Bachelor’s degrees in your backyard. Master’s degrees in McKinney. Both will go from headlines to reality in a couple of years as Collin College prepares to welcome university degree programs to a new campus in the heart of Collin County. Students say the sooner the better.

The Collin Higher Education Center puts higher degrees within reach of commuters who might not otherwise be able to travel. The Center will have space for as many as 5,000-6,000 students seeking junior- and senior-level college courses and graduate degree programs. Universities provide the degree programs, and students will pay tuition rates set by the universities.

Jennifer Jewell, 42, of McKinney, started her path toward a bachelor’s degree in October at Collin College. After finishing her freshman and sophomore core classes at the college, she plans to transfer to Texas Woman’s University in Denton next fall and study accounting and business administration.

“For me, I’d rather stay in McKinney and not have to drive to Denton,” Jewell said. “I work full time, and I go to school full time.”

Jewell works full time as an office manager at a Plano physical therapy practice, so travelling to college will be a challenge. She believes the Collin Higher Education Center will be a great opportunity for students like herself who can’t commute for hours or move to College Station, Waco, Denton or other famous college towns.

Adam Bell, 21, thinks the university center will catch the attention of a lot of graduating high school seniors as well. He earned his associate of science degree from Collin College in December and transferred to Texas A&M University to study life science. His career goal is to become a dietician.

“The Higher Education Center is a good idea. The location for those wanting to get a bachelor’s degree is excellent. It’s convenient for those who want to stay close to home and still go to Texas Tech, Baylor or A&M,” Bell said. “They can get their degree and stay in the area.”

Bell added that the center will provide prestige of the university partners without forfeiting the smaller class sizes that epitomize Collin College. Collin College will continue to offer associate degree programs, which is expected to feed nicely into the higher education complex.

By the time the 2010 high school graduating classes cross their respective stages, the new university center will be open. Collin College plans to break ground this February and open the facility in spring 2010 at the intersection of Central Expressway and Hwy. 121 in McKinney.

“We have been deluged with requests for upper-level classes, and now we will have the capacity to bring these additional degrees to our students,” said Dr. J. Robert Collins, founding trustee and chair of the Collin College Board of Trustees.

While officials have not yet finalized list of programs, some of the most requested degrees are business, nursing, education, psychology and criminal justice. More than 300,000 of Collin County’s 724,000+ residents already have a baccalaureate degree, so the master’s degree is expected to be a hot commodity.

According to college president Cary Israel, “University centers have been successful across the country, and our Higher Education Center will offer convenient access to quality degree programs. With its fast-growing, educationminded population, Collin County will certainly be a location where a university center can thrive.”

For more information, email bkihl@ccccd.edu .