Midlands Technical College 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 ...

technical college An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

with multiple locations in the Richland, Lexington, and Fairfield counties of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. With a student body of approximately 22,500, the college is the second largest technical college in South Carolina. It offers approximately 150 associate degree programs, diplomas, and certificate programs of study and is the largest source of transfer students to the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

History

In 1947, the South Carolina Area Trade Schools (SCATS) Act established the South Carolina Area Trade School Columbia Campus to provide skilled and educated workers to meet the expanding labor needs of the community. In 1969, the school's name was changed to Columbia Technical Education Center (TEC), and it became part of the State Committee for Technical Education, which was responsible for guiding the state's technical programs. The site of the Columbia Technical Education Center is now the Airport Campus of Midlands Technical College. Richland Technical Education Center (Richland TEC) was established to provide specialized training for industrial growth, and the first students were enrolled in the fall of 1963. By 1969, the school's enrollment expanded to 1,200 students, and Lexington County officials joined forces with Richland County to form the Richland-Lexington Counties Commission for Technical Education. With this partnership, the name of the school was changed to Midlands Technical Education Center (TEC). Approximately 15,500 students were enrolled in Midlands Technical Education Center between the years 1969 and 1974. Major programs of study were offered in engineering technologies, business, and allied health. The site of the Midlands Technical Education Center is now the Beltline Campus of Midlands Technical College. Palmer College in Columbia, a private business college, joined the State Tech Board in 1973. At that time, Palmer College annually enrolled 1,000 students in 16 associate degree and diploma programs. On March 21, 1973, the Columbia Technical Education Center, Midlands Technical Education Center, and Palmer College in Columbia merged to form a single, multi-campus college. This new college operated as three separate entities governed by one local commission through June 1974. On July 1 of that year, the three separate institutions merged to form Midlands Technical College under the guidance of the Richland-Lexington Counties Commission for Technical Education.

Campuses

Midlands Technical College has six campuses: * Airport Campus, located at 1260 Lexington Dr., West Columbia, SC, is spread out over , consisting of 15 buildings, including library facilities and an Academic Success Center. *Beltline Campus, located at 316 South Beltline Blvd. Columbia, SC, consists of 12 buildings, library facilities, and an Academic Success Center. It is currently the only campus where both industrial and engineering technology classes are offered. * Fairfield Campus, located at 1674 Hwy 321 North Business, Winnsboro, SC. Midlands Technical College

* Harbison Campus, located at 7300 College St., Irmo, SC, has seven buildings and boasts Harbison Theatre, the only performing arts center belonging to a technical and community college in South Carolina. * Northeast Campus is the site of MTC's Enterprise Campus and the MTC Center of Excellence for Technology. The campus consists of developable adjacent to the MTC Center of Excellence for Technology and offers proximity to the Carolina Research Park, major interstate highways, and shared technology-specific spaces. The campus will also serve as the hub of education for the Scout Motors project announced in 2023. * Batesburg-Leesville Campus offers many general education courses and the college has a partnership with Voorhes University for an elementary education bridge program. * Lexington North Lake is a learning center located in the heart of Lexington County. The center offers general education courses, information technology, health care, and emergency medicine. * In addition, a center is located at Fort Jackson, on the Fort Jackson military base, which offers classes primarily for service personnel.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Richland County, South Carolina Education in Lexington County, South Carolina Education in Fairfield County, South Carolina Education in Columbia, South Carolina South Carolina Technical College System 1947 establishments in South Carolina Universities and colleges established in 1947 Two-year colleges in the United States