In spring 2024, I took a photography class. Several students in the class complained that they wanted to get a degree in photography but the required classes were not offered.
Las Positas College (LPC) offers degrees but not always the classes needed to get the degree.
If LPC is going to offer degrees and certificates it should offer the classes to support the degrees and certificates.
A check on Class-Web determined that three of the required classes for my Photography Degree were not offered from Fall 2023 through Spring 2025 — a two year period. Of the optional classes — two required — only two of the four choices were offered.
The photography program is not unique in offering degrees and certificates but does not have the classes to support these degrees and certificates. One class was not offered for a horticulture degree; even in the journalism department one class was not offered, however, this class is actually taught by the photography department.
Marina — no last name given — a Sophomore Biology major mentioned that Biology 70 has not been offered for the last two years.
Even when the classes are offered, enrolling in the class may not always be possible. For example, English 1A — which is required for most degrees in Spring 2025 — only two of the in-person classes have openings, and even those are limited.
Stephanie Wise, a sophomore Liberal Arts Major, the issue is that required classes are not offered every semester or only at inconvenient times such as evening hours. She is a single parent and has children to take care of in the evening. Making class scheduling difficult
Several of the sections have more than the maximum number of quotas. Even the asynchronous online sections are full. English 1A is not unique as other classes are hard to get in.
The amount of classes and sections is constrained by the budget. During the Photography Advisory Board meeting, it was mentioned by Deanna Horvath that more classes could not be offered due to budget constraints. Only about 61% of the budget at LPC is for academic salaries and benefits per the Chabot/Las Positas Community College District 2024-2025 budget. Perhaps the budget needs to be amended.
An e-mail to the Dean of Arts and Humanities Amy Mattern requesting comment on the issue was not responded to.
LPC needs to look at its priorities and either not offer some degrees or fund the classes that are required both for the degrees and so all students can get the classes they need.
***
Alan Lewis is a staff writer of The Express.
