ONTARIO, Ore.– The Treasure Valley Community College announced it will offer a bachelor’s degree in education. The college received approval from the Higher Education Coordination Commission, a higher educating advising body for Oregon lawmakers.

TVCC will determine final tuition costs and a start date once the program is approved by its accrediting body, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Currently, the college expects tuition to be around $250 per credit. At 15 credits each semester, tuition would cost about $7,500 per year.

The degree was designed in partnership with Oregon school districts to help address teacher shortages, particularly in rural Oregon schools, and provide a pathway for people already working in schools, like paraprofessionals, to become teachers.

“We are viewing this as an opportunity for rural Oregon school districts to grow their own and intentionally skill up a workforce that’s committed to the local communities,” said spokesperson Justin Emerson.

Students can apply to the bachelor’s program after completing an associate of arts in elementary education.

About half of TVCC students are from Idaho, Emerson said.

“Even if this (program) originated on the Oregon side of the river, it’s still for everyone,” Emerson said.

Idaho has a shortage of elementary school teachers and staff in rural and high-poverty schools, a 2025 Idaho State Board of Education report found.

The Ontario-based community college is one of five Oregon colleges that will offer the degree.

TVCC is not the first community college in the area with a four-year offering. In 2025, the College of Western Idaho introduced a bachelor’s in business administration, and the College of Eastern Idaho rolled out bachelor’s degrees in digital forensics and operations management.