There are hundreds of community colleges nationwide, but in South Florida, the three schools that attract the most enrollees are Miami Dade College (MDC), Broward Community College, and South Florida Community College (SFCC). MDC has the highest number of enrollees with about 51,239 students, while Broward comes next with 30,607 students. South Florida Community College has an enrollment of 2,414 students. All data noted is as of 2011.
Miami Dade College's first school, which is now called the North Campus, was built in Miami-Dade County in 1960. Seven additional campus sites have been added over the years which include the Hialeah Campus, the Homestead Campus, the InterAmerican Campus, Kendall Campus, Medical Center Campus, West Campus, and Wolfson Campus. Students unable to go to any of these eight campus sites can still enroll through online options. MDC's website is at mdc.edu.
MDC offers about 150 associate in arts (AA) degrees for students who want to take transfer programs and continue these programs in four-year colleges. High school students who have good grades can opt to join MDC's Honors College where they can earn an AA degree with honors and be eligible to continue their schooling in the top universities in the country. Students inclined toward music, dancing, theater and visual arts can take courses in visual and performing arts in MDC's New World School of the Arts. Non-credit courses are also available for high school students or adults who would like to expand their skills by taking special courses offered in MDC's Community Education programs.
Like MDC, Broward College was also started in 1960, and now has about ten sites spread in several areas in Fort Lauderdale. It offers different programs that cater to students with various goals. Students who want to prepare for future employment by taking a degree with specialized training can select from more than fifty associate in applied science (AAS) or associate in science (AS) courses. On the other hand, students who want to earn a two-year degree and transfer to higher level institutions can choose from more than a hundred AA courses spanning topics from accounting to zoology. Most of these courses are also available in e-Learning modes to students interested in online classes. Students who decide not to pursue a degree but who still want to continue their education or secure a certificate can go with non-credit courses or certification programs, which offer training in their preferred skill or trade. Additionally, Broward has also expanded to include several bachelor in science degrees and bachelor in applied science degrees. A course is also available for registered nurses who would like to earn a bachelor of science in nursing. For more information about Broward and its programs, its website is at broward.edu.
South Florida Community College was founded in 1966 with the opening of its first campus site in Avon Park, named Highlands Campus. Its campus site in Lake Placid followed in 1984, while the other two sites --- DeSoto Campus in Arcadia and Hardee Campus in Bowling Green --- opened in 2003. Its website can be accessed at southflorida.edu. Like Miami Dade and Broward, SFCC has various AA degrees available for transfer programs. It also offers six categories of occupational programs including associate in science, associate in applied science, applied technology diploma, college credit certificate, occupational certificate and apprenticeship. Students can choose occupational programs in the fields of accounting, agriculture, automotive, business, health, computer science, construction, electricity, electronics and public services.