Collin College has come a long way since offering its first classes at area high schools in 1985, growing from around 5,000 students to more than 58,000 credit and non-credit students. Originally known as the Collin County Community College District, the school rebranded itself Collin College in 2007.
Collin College offers students a variety of educational plans to satisfy all areas of interest and study. Whether it’s preparing students for a college or university degree, pursuing an associate degree of arts or science, an associate of arts in teaching, or certificates that prepare a student for immediate employment, there’s a plan for everyone. The college is now offering a bachelor of science in nursing and a bachelor of applied technology in cybersecurity, with all four years completed at Collin College.
As the only public college in Collin County, Collin College is an integral part of the higher education landscape in North Texas. As Collin College has added campuses across the county, student population has grown, too. Its growth mirrors that of Collin County itself, and tells the story of its impact through its various campuses and educational offerings.
The McKinney campus, or Central Park, is the original campus and is home to the nationally recognized Cary A. Israel Health Sciences Center, where programs in nursing and health sciences are housed. General education courses are also offered at Central Park to prepare students for a wide variety of academic goals. Also located in McKinney is the Collin Higher Education Center, which was created to provide a multi-institutional higher education experience. Here, five universities offer a variety of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in one location. Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas Woman’s University, The University of Texas at Dallas, The University of North Texas and Texas Tech University have partnered with Collin College to offer numerous programs and support for students.
Other campuses include the Public Safety Training Center in McKinney, the home for the Fire Science and Law Enforcement academies at Collin College; the Collin College Technical Campus in Allen that offers students multiple paths in high-demand, high-wage career fields, including robotics, electronics, biomed tech, welding, HVAC, automotive, construction, health care, IT and manufacturing; the Frisco campus with its award-winning Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Education and the National Convergence Technology Center; the Plano campus, home to the John Anthony Theatre and other fine arts programming, as well as the Honors Institute, Veterans Resource Center and the Center for Science, Math and Natural Sciences; and other campuses in Plano, Rockwall, Wylie, Farmersville and, soon, Celina.
Collin College offers courses designed to get North Texans into the workforce quickly with the skills that employers are looking for now. Workforce Education offers degrees and certificates in: advanced manufacturing; law, public safety, corrections and security; arts, audio/visual technology and communication; logistics and transportation; hospitality and human services; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); business management and administration; and architecture and construction. The possibilities are both interesting and limitless.
Collin College also offers career skills training, or continuing education, in a number of non-credit areas, from computer programming to graphic design and publishing, fire science, real estate, eye care, photography, animal health, technical trades and many more.
The school also provides organizations with opportunities to train and develop their workers though its Corporate College. Launched in 2017, the college provides businesses, nonprofit and government sectors with professional training, including middle skills, professional development opportunities and business solutions. The Collin College Corporate College works alongside the company to determine the needs and then provide a curriculum to fill that need, contributing to employee retention and satisfaction.
Whether it’s deciding on a career, training for one, enhancing employability or simply pursuing higher education knowledge and interests, Collin College offers North Texans convenient access to opportunity.