The Colorado Department of Higher Education is reviewing a formal request from Pueblo Community College and the Colorado Community College System to waive full gtPathways general education requirements for a new Bachelor of Applied Science in Behavioral Health, Mental Health and Wellness. The program is a workforce-oriented completion degree for holders of AAS and similar applied degrees, built around significant CTE coursework, internships, and embedded general education competencies rather than the full 31-credit gtPathways core. The document details how the program aligns with statewide behavioral health workforce priorities under Senate Bill 22-181 and with the Behavioral Health Administration, and notes multiple MOUs in progress between CCCS and four-year institutions to support transfer to graduate programs.While this is primarily a curriculum and policy action rather than a discrete procurement, it signals a growing, grant-aligned pipeline program that will require ongoing instructional design, behavioral health training content, clinical placement partnerships, and potentially technology for competency tracking and internship management. Vendors in education technology, curriculum development, clinical training, and workforce development services can position around helping CCCS and partner institutions scale this new BAS pathway and its assessment and internship components once the waiver is in place.

The effort is tied to Colorado’s behavioral health workforce expansion under SB 22-181 and includes 225-hour internships and multiple MOUs in progress with four-year institutions.