Miami Dade College (MDC, MDC, MDCC, Miami-Dade Community College) Introduction and History

Introduction

Miami Dade College, also known as Miami Dade and MDC, is comprised of eight campuses and over 20 educational centers throughout Miami-Dade County in Florida. The school’s main campus, Wolfson Campus, is located downtown in the heart of the city’s financial and cultural center.

The college’s other seven campuses include:

Hialeah Campus in Hialeah
Kendall Campus in Miami
North Campus in northern Miami
MDC-West Campus in Doral
Medical Center Campus, located in Miami’s medical / civic center complex along with the University of Miami’s Schools of Medicine, the Veterans Administration Hospital, and other medical organizations
Homestead Campus in the historic downtown district of Homestead
InterAmerican Campus in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood

Serving over 160,000 students each year, MDC has earned the distinction of being the largest post-secondary institution in the state and the second-largest in the nation.

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Information Summary

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Overall Score (about)	Insufficient Data
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$4,338
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	30 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	N/A / N/A
Enrollment Total (all students)	54,973

History

Dade County Junior College was founded in 1959, initially holding classes at a local high school. African Americans and Cuban exiles were accepted as students, making it the first integrated two-year college in the state. The institution, which went through much growth and change since its inception, was renamed Miami-Dade Community College in the early 1970s. It received the right to award bachelor’s degrees and adopted its current name of MDC in 2003.

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Academics

Miami Dade awards associate degrees in Arts, Science, and Applied Sciences. Students can pursue over 150 fields of study including biology, engineering, pre-law, social work, and teaching. In addition to its two-year degrees, the college now offers Bachelor of Science degrees in both Education and Nursing, as well as a Bachelor of Applied Science in Criminal Justice.

The college also offers certificates, college credit programs, and e-learning which is maintained by the Virtual College Department and offers associate degree programs as well as classes online. Students taking classes through Virtual College interact with fellow students through discussion forums, live chat, and educational games. The online courses offered are either credit or non-credit.

Over three-quarters of Associate in Arts degree graduates enroll in four-year colleges and universities in the state. The Honors College—tailored to gifted students who excelled in high school— has even had graduates move on to prestigious universities such as Stanford, Columbia, and Yale.

Most Popular Fields of Study

Admissions

An open admissions policy is in place for anyone wishing to pursue associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, requiring prospective students to posses a high school diploma, GED equivalent, or college transfer credits. Vocational certificate programs are open to all adults.

Applicants to the Miami Dade Honors College, which was created for academically talented students, must meet GPA and standardized test score minimums.

Financial Aid

Students may apply for scholarships, grants, and loans to help ease the burden of educational expenses by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. The financial aid office offers entrance and exit counseling for students receiving aid.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 4870th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Florida.

Students

Miami Dade College is a commuter school that offers a variety of activities for student involvement on its campuses, including athletics, artistic and cultural events, and campus-wide student email. In addition, each campus has a library for students to use as a resource for classroom assignments.

The college hosts the annual Miami Book Fair International, a world-renowned festival where both famous and promising writers hold readings and lectures. Hundreds and thousands of bookworms attend the two-day festival. In 2008, the event featured esteemed writers such as Dave Barry, Nikki Giovanni, Joyce Carol Oates, Salman Rushdie, and Gore Vidal.

The Tower Theater, which shows films in both English and Spanish, is located on the MDC campus in Little Havana, a Miami neighborhood known for its cultural and social diversity. The Tower also features plays, exhibitions, and lectures.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

The Miami Dade College Sharks are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the Florida Community College Activities Association’s Southern Conference. School athletic teams include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s baseball, and women’s volleyball and softball. MDC also offers intramural sports for interested students.

The school’s baseball team, which has won the NJCAA national title, has several alumni that went on to become Major League Baseball players: Placido Polanco, Bucky Dent, Mike Piazza, Mickey Rivers, and Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton.

Alumni

In addition to MLB stars, well-known MCD alums include:

Actor Sylvester Stallone
Former Miss Florida USA Lissette Garcia
Author James Carlos Blake
Musician KC Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band
Musician Emilio Estefan of the Miami Sound Machine
TV Host Bob Vila of This Old House

Accreditation

MDC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The school’s programs of study are accredited by dozens of prestigious institutions, including the Florida Board of Nursing, Federal Aviation Administration, and the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Assistant.

Miami Dade College