March 26, 2024

Bellevue College

Bellevue College will begin offering a Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiation Therapy in 2025. Radiation therapy is a specialized form of cancer treatment that utilizes ionizing radiation to kill or shrink cancerous tumors. For almost 40 years, Bellevue College has offered an Associate of Applied Science in Radiation Therapy. The college is the sole provider of radiation therapist training in Washington state and one of only two institutions in the Pacific Northwest offering this specialized training. Linda Schinman, an instructor at Bellevue College who teaches radiation therapy, spearheaded the effort to create the new BAS in Radiation Therapy in response to the growing need for trained therapists and the advances in the field. Currently, most Bellevue College graduates find positions within six months of completing their degree. Quite frequently radiation therapists are hired by the clinics where they train as soon as they graduate, said Schinman. Bellevue College will begin accepting applications for the new BAS in Radiation Therapy starting in December 2024. The college's current Allied Health Associate of Applied Science degree will serve as a feeder program for this degree. The final cohort of students accepted for the AAS degree in Radiation Therapy began their studies in 2024 and will graduate in 2026. The first graduates in the new BAS in Radiation Therapy will matriculate in 2027. The addition of this degree will mark the 15th bachelor's degree offered at Bellevue College.