Best Community Colleges: Normandale Community College (MN)

 

Best Community Colleges: Normandale Community College (MN)

Normandale Community College, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, serves the communities of the southwestern portion of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region and it’s a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system.

Normandale Community College has an annual enrollment of 10,000 students and the student population is very diverse – 30% and growing. Some of the programs of study offered include dental hygiene, nursing, hospitality management, dietetics, and engineering foundations.

Normandale confers various certificates for 9-30 credits as well as multiple two-year degrees: Associate of Arts (AA), Associate in Fine Arts (AFA), Associate in Science (AS), and Associate in Applied Science (AAS).

Examples of degree programs of study include Dental Hygiene, Hospitality, Creative Writing, Special Education, Theatre, Anthropology and World Languages.

In collaboration with Education for Global Learning (EGL), Normandale Community College also has a short-term and semester Study Abroad program.

The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MNTC) is a series of 40 course credits transferable to all secondary education institutions in Minnesota. Further, Minnesota Transfer has established articulation agreements with many non-Minnesota colleges and institutions.

The campus features a two-acre Japanese Garden, the Academic Partnership Center and the Fine Arts building. Annually, the college presents various student recitals, band and choral concerts, art exhibits and other public events.

Normandale’s Continuing Education program offers a full set of courses for professional enrichment e.g. New World of Work, Microsoft Office 2010 and personal learning, Foreign Languages, Feng Shui & Sound Therapy. Additionally, Normandale offers organizational training e.g. Agile, ScrumMaster, and Six Sigma training and it also develops specialized courses customized for local business and presented at the college, at the business location or online.

Normandale ranked #48 in the CNN Money listing of community colleges in 2012.