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Higher Education: College of the Desert

The College of the Desert is a state community college located in nearby Palm Desert, with an Eastern Valley campus in Indio. The College of the Desert offers associate degrees and certificate programs in over 90 disciplines, and it prepares students for successful transfer to many public and private universities. In addition to the academic programs, students at the College of the Desert can study at the Intensive English Academy for instruction in the English language.

College of the Desert’s new Virtual Valley Center offers classes on the Internet. Students are able to access more than 30 sections of 23 classes — a tremendous advantage for those students who have trouble getting to the campus or who have schedules that don’t fit class times. Students communicate via e-mail, electronic bulletin boards, and chat rooms, and they are held to the same high standards of academic quality as those who attend classes on site.

More than 1,400 students are enrolled in the Eastern Valley Center of College of the Desert located at Monroe and Fred Waring Street in Indio. These off-campus satellite programs make core academic courses — as well as non-credit classes — more accessible to residents of the eastern part of the valley.

For the first time — since the fall of 2006 — students can earn an AA degree in Liberal Arts from College of the Desert and take the required 60 transferable credits close to home — right here at the Eastern Valley Center in Indio.

The classes needed for an AA degree are guaranteed to be offered for the two years it takes to get the degree. Now COD has designed a curriculum leading to the AA degree with all necessary courses offered on-site in the East Valley. It includes 45 units of general education and 15 units of electives. The program is primarily aimed at daytime students. However, students will have the option of taking some classes at night or even online. And if additional electives are desired, they can be taken at our main campus in Palm Desert.

California State University San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus, is the only public four-year university in the Coachella Valley that offers undergraduate degrees and master’s degrees in business and public administration.

The University of California, Riverside (one of the premier research centers in the country) is actively engaged in training undergraduate and graduate students to enter today’s workplace. In 2002, UCR celebrated the opening of an off-campus center in Palm Desert, which offers degree and certificate programs in entrepreneurial management — as well as other academic research programs based on community need.

The Academy of Professional Careers provides training in short-term educational programs in health and massage career fields. APC’s “hands-on” training prepares graduates for entry-level positions in the chosen field.

Library

The Max T. McCandless Memorial Library, located across from Indio City Hall between Towne and Smurr Street, is open to the public 40 hours a week. The library offers a variety of programs for children, from pre-school story times to reading and activity clubs for school-age youth. There is a wide selection of materials that can be checked out, as well as access to other electronic information sources — including the Internet. Additional services available to the public include the Shut-In Service, the Literacy Program, and nationwide capabilities for inter-library loans.

For more information regarding library hours, programs, or services, please call 347-2383 or come and visit the library at 200 Civic Center Mall in Indio.