Mission College (MC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Located within Silicon Valley’s Golden Triangle business district in Santa Clara, California, Mission College is a two-year community college that offers certificates of proficiency and completion, associate’s degrees and personal enrichment courses. Mission also offers a transfer program for students who wish to complete their first two years at Mission prior to transferring to a four-year college.

With a diverse student population and well-qualified instructors and professors, Mission college strives to provide a high-quality education to every student regardless of educational goals. There are numerous support systems established at the college to assist students in such areas as financial aid, academic and personal counseling and career advisement. There are also a career center and job placement services to assist students with finding employment after graduation.

Every year, Mission College hosts both a large career fair and one of the largest college fairs in the state of California. Nearly two hundred national and international colleges and universities are available to speak with students and the community.

Mission also offers top-notch athletics facilities as well as well-trained, enthusiastic staff so that students that are either participating in sports or pursuing athletic educations have a wonderful support system and the best facilities in which to learn. There are several intercollegiate sports teams as well as numerous student organizations for students to participate in.

Videos

Information Summary

Ranks 117th in California and 1795th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	67.5
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$3,109
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	16 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	72% / 49%
Enrollment Total (all students)	7,780

Academics

Mission College offers educational opportunities to students at every level. Students may participate in programs that offer university transfers, associate degrees, professional certificates or personal enrichment. Regardless of the program, Mission offers state-of-the-art facilities and highly qualified instructors to ensure that every student gets the best education possible.

Students wishing to earn an associate’s degree may choose from more than ten associate of arts degrees or nearly thirty associate of science degrees. Some of the subjects students pursuing an associate of arts degree may choose from include sociology, psychology, liberal arts or creative arts. Those choosing to pursue an associate of science degree may opt to study such subjects as biology, nursing, engineering or physical sciences. There are also a couple of interesting programs not typically found at community colleges including fire technology and psychiatric technician.

There are over thirty certificates of achievement that students may earn. This level of study includes such diverse topics as business, computer courses, graphic arts and floristry. There are also nearly forty more certificates of completion that students may choose to pursue including business, digital design, nurse’s assistant and several different computer specializations. Many of these certificates may be utilized to meed continuing education credits for jobs that the state or federal regulating agency requires in order for a professional to remain licensed. A couple interesting areas of study in the certificate of completion area were childbirth trainer and English as a Second Language. Many schools and jobs require the ESL certificate in order to obtain placement or employment.

For adults that just want to brush up on the basics or learn a new skill, there is the opportunity to take just one class or a small group of classes instead of pursuing an entire degree or certificate program.

Most Popular Fields of Study

Gallery

Admissions

Mission College has an open enrollment policy. They accept any student that is at least eighteen years old, has passed the State Proficiency Test or has earned a GED. For high school students that wish to get a head start on their college educations by dual-enrolling, Mission just requires the concurrent enrollment form and parental permission. The college does, however, require that all high school students enroll and register in person with a photo ID.

After submitting the application, regularly enrolled students will receive two emails within forty-eight hours. The first will contain a confirmation number and the second one will contain student information and registration date. Students may register any time after this date. If these emails have not been received within three days of registration, the student should contact the school.

Applications for winter session and spring semester will be available by October 1 and for the summer session and fall semester by April 1. Students may register for classes right up until the day before the class starts, or even after the class has started with instructor approval. Students will create a MyWebServices account which may be used for corresponding with the school and checking dates.

Financial Aid

As an accredited college, Mission College offers all of the standard financial aid including state and federal scholarships, grants, federally subsidized loans and work-study programs. Unlike many other community colleges, Mission has over thirty scholarships that are available to their students only. All of these scholarships are need-based, but there is a wide variety so that many people will be eligible for at least one of them.

Students should complete the Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) that is available online starting in January and should also contact Mission’s financial aid office to discuss the school-specific grants as soon as possible in order to be eligible. Most of the scholarships are available only in limited amounts and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Students need to know that in order to complete the FAFSA, financial information for both the applicant and family is required so they should have this information available prior to starting the application.

Student Financial Aid Details

Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in California.

Athletics

The Mission College Saints athletics organization is a member of both the NCAA and the California Community College Athletics Association. The college believes that participation in intercollegiate sports teaches students valuable lessons in team work, leadership and personal responsibility and increases the spirit of community and family on campus. Sports offered include men’s and women’s soccer and tennis. Men have the additional option of baseball while women may also choose to participate in softball, basketball and badminton.

Because Mission College places such import on their athletics, they offer high-quality facilities. The basketball, softball and racquetball gymnasium was recently expanded to include team rooms, showering facilities and a sauna in addition to the courts, classrooms and administrative space that was already present. The tennis complex offers eight lighted courts as well as a practice court complete with a ball machine. There have been several professional tennis tournaments hosted at the facility. Finally, Mission’s baseball field is shared with the city of Santa Clara in a collaborative effort to make the facilities available to the community as well as the college.

Bibliography

Mission College Santa Clara, California. Mission College. 2011. Web. 25 May 2011.

Mission College