Miami Dade College (MDC) is a

public college A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

located in

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, United States. Established in 1959, MDC operates eight campuses and numerous outreach centers throughout

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...

. It is the largest institution in the Florida College System. MDC serves a significant number of minority students, particularly

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

students, enrolling more than any other institution in Florida.

History

Founded as Dade County Junior College in 1960, MDC began on a high school farm and became desegregated in 1962, opening its doors to students of all races. Over the decades, MDC expanded by launching several campuses, including Kendall, Wolfson, and Hialeah, and established a Medical Center to support students in health programs. In 1973, the college changed its name to Miami-Dade Community College. During the 1980s, outreach programs were developed to assist the increasing number of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n exiles and other immigrants. As state education budgets declined, MDC continued to grow and relied on its foundation to support operations. In the 1990s and 2000s, the college established its Honors College, offering rigorous academic programs across its largest campuses. In 2000, the college was sanctioned by the

American Association of University Professors The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States that was founded in 1915 in New York City and is currently headquartered in Washington, D.C. AAUP membership inc ...

"for infringement of governance standards". In 2003, the college changed its name to "Miami Dade College" and began offering four-year degree programs.

Campuses

Miami Dade College operates eight campuses and two outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. The North Campus, established in 1960, focuses on emergency services and entertainment technology programs. Kendall Campus, opened in 1967, is home to MDC's athletic teams and offers community service programs. Wolfson Campus, in

downtown Miami Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida, United States. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and ...

, hosts the Miami Book Fair and houses the Culinary Institute. The Medical Campus, opened in 1977, offers nursing and health programs with a simulation hospital. Homestead Campus, built in 1990, features an FAA-approved aviation program. Eduardo J. Padrón Campus specializes in bilingual education and community-focused programs. Hialeah Campus offers English programs and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Management. West Campus in Doral provides innovative programs like the Tesla START program.

Academics

MDC offers a wide variety of associate and baccalaureate degrees, as well as vocational and technical certificates. The college is known for its strong programs in

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

allied health professions Allied health professions (AHPs) are a category of health professionals that provide a range of diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services in connection with health care. While there is no international standard for defining ...

, and

computer information systems An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems comprise four components: task, people, structu ...

. Students can also pursue degrees in newer fields like

cybersecurity Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

. The Honors College provides scholarships and specialized curricula for high-achieving students, with opportunities for transfer to prestigious universities, including a partnership with the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

. Dual-enrollment and virtual learning options are available for high school and home-educated students.

Athletics

MDC participates in the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

of the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...

(NJCAA) and competes in five sports: men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball, with soccer teams being added in 2024. MDC teams have won 35 NJCAA national titles, making it a hub for talented athletes and

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

scouts. During its early history, the north campus gymnasium area also hosted the Miami Floridians (later known simply as

The Floridians ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

) ABA franchise; it hosted five playoff games (April 6, 1971, April 8, 1971, April 12, 1971, and April 4, 1972 & April 6, 1972) before the franchise folded in 1972. Mdc gymnamsium

Arts and culture

MDC has an extensive art collection of over 1,600 works, including paintings, sculptures, and installations. The Wolfson Campus hosts the

Miami Book Fair International The Miami Book Fair is an annual street fair and literary festival organized by Miami Dade College. History Miami Book Fair International, originally known as "Books by the Bay," was founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College President Eduardo J. Pa ...

, the largest literary festival in the U.S.

Notable achievements

In 2019, MDC was recognized by the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home. Its stated miss ...

for its focus on economic and social mobility, winning the Aspen Prize. The $1 million prize, awarded every two years, noted MDC's "clear path to economic and social mobility for its students" as well as its demographic diversity.

Notable alumni

File:Ileana Ros-Lehtinen official photo.jpg,

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ( ; ; born July 15, 1952) is an American politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, who represented from 1989 to 2019. By the end of her tenure, she was the most senior U.S. Representative from Florida. She was Chairwoman ...

, former U.S. representative File:20080507 Manny Diaz (1).jpg, Manuel "Manny" Alberto Diaz, Mayor of Miami, 2001–2009 File:Dr. Elsa Murano - Texas A&M.JPG, Elsa Murano,

president of Texas A&M University The president of Texas A&M University is the Chancellor (education)#University president, chief officer of the academic administration of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, College Station, Texas. Forty-one people—thirty-nine men ...

File:Mireya Moscoso in 2012.jpg, Mireya Moscoso,

president of Panama This article lists the heads of state of Panama since the short-lived first independence from the Republic of New Granada in 1840 and the final Separation of Panama from Colombia, separation from Colombia in 1903. Since 1904 the head of state of ...

from 1999 to 2004 File:John L. Mica 113th Congress.jpg, John Mica, former U.S. representative File:Flickr - nicogenin - 66ème Festival de Venise (Mostra) - Sylvester Stallone (26).jpg,

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

, American actor File:StevenBauer08.jpg,

Steven Bauer Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on '' ¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1979). He played Manolo "Ma ...

, American-Cuban actor File:Glenn Howerton (9365867002).jpg, Glenn Howerton, American actor File:Oscar Isaac by Gage Skidmore.jpg,

Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...

, American actor and singer File:Raúl Ibañez on September 9, 2012.jpg, Raul Ibanez, professional American baseball player File:Mike Piazza answers a question during the HOF news conference.jpg, Mike Piazza, American professional baseball player File:Steve Carlton 1995.jpg, Steve Carlton, American professional baseball player File:Polanco-crop.jpg,

Plácido Polanco Plácido Enrique Polanco (; born October 10, 1975) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. He was ...

, American-Dominican professional baseball player File:2013 Imagen Foundation Awards, Natalie Martinez.jpg, Natalie Martinez, American actress and model File:Harry Wayne Casey 2017.jpg,

Harry Wayne Casey Harry Wayne Casey (born January 31, 1951), better known by his stage name KC, is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter. He is best known for his band, KC and the Sunshine Band, with co-founder Richard Finch (musician), Richard Fi ...

, American musician

Notable faculty

* Joanna Falco-Leshin, professor of English and Humanities

References

External links

* {{authority control 1959 establishments in Florida Air traffic controller schools Universities and colleges established in 1959 Florida College System North American Soccer League (1968–1984) stadiums Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges in Miami-Dade County, Florida Two-year colleges in the United States