541-4660, ext. 211.