Pierce College (WA)

06 Aug

College

Tagged under

Pierce College (WA)

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

Pierce College, in Puyallup, Washington, is a two-year community college serving the Pierce County college district. The college has two main colleges — Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood and Pierce College Puyallup in Puyallup; its extended learning sites are Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, and South Hill.

With just under 25,000 students enrolled in 2012, about 6500 attend the campus at Pullayup annually. One-third of Pierce students are ethnic minorities. Of the total enrolled, 50 percent plan to transfer to a 4-year college while 32 percent are enrolled in professional/ technical programs. The school offers continuing education and online classes.

The junior college offers 34 associate degrees and 34 professional certificates in 61 programs of study. The most popular study areas are Pre-Nursing, Criminal Justice, Pre-Dental Hygiene and Early Childhood Education.

Arts & Culture have become core activities at Pierce, including live theater, performing music, literary arts magazine, art gallery, and PierceTV.

The Rainier Science and Technology Building, erected in 2010, provides classrooms, science and math labs, offices, and two winter-gardens (plant-filled glass atriums).

The Arts and Allied Health Building, featuring a theater, art gallery, recording studio, nursing skills and graphic labs, has refreshed the Puyallup campus.

Both the Rainier and the Arts & Allied Health buildings are eco-friendly and have earned gold certification by LEED for environmental accountability and sustainability. They have become a part of the college’s curriculum and increased focus on environmental sustainability.

The Pierce College Science Dome is a 58-seat domed visualization theater, the only one of its kind in the South Puget Sound region; it’s used for classes and is available for pre-K-12 class visits.

The college ranked #22 in the CNN Money listing of top community colleges in 2012. The Aspen Institute listed Pierce College at Puyallup among the top 10% of all U.S. community colleges in 2013.