Western Piedmont Community College

Location and Contact Information

1001 Burkemont Ave
Morganton, NC 28655-4511
USA
Main Tel: (828) 438-6000
Web Site

The campus is in a small city.

Overview

Western Piedmont Community College, also referred to as WPCC, is located in Morganton, North Carolina, United States. WPCC was chartered in the year 1964. The college is under the North Carolina Community College system. Apart from regular courses, it offers distance learning options and continuing education programs. Students of the college are offered degree programs through the following academic divisions:

  • Business Technologies
  • Health Sciences
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Science, Engineering and Mathematics

Among the student clubs and organizations available in Western Piedmont Community College are Phi Theta Kappa, Student Government Association, Nursing Club, Students for Christ, and Paralegal Association. In addition, students of the college participate in water sports and several other intramural sports.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

  • Many students concentrating in security and law enforcement, engineering technician, and conservation and resource management.
  • Affordable tuition & fees.
  • Large number of programs of study offered.
  • Many mature (40+ year old) students.

School characteristics:

  • The school is public.
  • Academic calender: Semester.
  • Carnegie classification: Associates Colleges.

Features of note:

  • Open admission; accepts all qualified candidates.
  • The school offers a faculty tenure system.
  • There are one or more libraries on-campus.
  • Distance learning is available.
  • Part-time classes are available.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

ItemCost
State Tuition and fees$ 1,627
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 7,749
Books and supplies$ 1,160

Financial Aid

Western Piedmont Community College participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 65% of students received financial aid of some sort.

Grants% of
Students		Average
Amount
Any Grant64%$5,733
Institutional Grant4%$733
Federal Grant55%$4,120
Pell Grant53%$3,822
Other Federal Grant18%$1,514
State or Local Grant42%$3,239

Loans% of
Students		Average
Amount
Student Loan12%$1,802
Federal Loan9%$2,336
Other Loan3%$320

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

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Western Piedmont Community College:

Click a column header to sort.

 SchoolLocationEnrollment
1Stanly Community CollegeAlbemarle, NC2,109
2Davidson County Community CollegeThomasville, NC3,500
3Hill CollegeHillsboro, TX3,711
4Rockingham Community CollegeWentworth, NC2,125
5College of the SiskiyousWeed, CA2,849
6Mitchell Community CollegeStatesville, NC2,982
7Marshall Community and Technical CollegeHuntington, WV2,534
8Cleveland Community CollegeShelby, NC3,662
9College of the RedwoodsEureka, CA6,737
10Craven Community CollegeNew Bern, NC3,136

Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

DegreeTotal
Earned		Different
Programs
Associate39134
< 1 year certificate14419
1-2 year certificate3410

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Full-Time Faculty  Total
With tenure  1
Without tenure; tenure not available  74

Students

Student enrollment was 2,826 in 2009-2010 (2,417 full-time equivalent).

Undergrads are 100% of enrolled students.

Students under 25 years old represent 52% of the student body. About 13% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Room and Board

On-campus housing is not available.

Graduate School Focus

The highest degree offered is the Associate.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (40 awarded)

  • Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping
  • Business Administration and Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (6 awarded)

  • Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst
  • Information Science/Studies

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (10 awarded)

  • Environmental Science

CONSTRUCTION TRADES (7 awarded)

  • Building/Construction Finishing, Management, & Inspection

DESIGN (1 awarded)

  • Interior Design

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (6 awarded)

  • Teacher Assistant/Aide

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (36 awarded)

  • Civil Engineering Technology/Technician
  • Computer Technology/Computer Systems Technology
  • Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engr Technology/Technician
  • Electromechanical Technology/Electromechanical Engineering Tech
  • Engineering Technologies/Technicians
  • Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Technology/Technician
  • Surveying Technology/Surveying

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (30 awarded)

  • Child Care and Support Services Management

LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE (9 awarded)

  • Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations

LAW (9 awarded)

  • Legal Assistant/Paralegal

LIBERAL ARTS (144 awarded)

  • Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
  • Sign Language Interpretation and Translation

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION (11 awarded)

  • Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (77 awarded)

  • Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician
  • Dental Assisting/Assistant
  • Medical/Clinical Assistant
  • Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (41 awarded)

  • Health Aide
  • Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION (22 awarded)

  • Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART (5 awarded)

  • Cinematography and Film/Video Production

PRODUCTION TRADES (15 awarded)

  • Machine Shop Technology/Assistant
  • Precision Production
  • Upholstery/Upholsterer
  • Welding Technology/Welder

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (97 awarded)

  • Criminal Justice/Police Science

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (3 awarded)

  • Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling