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Rio Salado College

Rio Salado College

Rio Salado College, or RSC, is commonly referred to as "the college within everyone's reach." The largest of the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges, it was founded in 1978. It does not have a traditional campus but rather the college forges partnerships for delivering educational opportunities to diverse students in the Maricopa County and around the world through its Arizona administrative headquarters.

RSC offers online Teacher Education Programs for the working adults who wish to enter the teaching profession. All of the RSC teacher education programs have four components:

  • Master Teacher seminars
  • Online coursework
  • Site-based practicums
  • Student teaching

The college began providing online courses over the Internet in 1996.

Overview of Rio Salado College

Rio Salado College is located in Tempe, AZ (a rural site not far from an urban area). The school is a public institution. The highest degree level offered by Rio Salado College is the Associate's degree.

Areas of Study

The school is known for its programs in transportation, business and management, office and administration, and security and law enforcement.

Rio Salado College Selectivity

Rio Salado College is an open-admission school.

Faculty

The full-time faculty at the school is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

Rio Salado College had 18,331 enrolled students in 2007-2008.

The school reports its educational mission is:
"As an institution of higher education placing high value on student learning, Rio Salado College creates convenient, high-quality learning opportunities for diverse populations. We specalize in customized, unique programs and partnerships, accelerated formats and distance delivery. In all that we do, we pursue continuous improvement and innovation, and we challenge the limits of tradition."

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Rio Salado College

Rio Salado College
2323 W 14th St
Tempe, AZ 85281
General Phone: (480) 517-8000
http://www.rio.maricopa.edu

Rio Salado College Programs and Degrees (2008-2009)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Security and Law Enforcement1,663criminal justice and police, corrections, fire-fighting
Business and Management992call center operation, customer service management, business administration, banking, business management, organizational behavior, business, accounting, ...
Transportation377aviation operations, airline flight attendant
Computer Science and Engineering278data processing tech, computer networking, web design, computer support, systems analyst, computer programming
Therapy and Counseling111substance abuse counseling, psychology
Liberal Arts97liberal arts and sciences, general studies, liberal arts and humanities
Nursing and Emergency Medicine93registered nursing, licensed practical nurse, nursing assistant
Cooking and Culinary Arts51personal and culinary services, culinary arts
Art Studies51art studies
Office and Administration49office data entry, administrative assistant
Medical Support and Technology37dental hygienist, dental assistant
Family and Social Work36public administration, social service professions
Media19graphic communications
Construction Trades12carpentry
Production Trades6welding, sheet metal tech
Mechanics and Repair6computer repair
Engineering Technician1water quality and recycling tech, industrial production tech, electronics tech
Science1physical sciences, natural sciences
Education and Teaching1elementary school teaching, education

Number of programs and degrees for Rio Salado College in 2008-2009:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Award of less than 1 academic year2,56629
Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years96320
Associate's degree35230

Student Body

In 2007-2008, Rio Salado College had a total enrollment of 18,331 students (12,230 full-time equivalent).

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate100%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White62%
Black8%
Hispanic14%
Asian3%
American Indian2%
Unknown10%
(Foreign Students)0%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 1832%
18-195%
20-216%
22-2410%
25-2914%
30-3410%
35-398%
40-499%
50-645%
65+0%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Arizona79%
(International Students)13%
State unknown4%
California1%
Michigan1%
New Mexico1%
Texas1%
Colorado1%

Rio Salado College Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time61 %
Part-Time32 %

Rio Salado College Room and Board (2007)

The school does not offer campus housing.

(Please refer to our profile of Tempe, Arizona for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Arizona Colleges).

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Rio Salado College Expenses and Financial Aid (2008-2009)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 1,734
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 6,894
Books and supplies$ 1,120

Financial Aid:
Rio Salado College participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 2177500)

Rio Salado College Faculty

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
No academic rankacademic year7$79,44222$75,805
All faculty totalacademic year7$79,44222$75,805

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Rio Salado College Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Banking and Financial Support Services
Business Administration and Management, General
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other
Business/Commerce, General
Customer Service Management
Customer Service Support/Call Center/Teleservice Operation
Management Information Systems, General
Operations Management and Supervision
Organizational Behavior Studies
Transportation/Transportation Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Programming/Programmer, General
Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other
Data Processing and Data Processing Technology/Technician
Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design

CONSTRUCTION TRADES
Carpentry/Carpenter

COOKING AND CULINARY ARTS
Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General
Personal and Culinary Services, Other

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Education, General
Elementary Education and Teaching

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engr Technology/Technician
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other
Water Quality & Wastewater Treatment Mgmt & Recycling Tech

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Public Administration
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other

LIBERAL ARTS
General Studies
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies

MECHANICS AND REPAIR
Computer Installation and Repair Technology/Technician

MEDIA
Graphic Communications, General

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Dental Assisting/Assistant
Dental Hygiene/Hygienist

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

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General
Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry

PRODUCTION TRADES
Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking
Welding Technology/Welder

SCIENCE
Natural Sciences
Physical Sciences

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Corrections
Criminal Justice/Police Science
Fire Science/Fire-fighting

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

TRANSPORTATION
Airline Flight Attendant
Aviation/Airway Management and Operations

Find a school near you

Rio Salado College Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Rio Salado College Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
% of degrees in security and law enforcement
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Rio Salado College % of degrees in security and law enforcement
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 3%Rio Salado College Number of students
% of degrees in business and management
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 9%Rio Salado College % of degrees in business and management
Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Rio Salado College Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 10%Rio Salado College Salaries of full-time faculty
Female % of student body
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 15%Rio Salado College Female % of student body
% of degrees in art studies
(for colleges of its size and type)
Top 16%Rio Salado College % of degrees in art studies
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Rio Salado College Number of degree programs
% of degrees in office and administration
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 18%Rio Salado College % of degrees in office and administration
% of degrees in transportation
(vs. all colleges)
Top 19%Rio Salado College % of degrees in transportation
% students 40 years or older
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 19%Rio Salado College % students 40 years or older
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Open admission
Accepts some high school credits
Offers credit for life experience
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Career counseling
Remedial classes for students
Offers remedial adult education
Offers part-time study
On-campus library

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