Mt Hood Community College (MHCC, MHCC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

For students looking for a community college experience in the scenic Pacific Northwest, Mt. Hood Community college offers solid academic programs with many opportunities for students looking to pick up a career certificate, an associate’s degree or an easy transition into a four year college or university.

Located just a short drive away from downtown Portland and less than an hour from Mt. Hood, MHCC offers students not just academic opportunities, but also excellent life experience opportunities. Students attending MHCC can take advantage of the many cultural and recreational opportunities offered by the area to supplement their education at the college.

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Information Summary

Ranks 28th in Oregon and 2719th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	54.5
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$7,001
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	18 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	61% / 45%
Enrollment Total (all students)	8,612

Academics

Mt. Hood Community College offers 120 associate degrees, career certificates and transfer program options. Career certification programs provide students with a quick credential they can use to polish up their resumes to make them more employable. These programs are particularly sought after by recently displaced workers, who quickly want to learn a more marketable skill.

Courses are offered at three campuses, the main campus in Gresham, Or.; the Maywood Park campus and the Bruning Center for Allied Health Education.

Some of the programs offered at the college include standard academic courses and other, more career-oriented fare such as welding and machine tools and a firefighting course.

The most popular majors offered by the college include allied health programs, liberal arts, business and marketing and mechanic and repair courses.

The college has a well-regarded music program, with a strong jazz performance band. The music program is a particular point of pride for the school and a key part of the Mt. Hood Jazz festival.

Online Learning

Like many colleges and universities, Mt. Hood Community College has jumped on the online learning bandwagon. The college offers a number of strictly online courses, and hybrid courses that combine classroom activities and online instruction. Online courses make it easier for students with work or family obligations to complete coursework at their convenience.

Four-Year Degrees

Working in conjunction with Eastern Oregon University, Mt. Hood Community College also offers its students the opportunity to earn a four-year degree in business administration or education, with several variations of these degrees. This allows many working students who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to earn a four-year degree to obtain one at MHCC.

Accreditation

Mt. Hood Community College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which accredits schools in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The NWCCU accredits 156 colleges and universities in this area.

Campus Library and Learning Resource Center

On campus, students can take advantage of the Mt. Hood Community College Library on the Gresham campus and a Learning Resource Center on the Maywood Park Campus. Between the two facilities, there are more than 65,000 books, a variety of periodicals and many technological education aid facilities for students. The most recent construction for the college is a $2 million effort to upgrade streets around the college, making accessibility better.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Admissions

Mt. Hood Community College has a fairly liberal admissions policy and is open to just about anyone with a high school diploma or GED. Students without these certificates may be admitted on a case by case basis. Students applying to the college should submit high school transcripts and standardized test scores. All new students will take a placement test to determine whether they will need to take remedial courses. SAT scores can be used in place of the assessment.

The college has a rolling admissions deadline. However, the college encourages earlier applications, however, particularly for students seeking scholarships.

Some programs in the college do have a selective admissions process that takes into account things such as college GPA, prerequisite courses, etc. The graphic design program has prerequisites, and the allied health program requires students to have a GPA of at least 2.5.

Transfer students to the college should have at least a 2.0 college GPA.

As of May 2011, the college charges a $25 application fee.

Financial Aid

Students applying to Mt. Hood Community College are eligible for federal grants and student loans. There are also a number of grants and scholarships offered by the state of Oregon, the college and other organizations that students may be eligible for. There are more than 50 types of Mt. Hood Community College Foundation and other scholarships students may be eligible to receive.

A few of the many scholarships available at Mt. Hood Community College include the Mt. Hood Community College Foundation Scholarship for Part-Time students. The program awards part-time students tuition for their courses and up to $75 that they can use toward textbooks. The Mt. Hood Community College Foundation Scholarship for English as a Non-Native Language Students, provides $500 to non-native English speakers who are enrolled full-time at the college. Students must be enrolled in ENL classes to qualify. Students are urged to apply for scholarship aid early, as many scholarships are first come, first served.

The college’s office of financial aid also stands ready to help students find other grants and scholarships they may be eligible for. The school’s website, has a helpful list of scholarships that students can use to see which awards they may be eligible for.

Student Financial Aid Details

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Students

On campus, students can check out the college’s unique planetarium and solar observatory. The campus also has an aquatic center, where students and local residents can engage in swimming lessons and other water activities and a first-class rock wall, where climbing and other skills are taught.

Mt. Hood Community College offers a variety of student clubs and organizations. There are 35 active clubs and organizations on campus. Clubs and organizations include professional and academic groups, as well as special interest groups like the Wildside club, which focuses on outdoor activities and wilderness survival skills.

The vast majority of Mt. Hood Community College students are residents of Oregon. Most students work full-or part-time, but a substantial number of students (36 percent) intend to transfer to a four year institution. Like most community colleges, MHCC does not offer student housing. To better accommodate non-traditional students with families, MHCC has a child care center that offers learning and recreational activities for the children of students while class is in session.

MHCC maintains a student newspaper, the Advocate. The campus also has a student radio station.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Athletics

Mt. Hood Community College offers a comprehensive range of sports for students who want to compete at the intercollegiate level while in community college. Mt. Hood teams have a strong track record of success on the field, and academic success is also emphasized by Mt. Hood’s coaching staff.

Mt. Hood Community College is a NJCAA school and participates in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

The college offers men’s baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis and track and field. Women’s softball, basketball, cross country, tennis, track and field and volleyball are offered by MHCC.

The men’s baseball team is one of the school’s oldest athletic programs and has a very successful history. Within the past two decades, the men’s baseball team has won 13 regional championships and two Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championships.

The women’s softball team has had a great run of recent success, taking the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championship for the past two years.

The women’s volleyball team also has a track record of success. In the past two decades, women’s volleyball teams have captured 11 regional championships and seven Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championships. MHCC teams are nicknamed the Saints. School colors are red and black.

Traditions

The college has hosted an annual Holiday Craft Festival for more than 40 years, which gives local and out-of-town vendors a chance to show off their wares, and opportunities for local residents to learn more about crafting. The festival is one of the college’s most popular yearly events.

Local Community

With its proximity to Mt. Hood, MHCC students have many opportunities to enjoy outdoor recreation in a beautiful area of the country. Mt. Hood is a dormant volcano in the Cascade Mountains. At Mt. Hood, there are ski areas, glaciers and a national forest — plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation and adventure.

Being just minutes from Portland, MHCC students will never lack for entertainment, cultural, internship or other opportunities.

Additional School Information

Mt. Hood Community College narrowly averted a strike by faculty in 2011. An agreement reached between the administration and faculty cut $3.2 million from the school’s budget, but preserved jobs and gave the faculty a larger say in the governance of the college.

Bibliography

The College Board College Handbook, 2010 . 47th ed. New York: College Board, 2009. Print.

Gonsher, Debra A., and Joshua Halberstam. The community college guide: the essential reference from application to graduation. Dallas, Tex.: BenBella Books, 2009. Print.

“Mt. Hood Community College Home Page.” Mt. Hood Community College Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2011. <http://www.mhcc.edu/default.aspx>.

Updated: At Mt. Hood Community College, a strike was averted and both sides got something they wanted | OregonLive.com." Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather – OregonLive.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2011. <http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2011/05/at_mt_hood_community_college_a.h

Mt Hood Community College