Maricopa Community Colleges launched its first formal bachelor’s degree transfer partnership with another Arizona community college in July 2025. This innovative collaboration with Northland Pioneer College (NPC) creates an accessible pathway for students statewide and represents a bold step toward expanding high-quality, affordable bachelor’s degree options for students in urban and rural communities. It also offers a replicable model for other community colleges seeking to build student-centered, workforce-aligned partnerships.

Transferring Made Easy

Through this partnership, students who complete an Associate of Applied Science in Behavioral Health Studies at NPC can seamlessly transfer into the Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences program at South Mountain Community College, one of the Maricopa district’s 10 colleges. The partnership is designed to reduce barriers, maximize credit transfer, and support students in continuing their education by eliminating common transfer barriers such as course duplication and delays in credit evaluation. In addition, the agreement includes coordinated curriculum alignment, outreach, and student-centered processes.

Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Maricopa Community Colleges Chancellor, notes that:

This partnership marks a significant milestone for our system, representing our commitment to accessible, affordable bachelor’s degree pathways while demonstrating our ability to collaborate with our community college counterparts. What matters most is that students throughout the state will benefit from this new transfer pathway.

Partnering to Tackle Arizona’s Mental Health Crisis

Arizona currently faces a critical shortage of behavioral health professionals. More than 2 million residents live in communities without sufficient mental health care (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2025) and over the next five years the state will need an additional 2,400 professionals to meet demand (Arizona Board of Regents, n.d.). Through the transfer partnership with NPC, more students in rural counties will be able to access this in-demand field.

“This partnership demonstrates our shared commitment to student success and workforce development across Arizona,” said Dr. Von Lawson, President of NPC. “By creating a seamless transfer pathway in behavioral health sciences, we are expanding opportunities for students in rural communities while addressing one of the state’s most urgent healthcare needs.”

Scalable Model for Community Colleges

Since launching its first bachelor’s degree programs in 2023, Maricopa Community Colleges has focused on building intentional, workforce-aligned degrees that meet the needs of both students and Arizona’s economy. With over 6,500 students enrolled in the past 24 months, this partnership adds a critical layer by showing how community colleges can work together to provide baccalaureate pathways.

The process included joint curriculum mapping between NPC and Maricopa Community Colleges faculty student-centered advising guides and degree planners, coordinated recruitment and communications materials, and built-in data sharing to support outcomes tracking. By integrating these elements, the partnership sets a model for community college systems nationwide seeking to enhance bachelor’s degree access while maintaining affordability and student success as core values.

Student-Centered Impact

Students at NPC can now pursue an advanced degree without leaving their community or navigating complicated credit evaluations. For many, this represents a life-changing opportunity.

"When I saw Maricopa advertising that they had bachelor's degree opportunities, I decided to pursue my real passion, which was mental health," said Lindsay Martinez, who recently graduated from South Mountain Community College with a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences. "Being in the mental health field is going to give me the opportunity to encourage people, to help people. I want to be someone that they can rely on."

References

Arizona Board of Regents. (n.d.). AZ Healthy Tomorrow. https://www.azregents.edu/azhealthytomorrow

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2025, May). Mental health in Arizona. https://www.nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Arizona-GRPA-Data-Sheet-8.5-x-11-wide.pdf

Lead image: South Mountain Community College students graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences in May 2024

Dr. Lisa Rae Armour is Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and Lindsey Wilson is Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Maricopa Community Colleges in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Opinions expressed in Member Spotlight are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.