 In 1865 , in accordance with a recommendation from the Board of Commissioners of the Baltimore City Public Schools , the school began offering a five @-@ year track , as part of a process aimed at elevating the school to the status of a college so that it could grant its graduates baccalaureate degrees . The following year , on October 9 , 1866 , the school was renamed " The Baltimore City College " ( BCC ) by the City Council . The Council failed to take any further action , and although the school changed nominally , it was never granted the power to confer Bachelor of Arts degrees . 
