Southwest Texas College Announces First-Ever Bachelor’s Degree Program

Southwest Texas College has announced its first 4-year program through which students may earn a bachelor’s degree. The business degree, a Bachelor’s of Applied Arts and Sciences in Organizational Management and Leadership, now awaits approval from a board of accreditation. Once green-lit, the program could be available to students at any SWTC campus as soon as this Fall.

According to details released by SWTC, the program offers advanced instruction in organizational management and leadership, and is designed as a flexible, affordable track for technical students and those balancing a work schedule. The structure of the program allows students in “virtually any program” — such as business, aviation, or welding — to apply their existing credit hours toward the bachelor’s degree.

“It is built to serve both traditional students and those already in the workforce who are ready to move into management and leadership roles,” says Dr. Mark Underwood, Vice President of Special Projects at SWTC.

Additional 4-year degrees in education and nursing are also in the works, according to Connie Buchanan, Vice President of the Del Rio campus. Due to the lengthy accreditation process, however, students will have to wait until Fall 2027 until the bachelor’s in education becomes available, and even later for nursing.

Buchanan is overjoyed by the college’s move to elevate — graduate, even — their degree offerings, and describes a hopeful vision for the role they will play in Del Rio’s business landscape.

“I’m so excited about this new opportunity for members of our community. Think of somebody who owns their own business here, let’s say a welding shop. They can do this program, earn their bachelor’s, and see more success. Or it could lead to a master’s degree. It opens up so many doors,” says Buchanan.

Students in Del Rio will experience the program in both in-person and distance-learning instruction formats, says Julio Gonzalez, a recruitment specialist at the Del Rio campus. Gonzalez says that before the bachelor’s program was announced, he has received frequent input from students who want to continue their education beyond an associate’s degree locally, and that he’s “very excited” that students now have an opportunity to achieve that in Del Rio.