Maricopa Community Colleges breaks graduation records due to affordable degree programs
May 29
Earlier this month, Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD) broke records with more than 300 graduates earning bachelor’s degrees in different areas of study.
The 2026 spring semester’s graduating class was the largest group of graduates since MCCCD began offering bachelor’s degrees in 2023. The graduates are completing four-year degrees across nine different programs.
MCCCD has more than 10,000 students enrolled throughout all its bachelor’s programs, while continuing to break enrollment records. By 2032, the goal is to offer a total of 26 bachelor’s degree programs spread throughout the district’s 10 campuses.
MCCCD leaders said the district will launch new bachelor’s degree programs annually to address Arizona’s workforce needs including in healthcare, information technology, finance, construction and artificial intelligence.
“Over the past two years, we have leveraged a collaborative, strategic approach in developing and launching bachelor’s degree programs that demonstrate both a workforce need and continued occupational growth,” Maricopa Community Colleges Chancellor Steven Gonzales, said in a press release. “As the largest provider of postsecondary education in Arizona, our programs not only provide a crucial access point, but prepare our students to move into careers that will transform their futures.”
Which programs does Maricopa Community Colleges offer bachelor’s degrees in?
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Behavioral Sciences
- Business Administration – Accounting
- Business Administration – Management
- Data Analytics Programming
- Early Childhood Education- Dual Language
- Elementary Education and Special Education
- Exercise Science
- Health Services Leadership
- Information Technology
- Law and Legal Studies
- Nuclear Medicine and Computed Tomography
- Public Safety Administration
- Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN)
The Law and Legal Studies, Exercise Science and Health Leadership degree programs were just added in May 2026 bringing the current number of bachelor’s degree programs to 14.
Classes for the newest bachelor’s degree programs have a proposed start date beginning in Fall 2027, after approval by the Governing Board.
Some of the graduates were the first group of students to complete a bachelor’s degree in programs such as Elementary Education and Special Education and Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Additionally, MCCCD announced this past April that tuition would not be increased for the fourth consecutive year in a row.
The majority of bachelor’s degree programs in general require 120 credits to complete. For Maricopa County residents, the tuition cost comes out to about $14,500 for a bachelor’s degree, making it a fraction of the cost of tuition at a state university. “Our bachelor’s degree programs have proven to be a tremendous success, not only because they are affordable and accessible but for the immediate impact our graduates will have right here in our communities,” Maricopa Community Colleges Chancellor Steven Gonzales, said in a press release. “By keeping tuition low and degrees aligned with Arizona’s high-demand industries, our graduates are securing rewarding careers while also seeing a strong return on their investment in education.”
Reporting by “Arizona Horizon” Education Solutions Reporter Roxanne De La Rosa. Her role is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund and Report for America.
