Ridgewater College

Ridgewater College is a community and technical college located in Willmar, Minnesota. This college was established in 1996 after the merge of Hutchinson-Willmar Regional technical College and Willmar Community College. The college is under the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and is among the largest public colleges in Minnesota. Enrolling more than 5,000 students on an annual basis, the college offers a wide variety of degree and certificate programs in study areas which include accounting, business, nursing, liberal arts and mass communications.

This college offers a wide variety of clubs and organizations for the students including Phi Theta Kappa, the Anime Club, the Drama Club, the Multicultural Club and the Estheology Club. Male students of the college participate in sports such as baseball, basketball and soccer, while the female students are engaged in softball, basketball and volleyball.

Campus Location

2101 15th Ave NW
Willmar, MN 56201
USA
Main Tel: (800) 722-1151
Web Site

The campus is in a self-contained town.

Ridgewater College Highlights

Where Ridgewater College stands out most compared to other schools (details below):

Many students concentrating in nursing and emergency medicine and agricultural science and management.
Large number of programs of study offered.
Large number of students.

Other important characteristics:

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

Degrees Awarded (in 2007)

Degree	Total Earned	Different Programs
Associate	431	33
1-2 year certificate	259	24
2-4 year degree	159	13
< 1 year certificate	157	10

Students

The student enrollment at Ridgewater College was 4,177 in 2007 (3,114 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	$ 4,818
Books and supplies	$ 800

Financial Aid: Ridgewater College 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 Ridgewater College:

School	Location	Enrollment
Northland Community and Technical College	Thief River Falls, MN	4,027
Western Technical College	La Crosse, WI	4,564
South Central College	North Mankato, MN	3,639
Hutchinson Community College	Hutchinson, KS	4,570
Black Hawk College	Moline, IL	6,311
Northeast Community College	Norfolk, NE	5,149
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College	Fennimore, WI	2,549
Rend Lake College	Ina, IL	4,821
Casper College	Casper, WY	4,192
Lake Land College	Mattoon, IL	7,177

Faculty

Tenure (2007):

Full-Time Faculty		Total
With tenure		106
Without tenure; working toward tenure		16

Housing and Meals

On-campus housing is not available.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees awarded in 2007 in parentheses)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (49 awarded)

Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations
Agricultural Production Operations
Dairy Husbandry and Production
Farm/Farm and Ranch Management

BEAUTY AND COSMETOLOGY (38 awarded)

Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist
Cosmetology/Cosmetologist
Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (63 awarded)

Accounting
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping
Business Administration and Management
Insurance
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations
Selling Skills and Sales Operations
Small Business Administration/Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (4 awarded)

Computer Programming/Programmer
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design

CONSTRUCTION TRADES (41 awarded)

Carpentry/Carpenter
Electrician

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (8 awarded)

Teacher Assistant/Aide

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (42 awarded)

Computer Technology/Computer Systems Technology
Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engr Technology/Technician
Electromechanical Technology/Electromechanical Engineering Tech
Instrumentation Technology/Technician
Mechanical Drafting and Mechanical Drafting CAD/CADD
Telecommunications Technology/Technician

LAW (7 awarded)

Legal Administrative Assistant/Secretary

LIBERAL ARTS (151 awarded)

Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies

MECHANICS AND REPAIR (51 awarded)

Autobody/Collision and Repair Technology/Technician
Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician

MEDIA (20 awarded)

Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design
Recording Arts Technology/Technician

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION (26 awarded)

Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary
Medical Reception/Receptionist
Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (93 awarded)

Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder
Medical/Clinical Assistant
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer
Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician/Veterinary Assistant

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (272 awarded)

Health Aide
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training
Nurse/Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (2 awarded)

Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION (47 awarded)

Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science
Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART (20 awarded)

Commercial Photography

PRODUCTION TRADES (26 awarded)

Machine Tool Technology/Machinist
Tool and Die Technology/Technician
Welding Technology/Welder

SCIENCE (4 awarded)

Biology/Biological Sciences

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (4 awarded)

Criminal Justice/Police Science

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (38 awarded)

Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage