NVC Announces Plans for First Baccalaureate Degree
September 25, 2023
Launching in Fall 2024
(San Antonio, Texas) – Northwest Vista College (NVC) is working on its first ever bachelor’s degree, pending program approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The college currently is accredited by SACSCOC to offer associate degrees and certificates. In 2017, the 85th Texas Legislature approved Senate Bill 2118 for qualified community colleges and programs to offer technical bachelor’s degrees in high-demand careers.
In January 2023, the Alamo Colleges Board of Trustees approved Northwest Vista College to offer the Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) Degree in Cloud Computing, starting in Fall 2024. The program, requiring 120 semester credit hours, will be 100% online.
“Northwest Vista College has been awarding associate degrees and certificates in Network Architecture and Cloud Computing and our faculty have the needed credentials to teach at the baccalaureate level,” said NVC President, Dr. Amy Bosley. “NVC has industry partnerships to ensure that the course curriculum meets and exceeds industry standards to prepare graduates for high-wage and high-demand careers and success.”
“Northwest Vista College is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Academy partner, and Amazon is the largest cloud computing provider in the world,” said NVC Network Architecture and Cloud Computing Program Coordinator, Dr. John Grillo. “Cloud computing is one of the fastest growing and highest paying careers within the Information Technology (IT) sector. It’s a field that can lower technology costs and improve delivery, efficiency, privacy, and disaster recovery for companies and organizations,” he added.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the overall employment in computer and information technology occupations will grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032. They further estimate an average of 377,500 job openings each year. Organizations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have noted the global Cloud Computing market size was valued at $545.8 billion in 2022 and it is projected to reach $1.2 trillion by the end of 2027, growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.9%.
Jobs in this field include maintaining a cloud infrastructure, designing cloud solutions, software engineering, data analytics, database management, cloud security, datacenter operations manager, and artificial intelligence/machine learning solutions. According to PayScale.com, an AWS Solutions Architect entering the cloud computing field is projected to earn $144,000 per year. For a software engineer, the pay is approximately $104,000, and $120,000 for a site reliability engineer. A machine learning engineer can earn $133,000.
Locally, graduates of the program are expected to fill much needed workforce needs for HEB, Lockheed Martin, Frost Bank, USAA, Accenture, Valero, Marathon Oil, NuStar Energy, iHeart Media, the US Military, and SWBC.
NVC will award credit for prior learning in this field, including coursework, certifications, and job experience.
For more information about the BAT degree program, please see the website: Cloud Computing - Bachelor of Applied Technology.
For specific questions about the program, contact Program Coordinator Dr. John Grillo at jgrillo@alamo.edu.
Media Contact:
Renata Serafin
Director of Marketing & Strategic Communication
rserafin@alamo.edu
-NVC-
Northwest Vista College (NVC), part of the Alamo Colleges District, is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. The college opened in 1995 with 12 students and has grown to one of the largest institutions of higher education in San Antonio and the region with current enrollment exceeding 17,000 students. Located in Westover Hills, NVC’s expanding agreements with business and higher education partnerships provide a wealth of opportunities for students and the community.
NVC was the only community college in San Antonio and one of eight in Texas that was invited in 2021 to compete for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s highest recognition in community college education. The Aspen Prize recognizes excellence in teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success as well as equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.