Del Mar College
Del Mar College is a community college in Corpus Christi, Texas.
About Del Mar College
Founded in 1935, the institution is a comprehensive community college. The College encompasses two primary campuses and one campus annex with combined physical assets of more than $99 million. Del Mar College serves a four-and-one-half county service area, including Aransas, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces and San Patricio Counties in South Texas. Five independent school districts within Nueces County make up the College’s taxing district.
Academics
Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, DMC offers Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees in over 50 university transfer majors and Associate in Applied Science degrees, Enhanced Skills Certificates and Certificates of Achievement in more than 80 occupational fields. During spring 2005, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board visited the College and rated 14 programs as exemplary--a record for an institution of Del Mar College’s size.
Students can take courses using special scheduling options that include weekend, online, videoconferencing, and short-semester courses and Rapid Track, an accelerated program that allows students to complete an Associate in Arts degree in one year.
Four-year institutions in the state report that DMC transfer students do as well as, or better than, students who started at those institutions as freshmen (information current as of 2004). In fact, 67 percent of Del Mar College graduates planning to transfer do so within one year. And, the average passing rate for DMC graduates is 93.9% in occupational programs that require licensing for employment.
Additionally, 92% of tenure-track faculty hold a masters degree or higher with 22% holding a doctoral or first professional degree. The student/faculty ratio at DMC is 18:1.
A $108 million public bond package has allowed extensive renovation and expansion of Del Mar College East and West, along with the development of the DMC Annex that houses the Center for Economic Development. Both noncredit and credit students have access to classes, laboratories and the latest technology that upgrade their current skills, prepare them for further study or train them for immediate employment in the Coastal Bend area.
Del Mar College is ranked among the nation’s top three percent of community colleges granting associate degrees to Hispanic students according to the national higher education publication Community College Week.
Culture
Beyond academics and noncredit courses, the College also serves as a cultural hub. From art exhibits and music recitals to theater productions and readings and lectures, the Corpus Christi community has access to innumerable offerings at little or no cost throughout the year.
Affordability
In-district students pay $760 for a 12-hour credit course load. Del Mar College provides over $16 million annually to support student success in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, student assistants and work-study programs.
Student population
Currently, over 22,000 credit and noncredit students enroll each year with an average full-time enrollment of 11,400 students. Nearly 61% of the credit student population is composed of women with over 56% of the student body being Hispanic, classifying DMC as both a Hispanic Serving Institution and a Minority Serving Institution. Over 95% of the College’s students come from Corpus Christi and the surrounding area with the majority of DMC students being first-generation college students.
External links
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