A CASE STUDY OF THE POST DEGREE EXPERIENCES OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE BACCALAUREATE GRADUATES TRANSITIONING TO UNIVERSITY MASTER’S PROGRAMS

Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) programs have proliferated during the past two decades but research on post graduate educational pathways CCB graduates follow is limited. The purpose of this multiple case embedded design comparative study (Yin, 2012) was to describe and further understand the experiences of CCB graduates as they explored educational pathways after they graduated from the community/state college, specifically post degree education. The study also examined if faculty in master’s programs at universities are aware of the CCB graduates’ intentions to enroll in their master’s programs. A multi-case study was conducted in South Florida utilizing qualitative research methods. Building on literature from scholars about 2+2 Transfer, articulation of programs between community/state colleges and universities, and the CCB (Cohen et al., 2014; Floyd et al., 2012; Floyd & Walker, 2009; Ignash, 2012; Skolnik, 2016), as a conceptual framework, this study explored educational pathways for CCB graduates and the students’ perceptions about their experiences.