College Of The Desert

College of the Desert, or COD, was founded in 1958. The first class was held in 1962, and the college gained accreditation in 1966. The college campus covers more than 160 acres in Palm Desert, California. As of Fall 2008, COD had more than 11,400 students. The college presently enrolls over 55% Hispanic students, approximately 29% White students, 3% African American, about 4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1% American Indian students. The academic divisions of COD are as follows:

Division of Health Sciences
English As A Second Language
Math & Science Division
Public Safety Academy

COD has a wide variety of student organizations including the Business and Economics Club, COD Spirit Club, Latina Leadership Network, COD Student Veterans Organization, Gay Straight Alliance, COD Writers Club, International Club, and Campus Christian Network.

Campus Location

43-500 Monterey Ave
Palm Desert, CA 92260
USA
Main Tel: (760) 346-8041
Web Site

The campus is in a large suburb.

College Of The Desert Highlights

Where College Of The Desert stands out most compared to other schools (details below):

Many students concentrating in liberal arts and therapy and counseling.
Affordable tuition & fees.
Large number of students.
High faculty salary.
Large number of programs of study offered.
Racially diverse student body.

Other important characteristics:

Open admission; accepts all qualified candidates
Faculty tenure system
Library on-campus
Distance learning available
Weekend study option
Part-time classes available

Degrees Awarded (in 2007)

Degree	Total Earned	Different Programs
Associate	532	58
1-2 year certificate	73	10
< 1 year certificate	63	17

Students

The student enrollment at College Of The Desert was 8,597 in 2007 (4,914 full-time equivalent).

Undergrads are 100% of enrolled students.

Students living in the US make up 100% of incoming freshmen.

Tuition and Other Costs

Item	Cost
State Tuition and fees	$ 594
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$ 5,137
Books and supplies	$ 1,425

Financial Aid: College Of The Desert participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.

Similar Schools

Based on computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to College Of The Desert:

School	Location	Enrollment
Merced College	Merced, CA	10,890
College of the Sequoias	Visalia, CA	11,697
Allan Hancock College	Santa Maria, CA	13,176
Antelope Valley College	Lancaster, CA	13,312
Sacramento City College	Sacramento, CA	24,596
Solano Community College	Fairfield, CA	11,163
Los Angeles Valley College	Valley Glen, CA	17,264
San Bernardino Valley College	San Bernardino, CA	12,839
Ohlone College	Fremont, CA	11,083
Cosumnes River College	Sacramento, CA	12,967

Faculty

Tenure (2007):

Full-Time Faculty		Total
With tenure		71
Without tenure; working toward tenure		31
Without tenure; tenure not available		27

Housing and Meals

On-campus housing is not available.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees awarded in 2007 in parentheses)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (1 awarded)

Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations
Agriculture
Crop Production

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING (5 awarded)

Architectural Technology/Technician

ART STUDIES (2 awarded)

Art/Art Studies

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (61 awarded)

Accounting
Business Administration and Management
Business/Commerce

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (22 awarded)

Computer Graphics
Computer Science
Information Technology

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (5 awarded)

Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Natural Resources/Conservation

CONSTRUCTION TRADES (2 awarded)

Building/Construction Site Management/Manager
Building/Home/Construction Inspection/Inspector

COOKING AND CULINARY ARTS (11 awarded)

Cooking and Related Culinary Arts

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (0 awarded)

Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (6 awarded)

Drafting and Design Technology/Technician
Heating/AC/Refrigeration Technology/Technician

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (36 awarded)

Child Development
Human Services

HOSPITALITY (8 awarded)

Hospitality Administration/Management
Resort Management

LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE (10 awarded)

Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations
Turf and Turfgrass Management

LIBERAL ARTS (266 awarded)

Anthropology
Creative Writing
Economics
English Language and Literature
French Language and Literature
Geography
History
Italian Language and Literature
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Political Science and Government
Social Sciences
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Speech and Rhetorical Studies

MATHEMATICS (3 awarded)

Mathematics

MECHANICS AND REPAIR (10 awarded)

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Technology/Technician
Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician

MEDIA (7 awarded)

Journalism
Mass Communication/Media Studies

MUSIC (1 awarded)

Music

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (142 awarded)

Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)
Home Health Aide/Home Attendant
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training
Nurse/Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (0 awarded)

Dietetic Technician (DTR)
Health and Physical Education
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION (8 awarded)

Office Management and Supervision

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (1 awarded)

Philosophy

SCIENCE (2 awarded)

Biology/Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Geology/Earth Science
Physics

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (32 awarded)

Criminal Justice/Police Science
Fire Science/Fire-fighting

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (27 awarded)

Psychology
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling