Applied baccalaureate degrees are different from traditional baccalaureate degrees.  An applied baccalaureate degree is awarded by a community or technical college and expands upon the curriculum from an associate of applied science degree, or its equivalent.  An applied baccalaureate degree incorporates both theoretical and applied knowledge and skills in a specific technical field.

In 2005 the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) was authorized to implement a pilot program in which four colleges could develop and offer applied baccalaureate degrees.  In 2010 the authorization was made permanent, and the limitation on the number of colleges offering applied baccalaureate degrees was removed.  In order for an applied baccalaureate degree program to be approved by the SBCTC, the college must demonstrate that it has the resources, faculty, and student and employer demand to produce a high-quality, cost-effective, and feasible program.  The college must also demonstrate that the proposed program fills a gap because there is either a workforce shortage or there is not a similar program offered by a four-year institution of higher education nearby.

In the 2021-22 academic year, there were 31 colleges offering applied baccalaureate degrees.  At seven of those colleges, student graduates of an associate nursing degree program who have received licensure as a Registered Nurse are eligible to apply for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

In 2016 Bellevue College was authorized to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and is the only community or technical college authorized to offer a baccalaureate degree program.

Three community or technical colleges are authorized to offer Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing subject to approval by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.  Of those three colleges, one must serve a county with a population between 125,000 and 150,000 residents and one must serve a county located east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains.