Heald College has nine campuses in northern California including the headquarters in San Francisco, the Concord campus in the East Bay and a San Jose campus in the Silcon Valley. The college is geared toward business, legal, healthcare and technology professions and is authorized to train students for the official Microsoft and Cisco certified Systems Engineer and Network Professional exams. Heald has relationships with local business and graduates are provided lifetime career service assistance. Tuition for in-state students is $12,315. Various financial aid packages are available and credits are transferable to four-year universities.
San Joaquin Valley College operates eight campuses including schools in Fresno, Bakersfield and Visalia. They offer year-round accelerated training in 20 specialized programs. Students can fulfill the credit requirements for Associate of Science degree courses in approximately 14 months. Areas of study include Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assisting, Respiratory Therapy and Criminal Justice. This is a private school and tuition is expensive, ranging between $12,000 to $14,000 depending on the degree requirements. The college has an innovative on-line campus with 24-hour access that provides a convenient alternative to in-class instruction. Students can study Construction Management, Business Administration and Clinical Medical Assisting through these distance-learning courses.
The Los Angeles Trade Technical College, nicknamed "Trade Tech" by the locals, is one of nine two-year community colleges in the Los Angeles area--the largest district in the country. In 2009 the campus served 14,429 students. Tuition for residents is an economical $20 per unit. The school has Associate of Science degree and Certificate of Completion programs available in a broad spectrum of industries. From fashion to carpentry, cosmetology to digital media, electrician to culinary arts. The Construction, Design and Manufacturing department has apprenticeships and hands-on programs to learn plumbing, cabinet-making, drafting and welding.
San Diego City College serves 18,000 students and has over 200 certificate and degree programs. Tuition for the two-year community college is $26 per credit for all students, resident and non-resident. The college has a variety of off-campus classes available Monday through Saturday at the Educational Cultural Complex, including Mortgage Banking, Administration of Justice, Radio and Television, and Computer Business Tech. Occupational courses under the Engineering and Technologies department include air conditioning, refrigeration, and environmental control technology, nursing education and manufacturing engineering technology where students learn about packaging, automation and safety.