City: Tempe, AZ

Category: Education

Telephone: (480) 731-8000

Address: 2411 W. 14th St.

Description: Ten colleges, 2 skill centers, and several satellite campuses in Maricopa County are organized into the Maricopa Community College District, which is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Arizona and one of the largest in the country. The district formed in 1962 with a single college and has since grown to serve more than 400,000 students annually in credit and noncredit programs. Students have their choice of professional, occupational, special interest, and continuing education programs. In other words, you can study just about anything somewhere within the Maricopa Community College system. Many students attending Arizona State University have taken prerequisites in the liberal arts and other subjects at a community college, either before starting at ASU or while at ASU. Dramatic growth, innovative partnerships, and outstanding faculty and staff have created a community college district known for contemporary programming, technological advances, and an imaginative environment for learning. Maricopa Community Colleges and Northern Arizona University penned an agreement allowing NAU to develop a physical presence on every Maricopa Community College campus. The Maricopa Community Colleges offer almost 10,000 credit courses and about 1,000 occupational programs as well as 7 degrees, including Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), Associate in Applied Science (AAS), Associate in Business (ABus), Associate in Transfer Partnership (ATP), Associate in Elementary Education (AEE), and Associate in General Studies (AGS).The colleges serve many diverse communities, with students ranging from teenagers to 90-year-olds. Currently about 40 percent of all adults residing in Maricopa County have received educational services at one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. More than half of all Arizona State University baccalaureate degree recipients transfer credits from the Maricopa Community Colleges, and articulation agreements exist with numerous public and private colleges and universities in Arizona and nationally.Campuses, for the most part, have a few thousand students, but some are smaller. District growth has enabled campuses to build not only classroom buildings, but also such things as fitness centers, child care centers, and computer labs.Flexible scheduling and evening classes help accommodate working adults. Rio Salado Community College is known as the college without walls, because most of the classes take place at various satellite learning centers. Some of its campuses also offer distance learning via the Internet. These programs help make the community college experience accessible to everyone.The community colleges pride themselves on being able to serve every corner of the Valley. For addresses and phone numbers, call the district’s 24-hour hotline at (480) 731-8333.