Pasadena City College: Courses, Admission, Cost

Recognized as one of California's best community colleges, Pasadena City College (PCC) is a public community college. The institute was founded on the Pasadena High School Campus in the year 1924 as Pasadena Junior College to meet the community's demands for a higher educational facility. At that time, only 267 students were enrolled with the college. It came to be known as one of the earliest Junior Colleges near Southwest U.S. The former students, graduates, and faculty of Pasadena Community College have greatly contributed to American society. The college is governed by a Board of Trustees comprising nine members. It is administered by the Pasadena Area Community College District (PACCD), which operates under a Shared Governance model encouraging the participative role of management, staff, students, and faculty in College and District governance.

The Colorado Campus, the main campus of Pasadena City College, spreads over 53 acres of land in the heart of Pasadena. It has 39 buildings housing well-equipped classrooms, theatres, auditoriums, instructional/vocational shops and labs, a TV studio, a radio station, an art gallery, a museum, and an observatory.The Foothill Campus or the Satellite Campus, which boasts of a Community Education Centre, is home to the Non-credit Division offering technical, academic, and vocational courses. It also offers the Cosmetology credit programme, as well as many of the Health Sciences credit programmes in medical assistance, radiology technology, and nursing.

At the Rosemead Campus, located 9 miles from the main campus, students can pursue general education non-credit and credit courses, and receive support services. PCC's Northwest Campus offers general education credit courses, dual and concurrent enrolment courses, and other curricular opportunities to high school students. The Child Development Centre at PCC cares for the children of the faculty, staff, community members, and students. Besides, it serves as a model teacher-training centre for child development programmes.

Pasadena City College offers four different associate degrees, 60 transfer majors, and 88 certificate programmes in diverse fields of study, including Psychology, Business, Computer Science, Nursing and Art. With as many as 12 academic divisions and over 90 areas of study, PCC provides exceptional and rigorous courses that allow students to explore their academic interests and passion through specialized services, counselling and support programmes. The institute has facilities like online tutoring services, a robust library, and excellent resources that open up opportunities for studying abroad.

The Transfer Majors and Degrees lay the foundation for relocating to a four-year university. The International Students Program at PCC gives an opportunity to study with more than 830 students from 71 different countries. PCC's Distant Learning Program provides the chance to take up online courses taught by a certified instructor, thus making attending classes convenient. Students can attend tests, lectures, and assignments online. Furthermore, the Pre-College Program offers an opportunity to start earning credits while still attending high school.

Pasadena City College offers financial aid in the form of grants, student loans, and scholarships to assist students with college expenses. Additionally, with the Federal Work-Study Program, students with a demonstrated financial need can get opportunities for both on and off-campus employment.

The university also has notable alumni. Some of the great names from its alumni network include award-winning screenplay writer and actor, Dustin Lance Black; TV news reporter and anchor, Stan Atkinson; fashion designer Bob Mackie; actor William Reynolds; and others.