Yavapai College announced in May 2025 a new Optimized 92-credit Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Degree (BASB), designed to be completed within three years.
The degree will launch for the upcoming fall 2025 semester, and Yavapai College will be the first community college in the United States to offer a three-year bachelor’s degree.
In June 2021, the Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona project was awarded $801,218 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). In 2022, the grant award was increased by $1.2 million to a total of $2 million. Led by Yavapai College, this regional collaborative of eight community colleges will develop Open Educational Resources, or OERs, to reduce the amount of money students must spend on textbooks.
Thanks to the funds awarded through FIPSE, $51,251 or 2.56% of the grant allocation has been used to date to support faculty stipends at YC to build 26 Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) courses that meet the general education requirements of the BASB.
The Open Textbook Pilot Grant has played a foundational role in supporting the development of the three-year Optimized Bachelor of Applied Science in Business (BASB) degree by funding the creation and adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) for lower-division general education courses. These resources ensure that students can meet general education requirements with high-quality, zero-cost materials.
Additionally, the grant has served as a catalyst for expanding Yavapai College’s internal OER program, enabling broader faculty engagement and infrastructure to sustain zero-cost course development. As a result, the BASB degree offers a complete, high-quality educational experience with no textbook or material costs beyond tuition—further advancing access and affordability for students.
An article about the BASB at Yavapai College was published in Diverse Issues in Higher Education in May 2025, and may be accessed online.
For further information on the FIPSE, please visit their website at ed.gov/fipse. To learn more about the “Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona” project, and the availability of OER materials, please contact Megan Crossfield, Director of Academic Initiatives at 928-717-7627 or Megan.Crossfield@yc.edu.
Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, four baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about YC, visit www.yc.edu.
The contents of this press release were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.