Quality Education IN Midland
Midland College is a comprehensive public community college that is an educational leader in the Permian Basin. The college offers more than 30 degree programs as well as certificates and transfer programs in fields of study.
With online, hybrid and traditional face-to-face classes, Midland College provides the flexibility students need to complete their academic and career goals. The college values its mission of educating Midlanders of all ages and designs programs and curriculum to prepare students for success as they transfer to a university or enter the job market in high-demand careers.
Some highlights of Midland College include:
- Academic transfer courses that provide core curriculum for those who want to transfer to a university.
- Career and technical training that prepares students for the Permian Basin workforce.
- Two bachelor’s degrees in organizational management and health services management, with a third bachelor’s degree in education (Pre-K through third grade) to begin soon.
- Dual credit programming for high school students.
- A University Center that encompasses partnerships with various universities to provide articulation, and in some cases, actual university upper-level courses on the Midland College campus.
- The Texas A&M-Concho Engineering Academy, which allows students to co-enroll at both Midland College and Texas A&M, attend Midland College for one or two years and then begin upper-level engineering courses in College Station
- Continuing education and cultural enrichment that includes Kids’ College, courses especially for Midlanders age 50 and up, line dancing, management seminars and accelerated Quickbooks training.
- Adult basic education courses, such as GED, English as a Second Language and U.S. citizenship courses.
Affordability is a key component, with tuition being one-third the cost of that at Texas four-year public institutions. Thanks to generous donors and sound financial investments, Midland College is able to award over $1 million annually in scholarships.
In August 2019, the college partnered with the Midland Independent School District and the Midland Development Corporation to open a Pre-K academy on the Midland College campus in order to provide quality early childhood education. The school is also an active lab environment for college students who are interested in pursuing education careers.
At Early College High School at MC (ECHS@MC), students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree and high school diploma at the same time. In fact, ECHS@MC has one of the highest percentages of students receiving both an associate degree and a high school diploma in the state.
Midland College also provides great cultural enrichment for the community. World-renowned performances and globally acclaimed speakers visit the campus each year, sponsored by the Phyllis and Bob Cowan Performing Arts Series and the Davidson Distinguished Lecture Series.
Recent performers have included Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Gladys Knight, Jay Leno, Bob Newhart, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Garrison Keillor, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernandez and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Recent speakers include U.S. Military General David Petraeus, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Fareed Zakaria, Bill Nye, Bill Moyers, Bill Bryson, John Updike, astronaut James Lovell, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Shelby Foote, Michio Kaku, Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Jane Goodall.
Many of these events take place at the college’s Al G. Langford Chaparral Center, a multipurpose facility with a seating capacity of 5,500. Since it was constructed 40 years ago, the center has hosted more than 2,500 events with almost four million attendees.
Midland College’s motto is “Your College,” and college leaders take pride in the fact that the college is a resource for the Midland community, whether it be traditional higher education, workforce and technical courses or meeting the specific needs of a thriving community.
“We are always assessing community and workforce needs,” said Midland College President Dr. Steve Thomas. “We partner with civic and business leaders to offer programs that improve ‘quality of place’ and that focus on training that targets the demands of the Permian Basin economy.”