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West Valley College

West Valley College

West Valley College, or WVC, is a public Community College located on the west side of Silicon Valley in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco, California. It was founded in the year 1963. The college offers more than 15 career programs, professional certificates, and degree programs with excellent preparation for transfers to four-year colleges and universities. The campus is spread across an area of 143 acres.

WVC offers a variety of events and activities for the overall development of the students. The college also has athletic teams that participate in various sports. Some graduates have gone on to become famous personalities such as Doug Capilla, Major League Baseball player; H. Paul Shuch, SETI scientist; and Cung Le, ELITE XC fighter.

Overview of West Valley College

West Valley College is located in a large suburb, in Saratoga, CA. The school is a public institution. Degree levels at West Valley College top out at the Associate's degree.

Areas of Study

Students at the school often study design and liberal arts.

West Valley College Selectivity

West Valley College maintains an open-admission policy.

Faculty

The school's tenure system is geared toward rewarding and keeping the most valuable professors. By paying its faculty better than most schools, West Valley College tries to attract and retain a high quality teaching staff.

Student Body

The school offers classes to 11,210 students (6,005 full-time equivalent). Forty-something year old students won't feel out of place at West Valley College.

Student Life

Students sports include formal participation in Other competitions.

West Valley College Tuition and Affordability

Tuition is fairly low at West Valley College.

The school reports its educational mission is:
"West Valley college is committed to the broad educational mission of the California Community College system, which is in part, to offer lower division academic instruction and career preparation and to promote lifelong learning, intellectual rigor, aesthetic appreciation, respect for individual and world views, and responsible citizenship both locally and globally. the college is also committed to fulfill its mission to advance California's economic development by creating economic opportunities in the communities it serves."

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting West Valley College

West Valley College
14000 Fruitvale Ave
Saratoga, CA 95070-5698
General Phone: (408) 867-2200
http://www.westvalley.edu

West Valley College Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts622liberal arts and sciences, speech and rhetoric, Spanish language, social services, geography courses, sociology, political science, women's studies, ...
Design73interior design, fashion design
Business And Management64business management, accounting, business, sales, retail, business and related services, small business management, electronic commerce, ...
Law41legal assistant, legal secretary, court reporting
Medical Support And Technology37medical assistant, orthotist/prosthetist
Science28biology, physics, geology, chemistry
Security And Law Enforcement19criminal justice and police
Therapy And Counseling14psychology, massage therapy
Engineering Technician12drafting
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy11parks and recreation management, health and physical education
Family And Social Work10child development
Mathematics8mathematics
Art Studies7visual and performing arts, art studies
Photography And Commercial Art7photography, commercial photography, film studies, cinematography
Media6animation and special effects, digital communications, communication and journalism, advertising, radio and television, desktop publishing and imaging
Architecture And Planning6landscape architecture, architectural tech
Drama And Performing Arts6theatre design, drama
Computer Science And Engineering5web design, webmastering, computer science, computer programming, computer networking
Office And Administration4data entry, administrative assistant, office management
Music3music
Engineering2engineering
Construction Trades1apparel and textile manufacture
Medical Administration0medical secretary
Mechanics And Repair0communications install and repair
Real Estate And Construction Management0real estate
Religion And Philosophy0philosophy

Number of programs and degrees for West Valley College in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Associate's degree68352
Award of less than 1 academic year21845
Award of at least 2 but less than 4 academic years655
Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years2015

Student Body

In 2007, West Valley College had a total enrollment of 11,210 students (6,005 full-time equivalent).

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate100%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White52%
Black3%
Hispanic15%
Asian18%
American Indian1%
Unknown11%
(Foreign Students)1%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 184%
18-1921%
20-2115%
22-2411%
25-2910%
30-347%
35-397%
40-4913%
50-649%
65+2%

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

ResidencePercent
California93%
State unknown7%

West Valley College Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time70 %
Part-Time38 %

West Valley College Room and Board (2007)

The school does not offer campus housing.

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

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

West Valley College Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 620
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 4,904
Books and supplies$ 2,172

Financial Aid:
West Valley College participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 133800)

West Valley College Faculty

West Valley College has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured6577
Non-tenured, but on tenure track1530
Non-tenured and not on tenure track01

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Instructorcalendar year13$76,14320$66,766
All faculty totalcalendar year13$76,14320$66,766

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

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Instructoracademic year67$60,50987$61,707
All faculty totalacademic year67$60,50987$61,707

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

West Valley College Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballOther
BasketballOther
BaseballOther
TrackOther

West Valley College Degree Programs (2007)

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
Architectural Technology/Technician
Landscape Architecture (BS, BSLA, BLA, MSLA, MLA, PhD)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General
Visual and Performing Arts, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Business, Management, Marketing & Related Support Services, Other
Business/Commerce, General
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce
Retailing and Retail Operations
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General
Selling Skills and Sales Operations
Small Business Administration/Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Programming/Programmer, General
Computer Science
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster

CONSTRUCTION TRADES
Apparel and Textile Manufacture

DESIGN
Fashion/Apparel Design
Interior Design

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology

ENGINEERING
Engineering, General

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Child Development

LAW
Court Reporting/Court Reporter
Legal Administrative Assistant/Secretary
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

LIBERAL ARTS
Anthropology
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, and Gender Studies, Other
French Language and Literature
Geography
Geography, Other
History, General
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Political Science and Government, General
Social Sciences, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Speech and Rhetorical Studies
Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General

MECHANICS AND REPAIR
Communications Systems Installation and Repair Technology

MEDIA
Advertising
Animation, Interactive Tech, Video Graphics and Special Effects
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design
Radio and Television

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Medical/Clinical Assistant
Orthotist/Prosthetist

MUSIC
Music, General

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Health and Physical Education, General
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General
Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications, General
Office Management and Supervision

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Cinematography and Film/Video Production
Commercial Photography
Film/Cinema Studies
Photography

REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Real Estate

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy

SCIENCE
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physics, General

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminal Justice/Police Science

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
Psychology, General

West Valley College Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets West Valley College Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%West Valley College Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
% of degrees in liberal arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%West Valley College % of degrees in liberal arts
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%West Valley College Number of students
% of degrees in law
(for colleges of its size and type)
Top 7%West Valley College % of degrees in law
% students 40 years or older
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%West Valley College % students 40 years or older
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%West Valley College Number of degree programs
% of degrees in drama and performing arts
(for colleges of its size and type)
Top 14%West Valley College % of degrees in drama and performing arts
% of degrees in design
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 14%West Valley College % of degrees in design
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 16%West Valley College Salaries of full-time faculty
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(for colleges of its size and type)
Top 16%West Valley College Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
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
Offers weekend classes
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
On-campus day care
Remedial classes for students
Offers remedial adult education
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Tenure system for quality teaching

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