Jose Martinez never planned on getting a four-year degree. Yet he found himself one of the 62 students in the College of Western Idaho’s (CWI’s) first bachelor’s program. 

The Business Administration, Bachelor of Applied Science Degree (BAS) program, launched in August of 2025, is on track to exceed CWI’s goal of 150 students by the fifth year. 

The new four-year program was the source of some tense State Board Education meetings, with universities like Boise State University (BSU), the University of Idaho, and Lewis-Clark State College claiming the CWI program duplicates their existing bachelor’s programs. 

CWI maintained that the program would serve students unlikely to pursue a traditional four-year degree, unable to pay for one, or those who have taken CTE courses. Unlike in traditional programs, CTE courses count towards the 120-credit BAS requirement. 

Martinez followed the CTE track, first gaining his associate’s degree in automotive technology and then joining the bachelor’s business administration program. 

Most students (90%) in the BAS program first earned their associate’s at CWI. 

Not considering himself “academically inclined,” Martinez wanted to leave his rural hometown of Bellevue, Idaho, (population 2,600) after high school and get a job in a bigger city. 

His dad loved cars and “planted that seed for him.” 

Martinez emphasized that the automotive technology program was “affordable” and that he could work full-time while completing the program. 

After his first year, Martinez connected with Lyle Pearson’s Mercedes-Benz at a CWI hiring fair, eventually getting a job there as an apprentice technician doing more than entry-level tasks like oil changes. 

In December of 2025, Martinez was almost done with his two-year degree. That’s when John D Thompson, department chair of Automotive Service and Collision Repair, approached him about CWI’s new four-year business administration degree. 

Martinez saw the appeal. “With any labor-intensive job, it can take a toll. But if there is an opportunity, especially in the dealership world, to move up in the management field like service manager, service advisor, or general manager, that’s a good degree to have to open more doors and have a little more leverage.” 

And so, Martinez signed up for two more years of school and found himself pursuing a bachelor’s degree. “If I told high school me I was doing all this,” he admitted, “I would have never believed it.” 

Martinez appreciates the affordability of the program. CWI’s website estimates a program cost of $22,926. A similar four-year degree at nearby BSU would be about $37,456. 

“Life changes. If one day I decide, ‘you know what, I don’t want to be a mechanic anymore,’ I don’t feel like I have to start all over again.” 

The college plans to continue expanding the program. When it began, an existing faculty member was made a full-time coordinator, and an additional faculty member was added. Anticipating growth in the program, they have now submitted a request to hire another full-time faculty member next year. They also hope to add 14 new business administration courses. 

While 17 students transitioned from the business associate’s path, the rest of the CWI students come from 12 different fields. 

Majors of students in the program previously studying at CWI