Online Associate’s Degree Programs Available at Northwest Iowa Community College
Northwest Iowa Community College appears in our ranking of the 20 Best Colleges for an Online Associates Degree.
Designed to help local students get the education that they need, Northwest Iowa Community College added online associate’s degree programs to help students who could not easily visit the campus. Students have the option of taking individual online courses from different departments or earning an entire degree online. One option is the health care management track, which looks at both the human body and the operations of the health care industry. Majors take classes such as Foundations of Radiologic Technology, Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, Introduction to Psychology, and a Pharmacy Technician Practicum.
In the medical coding program, students learn the fundamentals of the coding that insurers and medical facilities use. Students can only start in the fall and must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or higher to graduate. The college has a web and graphic design program available online that includes four semesters of work and a final summer term. Those who complete two semesters of work can graduate with a diploma. Introduction to Computers, Digital Marketing, Digital Imaging, Fundamentals of Web Design and Web Development I and II are all required classes for majors.
Students who know that they will transfer to a four-year program can opt for the Associate of Arts (AA) general program. It includes tracks in psychology and criminal justice and can help students enroll in different pre-professional bachelor’s programs, including those in fields such as education, theater, history, mortuary science, and personal fitness. The college expects students to take one class on-campus each week on either Tuesday or Thursday and take all other classes online. An AA in Business is also available that includes Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, Small Business Management, Risk Management, and Personal Selling.
Also available is an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Virtual Administration Management, which looks at the online and technical tools that managers use. Students learn the basics of managing an office and supporting staff. This program includes a diploma option with two semesters of classes and a degree option with two years of study. Majors take Introduction to Computers and Introduction to Business in the first semester and then advanced classes such as Virtual Office Management I and II, Administrative Management and Project and Event Management. Some of the other subjects that students can study in the online associate’s degree programs at Northwest Iowa Community College include information technology, business, agriculture, and business management. Though some of these programs include a small amount of on-campus work, many allow students to take only online classes.
About Northwest Iowa Community College
Northwest Iowa Community College is a public and community college in Iowa. Established in 1966, the founders of the college picked Sheldon for the campus as a way to easily reach students who lived in northwest Iowa and cities in several border states. Though some call the campus NCC, it usually uses the abbreviation of NWICC. The Sheldon campus now sits on more than 260 acres and offers 43 programs. This includes transfer, degree, and certificate or vocational programs. There are other programs designed for students who need to complete some degree requirements and those who want to earn a GED. More than 28,000 students enroll in NWICC programs every year.
Northwest Iowa Community College Accreditation Details
With regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), NWICC can offer financial aid packages to incoming students and those who return each year. This not only gives students the right to use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), but it also allows students to bring credits from another school to the college or use their NWICC credits at another college. The college also has approval from the Iowa Department of Education for its programs.
Northwest Iowa Community College Application Requirements
An admissions checklist is available online for students to help them see what they need to have and do when applying to NWICC. This checklist starts with the application, which they can access online. It asks them to create an account and then log in with their data. The college asks for an official transcript and will accept both transcripts from other colleges and high schools as well as GED records from those who took the equivalency exam. Students should have those transcripts sent to Northwest Iowa Community College in care of the Admissions Office. They can then apply for financial aid.
The college does not let students register for classes until it decides where to place them in their introductory courses. Students who took the ACT or SAT can have the testing board submit an official score on their behalf. All other students must take a placement assessment test. Those who need help can contact the college and ask to take this assessment on-campus. NWICC can also help students find a local testing center to take the assessment if they live far from campus and plan on enrolling in an online program.
Tuition and Financial Aid
At NWICC, residents of Iowa pay $173 per credit hour. To qualify for this rate, a student must present a copy of an Iowa tax return, a vehicle or voter registration, driver’s license or proof that they own a property in the state. Students who live in a border state pay $178 per credit hour, including those from Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. All other non-residents pay $183 per credit hour. NWICC has a separate rate for all online students of $189 per credit hour.
Though NWICC has scholarships for students, it requires that they apply online with the scholarship application. This application asks for an essay and allows students to write about how that scholarship can help them, why they want to go to college or how a degree can help them. They also have the option of adding a letter of recommendation. The college has a full list online that shows students what scholarships they can get and how much each one awards them. They can combine their scholarships with any other financial aid that they get from the FAFSA, including loans and grants. Some students seeking an online associate’s degree from Northwest Iowa Community College may qualify for off-campus employment through the federal work-study program too.
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