Bristol Community College (Bristol) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

with four campuses in

Southeastern Massachusetts Southeastern Massachusetts is a region of Massachusetts located south of Boston and east of Rhode Island. It is commonly used to describe areas with cultural ties to both Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, and includes the cities of New Bedford ...

History

The college was originally established in December 1965 when it was instituted by the Massachusetts Board of Regional Community Colleges.

Campuses

The Fall River campus is located on of land at 777 Elsbree Street. There are three additional campuses in

New Bedford New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...

located at 800 Purchase Street, Attleboro located at 11 Field Road (which is shared with

Bridgewater State University Bridgewater State University is a public university with its main campus in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts. Including its off-campus sites in New Bedford, Massachusetts, N ...

) and

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

located at 2 Hamilton St. Prior to 2014, Bristol held

operations through day and night classes at Cohannet School and Benjamin A. Friedman Middle School, respectively. In 2014 it occupied the former Taunton Catholic Middle School in Taunton, which now houses a satellite campus of its own. In 2021, it moved to the centrally-located former Coyle & Cassidy Memorial High School. Prior to 2019, Bristol was located in the now demolished Silver City Galleria.

Academics

Bristol Community College offers

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

s and certificates in over 150 academic programs, ranging from Associate of Science degrees, Associate of Arts degrees, Associate of Applied Science degrees, and a wide range of certificates. Bristol Community College is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and othe ...

Student life

At the end of the 2010–11 year, Bristol Community College had an undergraduate population of 12,123 day and evening credit students, along with an additional 17,439 in noncredit enrollments. The average annual tuition and fees for in-state students was around $4,166, whereas the out-of-state students paid, on average, about $9,482 in total annual tuition and fees. The average cost for a 3 credit course is approximately $498, equivalent to about $166 per credit.

Athletics

The Bristol's athletic program was re-established in 2008. Under the guidance of Brian Fernandes as the athletic director, the college now competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in five varsity sports: men's and women's soccer in the fall, men's and women's basketball in the winter, and men's golf in the spring. The current mascot is the "Bristol Bayhawk."

Notable people

* William E. Kaufman, professor of philosophy, author of several theology books including ''Journeys: An Introductory Guide to Jewish Mysticism'', ''The Case for God'', ''A Question of Faith: An Atheist and a Rabbi Debate the Existence of God With Morton Shor'' and ''The Evolving God in Jewish Process Theology''. * Dana Mohler-Faria, former BCC Assistant Dean of Administrative Services (''served'' from 1984 to 1987), former president of

Bridgewater State College Bridgewater State University is a public university with its main campus in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts. Including its off-campus sites in New Bedford, Attleboro, and ...

and the Special Advisor for Education to the former Massachusetts Governor

Deval Patrick Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was the first African Americans, African-American Governor of Massachusetts and the first Democratic Pa ...

. * David B. Sullivan, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1997–2013) * Howard Tinberg, professor of English, the Carnegie Foundation's Outstanding Community College Professor of 2004.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control 1965 establishments in Massachusetts Attleboro, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Fall River, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in New Bedford, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Taunton, Massachusetts Community colleges in Massachusetts NJCAA schools Universities and colleges established in 1965 Universities and colleges in Bristol County, Massachusetts