College of the Bahamas

Established by an Act of Parliament in 1974, The College was created through the amalgamation of four institutions: The Bahamas Teachers' College, San Salvador Teachers' College, C. R. Walker Technical College and the sixth form programme of The Government High School. In June 1995, landmark legislation was passed granting The College full autonomy of its affairs and an expanded mandate, establishing a new era.

After more than thirty-five years of serving The Bahamas, first as a two-year institution, then as a four-year degree-granting College, with the introduction of baccalaureate degrees over a range of disciplines [the Bachelor in Business Administration degree (BBA), Bachelor in Education (BEd), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) Bachelor of Science in Electronics Technology (BSET) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees]; COB expects to become The University of The Bahamas.

As it transitions to university status, the institution will continue to deliver excellent undergraduate teaching while developing new undergraduate and graduate programmes, increasing research and innovation activities, and focusing its work in areas crucial to national development.

The College offers nearly forty majors in its bachelor degree offerings and more than twenty at the associate degree level. In the Fall 2010 Semester The College launched its first graduate degree programme, a Master of Business Administration. The Small Island Sustainability baccalaureate degree programme was also a landmark academic development for The College of The Bahamas. Launched in the Fall 2009 Semester, the programme offers four degree alternatives in areas pertinent to development in small island states: Bachelor of Arts degrees in Ecotourism and Development; and in Policy Studies; also Bachelor of Science degrees in Environmental and Ecosystem Management; and Integrated Development Planning.

The College has also facilitated seven graduate degree programmes in partnership with colleges and universities abroad; and collaborates with partner institutions in the offering of bachelor of law and bachelor of pharmacy degree programmes. Graduate programmes have included: MA in Health Administration (Western Connecticut State University), MEd in School Counselling (Kent State University), MA in Teaching & Learning with Technology (Ashford University), MLIS in Library & Information Sciences (University of South Florida), MEd in Special Education (Kent State University), MEd in Educational Administration (Kent State University) and MSc in Early Childhood & Elementary Teaching (Wheelock College).

Student enrolment measures around the 5,000 mark, and The College boasts an alumni base of more than 11,000.

The College's ongoing transition is also evident in its changing faculty profile. The number of faculty members with doctorate degrees rose from 16 percent in 1990 to 31 percent in September 2009. In 2010, seven of the eleven new faculty members joining the COB Community were holders of terminal degrees.

Research and its growing emphasis has also been a major development of institutional growth. Over the last three academic years, The College has awarded grants totalling approximately $70,000 in support of faculty research. In October 2010, COB launched its "International Journal of Bahamian Studies" an open access research publication. The Fall 2009 introduction of The College's Scholars-in-Residence programme represented an important first for COB, emphasizing the institution's commitment to building research capacity.

The institution has also expanded its international partnerships and is affiliated with organizations including the American Association of Colleges & Universities Council on Education; American College Student Personnel Association International; American Library Association; Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions; Association of Caribbean Universities, Research and Institutional Libraries; Caribbean Association of Law Libraries; Institute of International Education; International Association of Law Libraries; International Association of Universities and International Federation of Library Associations.