MARSHALLTOWN Marshalltown Community College received word this week that it is ranked as the fourth best community college in Iowa for online degree programs by TheBestColleges.org. MCC offers a fully transferrable, 64 credit Associate of Arts (AA) degree entirely online, as well as an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Paralegal degree.

“The higher education landscape is changing,” says Elizabeth Franklin, School Outreach Manager with TheBestColleges.org. “With rising tuition costs and societal shifts, more students are looking to community colleges as a valuable alternative, but many don’t know there are online options like those offered by Marshalltown Community College. That’s why we’ve ranked the best online community colleges in Iowa, and I am happy to report Marshalltown Community College ranks #4 in the state.”

The full ranking of Iowa community colleges offering online degree programs is at www.thebestcolleges.org/states/iowa/#community-colleges.

“The 64-credit Liberal Arts Associate of Arts (AA) degree is one of our best transferable degrees,” says Dr. Patrick Kennedy, MCC Dean of Academic Affairs. “MCC has articulation agreements with Iowa State University, the University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa, and many other colleges, which ensure that our AA degree will transfer completely to these universities. In addition to the online Liberal Arts AA degree, AA emphases in accounting, communications, computer applications in business, education (secondary), history, human services, journalism, paralegal, psychology, public relations, social work, and sociology are also available online.”

MCC’s online enrollment grew from 12% in 2007 to 23% in 2014. Of the MCC students enrolled in online courses in 2014, 82% were taking arts and sciences courses and 18% were taking career and technical program courses. Sixty-two percent of MCC’s online students are female and 38% are male.

“The online courses and degree programs are a significant growth area for us,” explains Dr. Kennedy. “We are reaching students who can’t get to campus for classes, but who want and need an associate’s degree. We expect our online numbers to continue to grow over time, and we’re adapting our campus resources to accommodate the needs of those online students.”