BREMERTON — Olympic College announced it was awarded a $200,000 competitive grant from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to initiate a Bachelor of Applied Science program in Computer Information Systems.

The focus of the grant is on building Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathways from K-12 to the baccalaureate level. The college will develop a baccalaureate program in Computer Information Systems, with an expected start date of fall 2014.

The funds will provide the opportunity to bring teachers from local high schools together with college faculty to ensure curriculum is seamless.

“We’ve enjoyed excellent community support from employers and school district partners and I look forward to expanding these partnerships,” said Olympic College’s Vice President of Instruction Mary Garguile. “Increasing baccalaureate program options is one of the college’s strategic goals.”

The SBCTC committee selected the following colleges to implement baccalaureate programs. The review process was highly competitive as each proposal offered a unique approach to this legislation.

The new grants are being made possible due to the recently passed Washington State Legislature Senate Bill 5624 which aligns high demand secondary STEM or career and technical education programs with applied baccalaureate programs.