North County San Diego Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program - PROJECT SUMMARY
The North County San Diego Bridges to the Baccalaureate (NCSD B2B) program supports the NIH/NIGMS
goal of increasing the diversity of the biomedical workforce by increasing the successful transfer rates of
underrepresented (UR) groups from community colleges to 4-year institutions. The NCSD B2B program
continues a 20-year successful B2B consortium of the partner institutions of California State University San
Marcos (CSUSM), Palomar College and MiraCosta College. This new B2B Program will focus on the academic
development and seamless transfer of Palomar and MiraCosta UR community college students to CSUSM or
other 4-year institutions. The NCSD B2B Program targets UR students early in their community college
attendance to enroll them in an up to two-year structured academic, research, and career awareness and
development program. By targeting UR students early in their schooling, a known high dropout period, the
program helps prepare them academically, creates individual development plans for successful transferring,
helps foster their science identities through peer-mentoring and training in rigorous and reproducible research
practices. The specific aims of the NCSD B2B Program are to: 1) Attract a Large Pool of Promising
Underrepresented Science Majors for the Bridges Program through broad and proactive diversity recruitment
activities; 2) Empower Bridges Scholars to Accumulate Academic Credentials and Professional Skills
Necessary to Pursue Bachelor’s Degrees and Careers in the Biomedical Sciences through newly designed
curriculum, Supplemental Instruction, academic support and skill workshops; 3) Engage Bridges Scholars in
Meaningful Biomedical Research and Career Experiences including exposure to the diversity of biomedical
fields, placement in faculty research labs (often with UR peers or Bridges alumni), attendance of research
seminars, and conferences; 4) Expose Students to a Culturally Validated Pedagogy to Increase Belonging and
Persistence through seminars, workshops and social activities; 5) Participate in Summer Training Program to
Enhance Research and Quantitative Skills during a summer research experience and workshops; and 6)
Ensure Efficient transfer of Bridges Scholars to 4-year institutions and ultimately completion of a bachelor’s
degree through frequent and long-term mentoring, and curricular activities. Over the last 15 years, of the 226
students who completed the CSUSM Bridges program, 211 have transferred to 4-year institutions (93%), and
204 (90%) have or are on track to obtain their bachelor’s degree (145 completed, 59 in progress). In addition,
49 (22%) are in progress or have completed a Ph.D., M.D. or D.O. program (16 complete, 33 in progress). The
NCSD B2B Program will continue this successful history of preparing historically underrepresented persons
with the necessary education, experience, and mindset to pursue biomedical higher degree programs and
research careers.
