By Jack Beresford

From event management and filmmaking to learning how to manufacture guitars, San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, along with San Diego Continuing Education, are offering an array of new degrees, certificates, and programs for students when the San Diego Community College District’s (SDCCD) 2016-17 academic year begins Aug. 22.

Many of the programs were developed in collaboration with local industry and are aimed at meeting employer demands. “A key component of the San Diego Community College District’s mission is in workforce development, as we play a major role in growing the regional economy,” said SDCCD Chancellor Constance M. Carroll.

City College has incorporated a variety of disciplines into new Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MFET) courses that will provide students with the skills to build their own electric guitars.

“We’re really excited about these guitar-building classes, as they provide yet another way for us to differentiate City College as a forward-thinking and innovative institution,” said Interim President Denise S. Whisenhunt. “No other STEM classes end up in a jam session.”

Other new programs at City College include a Certificate of Achievement in Broadcast News, a Certificate of Performance as a Nail Technician in the Cosmetology Program, and an Associate of Science Degree in Documentary Filmmaking.

Mesa College officially opens a new center of campus life with a September dedication of the Mesa Commons that includes a new home for its Culinary Arts/Management instructional program, the bookstore and cafeteria, a convenience store, lounges, and more. Other new degree programs launching this fall include a new associate degree and certificate in Event Management, and a one-semester Phlebotomy Certificate of Performance. Mesa College’s baccalaureate program in Health Information Management will, for the first time, be offering upper division classes for its first cohort of upper division students beginning this fall.

Working adults who want to earn a college degree should look into the new accelerated business degree program that launches this fall at Mesa College. The program offers evening, hybrid and online classes, and puts enrolled students on a sequential path that enables them to complete their degree in three years and gives them priority admission status to the California State University system.

Miramar College now offers a Personal Financial Management course to help students understand the many important aspects of and strategies for successful money management. The college is also expanding its offerings for entrepreneurs with a new online class titled “Managing a Small Business.”

San Diego Continuing Education’s new offerings include a Small Business Growth certificate program that will provide entrepreneurs with the practical application skills and knowledge to plan, manage, and grow a small business. The free program is offered at SDCE’s Cesar E. Chavez Campus in Barrio Logan and requires just three classes to complete.

The district anticipates an estimated 1,000 additional students at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, and Continuing Education during the coming academic year. Its budget calls for more workforce preparation programs, additional course sections, and increased initiatives aimed at ensuring student success.

For a complete list of classes at all campuses, visit sdccd.edu.

—Jack Beresford is director of communications and public relations for the San Diego Community College District. Reach him at [email protected].