Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a community college in Athens, Texas. It was founded in 1946. Today, more than 6,500 students are enrolled at TVCC with branch campuses in Palestine, Terrell, and Kaufman.
The Kaufman branch located adjacent to Presbyterian Hospital is reserved for healthcare courses. It also hosts a distance learning program for the RN to BSN program from the University of Texas at Arlington.
| Overall Score (about) | 60.7 |
| Total Cost On-Campus Attendance | $15,013 |
| Admission Success rate | N/A |
| Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty | 13 : 1 |
| Retention (full-time / part-time) | 48% / 32% |
| Enrollment Total (all students) | 4,245 |
TVCC has 21 separate academic departments. All of the medical professional departments have strong reputations and are especially popular as majors. These include Associate Degree Nursing, Emergency Medical Services, Patient Care Technology, Surgical Technology, and Vocational Nursing.
Although students can study several foreign languages at TVCC, by far the most popular is Spanish. Because there are so many residents of Texas who speak Spanish as a first language, a degree or concentration in Spanish is extremely useful in any career which involves working with the general public, including nursing, government work, sales, or communications.
The welding program at TVCC is also particularly popular. Many students who successfully complete the program go on to work in oil fields in North Africa, Russia, China, Central America, South America, and the Ukraine. Local opportunities include steelwork in Athens, shipyard work in the gulf and in Texas oil fields, and the aerospace and automotive industries.
The Palestine campus hosts a large cosmetology program. Unlike most programs, in which students attend class for a few hours a day and complete a large portion of schoolwork on their own time, the work involved in the cosmetology program takes place almost entirely on campus during regular business hours. Classes normally meet from Monday to Thursday from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM for four semesters. After completing the program, students must pass a Texas State Board Exam to become licensed cosmetologists.
In addition to the standard certificates and degrees in early childhood education, the childhood education program at TVCC includes certificates in early childhood administration, infant and toddler education, and school age education. These options allow students to specialize based on their future career goals.
The Student Success Center (SSC) is located on the Athens campus. It offers study strategies and various forms of learning assistance. One popular program is Professionals Offering Departmental Study Sessions (PODS). Faculty members offer sessions of preplanned tutelage to groups or, if demands and time permit, individually.
The department of Distance Learning provides online education of the same quality, intensity, and worth as in-person classes. To assess whether a student is prepared to engage in distance education, TVCC administrates the Smarter Measure Readiness for Education at a Distance Indicator (READI). There are also many hybrid courses offered, in which students spend part of their time learning online but still meet occasionally for class discussions and personal contact with the teacher.
TVCC participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering Matrix, which allows institutions to easily compare and award credit for coursework already completed at another institution. NCTC has transfer agreements with many colleges and universities in the area, and there are many more community college credit-honoring colleges and universities in north Texas for students to choose from:
Texas Woman
TVCC is a rural school in what has historically been cowboy country. In keeping with the local economy and culture, the school has developed strong specialties in Ranch Management and Rodeo.
In the Ranch Management program, students combine work experience and classroom education to thoroughly prepare for employment after graduation. Students can earn a 19 hour Beef Cattle Manager Certificate, a 40 hour Ranch Management Certificate, or a two year Associate of Applied Science Degree. Students who earn one of the certificates can then go on to apply those credits to the Associate
In keeping with their mission to offer educational opportunities to any adult who wishes to pursue them, TVCC features open admissions. Registration in some programs, such as Allied Health programs, is subject to additional requirements and restrictions.
In addition to the wide array of state and federal financial aid available to any college or university student in Texas, TVCC administrates several of their own need- and merit-based scholarships.
There are dozens of student clubs and organizations at TVCC to complement students
The football team at TVCC is especially well known and has won several conference and national championships. Several former players now play for the National Football League. The women
Many students travel to Dallas for recreation or to participate in academic or cultural events. East Dallas is home to Deep Ellum, the place to go for jazz and blues. The Arts District downtown is home to the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, Nasher Sculpture Center, Winspear Opera House, City Performance Hall, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
On the lighter side, Dallas is well known for Mexican food, barbeque, and great steaks. Rock concerts, sporting events, bars, clubs, and outdoor recreation are available in nearly limitless supply.
Athletics. Trinity Valley Community College. Web. 28 May 2011.
Fiske, Edward B. Fiske Guide to Colleges 2011. Chicago: Sourcebooks, 2010. Print.
Pope, Loren. Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That
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