Bristol Community College (Bristol) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
with four campuses in
Southeastern Massachusetts
Southeastern Massachusetts consists of those portions of Massachusetts located along Buzzards Bay, including the cities of New Bedford and Fall River and their respective suburbs. Despite the location of Cape Cod and the islands to its south, ...
.
History
The college was originally established in December 1965 when it was instituted by the Massachusetts Board of Regional Community Colleges.
Campuses
The Fall River campus is located on of land at 777 Elsbree Street. There are three additional campuses in
New Bedford
New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...
located at 800 Purchase Street,
Attleboro located at 11 Field Road and
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
located at 2 Hamilton St.
Prior to 2014, Bristol held
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
operations through day and night classes at Cohannet School and Benjamin A. Friedman Middle School, respectively.
In 2014 it occupied the former Taunton Catholic Middle School in Taunton, which now houses a satellite campus of its own.
[ In 2021, it moved to the centrally-located former Coyle & Cassidy Memorial High School.][
]
Academics
Bristol Community College offers associate degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
s and certificates in over 150 academic programs, ranging from Associate of Science degrees, Associate of Arts degrees, Associate of Applied Science degrees, and a wide range of certificates. Bristol Community College is accredited
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the New England Commission of Higher Education
The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and other ...
.
Student life
At the end of the 2010–11 year, Bristol Community College had an undergraduate population of 12,123 day and evening credit students, along with an additional 17,439 in noncredit enrollments. The average annual tuition and fees for in-state students was around $4,166, whereas the out-of-state students paid, on average, about $9,482 in total annual tuition and fees. The average cost for a 3 credit course is approximately $498, equivalent to about $166 per credit.[
]
Athletics
The Bristol's athletic program was re-established in 2008. Under the guidance of Derek Viveiros as the athletic director, the college now competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in five varsity sports: men's and women's soccer in the fall, men's and women's basketball in the winter, and men's golf in the spring. The current mascot is the "Bristol Bayhawk."
Notable people
* William E. Kaufman, professor of philosophy, author of several theology books including ''Journeys: An Introductory Guide to Jewish Mysticism'', ''The Case for God'', ''A Question of Faith: An Atheist and a Rabbi Debate the Existence of God With Morton Shor'' and ''The Evolving God in Jewish Process Theology''.
* Dana Mohler-Faria Dana Mohler-Faria was the eleventh president of Bridgewater State University serving from 2002 until his retirement in 2015. and a member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. He was formerly the Special Advisor for Edu ...
, former BCC Assistant Dean of Administrative Services (''served'' from 1984 to 1987), former president of Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater State University is a public university with its main campus in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. It is the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts. Including its off-campus sites in New Bedford, Attleboro, and Cape Cod, BSU h ...
and the Special Advisor for Education to the former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, author, and businessman who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was first elected in 2006, succeeding Mitt Romney, who ...
.
* David B. Sullivan, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1997–2013)
* Howard Tinberg, professor of English, the Carnegie Foundation's Outstanding Community College Professor of 2004.
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
1965 establishments in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Fall River, Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in New Bedford, Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Taunton, Massachusetts
Community colleges in Massachusetts
Educational institutions established in 1965
NJCAA athletics
Universities and colleges in Bristol County, Massachusetts