COLLEGE OFFERING TEACHER COURSES TWO YEARS EARLY.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

Due to popular demand, College of the Canyons will offer a teacher's credential program starting this spring, two years ahead of schedule.

The credential program will begin in March at COC, which will become a satellite campus of California State University, Bakersfield. The partnership between the university and the community college is meant to address a local shortage of credentialed teachers, COC spokeswoman Sue Bozman said.

``People have told me that they already have a B.A. and don't have time to go to (another location) to get the credential,'' Bozman said.

``When you get a bachelor of arts in liberal studies, you still need a credential to teach,'' Bozman said. ``We figured we would start that program this spring.'' The credential program takes about nine months, she said.

Two credentials will be offered: a preliminary multi-subject credential with either a cross-cultural, language and academic development emphasis or a bilingual cross-cultural, language and academic development emphasis.

Through the satellite campus, the college will begin offering upper division liberal studies courses toward bachelor of arts degrees. There will be a track leading to a multiple-subject teaching credential or the general track for careers in business, law and related professions. Bachelor of science degrees in environmental resource management also will be offered in the spring.

When students at the college have completed 56 units, they will become eligible to enroll in Bakersfield's bachelor's degree program. Students also will be allowed to enroll concurrently in the COC's two-year program and the four-year degree program.

Administrators, Bozman said, are establishing COC as a university satellite campus to provide options for the community.

``Over a period of time, we would like to have a partnership with seven or eight universities,'' Bozman said. ``We would like to build a building that would house a higher education learning center for several universities.''

Bakersfield will provide the professors and instruction, while the college will provide the facilities and some administrative support.

Books for the classes can be purchased at the COC bookstore, and students will be required to obtain a college parking permit.

One modular classroom of 15 currently being installed at the college will house the partnership program with Cal State.

The classrooms are expected to be ready by mid-December, Bozman said.

Eventually, the college would like to offer courses toward master's degrees, Bozman said.

School officials are providing weekly meetings to provide the community with information about the satellite campus. For information, contact Sam Phillips at [phone] Ext. 3678.