From 100 Students in Vista to Palomar’s First Bachelor’s Degree

On Monday, Aug. 24, another small group will make Palomar history.

Palomar has admitted 24 students to its first bachelor’s degree program, Building Performance and Environmental Design. It is the college’s first venture into four-year-degree territory—a sizable leap from those borrowed Vista classrooms in 1946.

This Degree Comes With a Hard Hat

The new Bachelor of Science program combines architecture, interior design, sustainability and environmental systems.

Students will study building-performance modeling, environmental policy, lighting and solar design, ventilation, water and waste systems, construction methods, professional practice and site and urban design.

Translation: This is not merely about making a building look handsome in a rendering. Students will also examine how buildings use energy, move air, manage water and affect the environment around them.

The upper-division program follows a lockstep cohort model. Students begin together, take courses in a prescribed sequence and progress through the program as a group.

Its 60-unit sequence includes four regular semesters and a four-week summer course.

Classes will be held in person at Palomar’s Rancho Bernardo Education Center, 11111 Rancho Bernardo Road in San Diego—not at the college’s main San Marcos campus.

That distinction could save somebody an awkward first morning involving a laptop, a rapidly cooling coffee and the wrong parking lot.

Admission is competitive. Applicants must possess an associate degree or equivalent lower-division preparation in an applicable field. They also need a minimum 3.0 GPA in their major coursework and must submit a design portfolio.

Applicants who pass the academic eligibility and portfolio reviews may be invited to an interview.

Once admitted, students can expect studio work, collaborative projects, guest lectures, portfolio reviews, site visits, fieldwork and mentorship with professionals in design and construction. The final semester includes a professional internship and industry-readiness course.

Palomar’s student handbook is also candid about the fine print: participation does not guarantee employment or job placement. Apparently, even a historic new degree cannot make the job market sign a contract.

San Marcos Helps Supply the First Class

Hunter Industries, a manufacturer with its global headquarters in San Marcos, provided a $12,000 grant to the Palomar College Foundation, according to the college.

The grant supplies $500 in direct support for each of the 24 students. Palomar says the money covers required materials including textbooks, building-performance modeling software, tools, technical equipment and a professional blazer bearing the program logo.

It is a fitting North County connection: a San Marcos company helping equip students preparing to design and operate high-performance, environmentally responsible buildings.

The $15,000 Figure Needs an Asterisk

Palomar estimates the two-year upper-division program will cost approximately $15,000, or about $7,500 per year.

That estimate does not include the cost of the associate degree or other lower-division preparation required before admission.

California residents in community-college bachelor’s programs are charged the standard $46-per-unit enrollment fee plus an $84 upper-division supplement.

For Palomar’s 60-unit upper-division sequence, that equals approximately $7,800 in base enrollment charges before materials, transportation, travel and other expenses. Financial aid or fee assistance may change what an individual student pays.

The inaugural cohort receives some relief through the Hunter Industries grant.

An 80-Year North County Arc

Palomar officially opened in Vista on Sept. 23, 1946. Its main campus was later established in San Marcos, and the college now operates additional education centers serving North County.

Now, just shy of its 80th anniversary, Palomar is preparing to welcome the first students into its first bachelor’s program.

Twenty-four students may be a small beginning.

So were the original 100.

Questions About Palomar College Bachelor Degree 

When does Palomar College’s first bachelor’s-degree cohort begin classes?

Classes begin Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

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Where will the program’s classes be held?

Classes will meet in person at Palomar College’s Rancho Bernardo Education Center, 11111 Rancho Bernardo Road.

How many students are in the inaugural cohort?

Palomar College says 24 students were admitted to the first cohort.

How long does the program take to complete?

The upper-division program includes 60 units completed over four semesters and one four-week summer course.

How much is the program expected to cost?

Palomar estimates approximately $15,000 for the two-year upper-division program. That figure does not include the cost of completing the required associate degree or equivalent preparation.