BLOOMINGTON
COMMUNITY M GUIDE 2024 2
Advanced education close to home
From high school graduates to lifelong learners , Bloomington provides a variety of post-secondary educational opportunities close to home .
Bloomington is home to a wide variety of career and post-secondary educational opportunities through its diverse and unique colleges and universities .
For more than 50 years , Normandale Community College has been an educational cornerstone of the community . About 1,400 students enrolled in September 1968 when its doors opened . Today enrollment has burgeoned to approximately 15,000 students per year . The college and its 90-acre campus attracts students from across the Twin Cities as well as students from its own backyard .
Normandale is also one of Minnesota ’ s most racially-diverse campuses with more than half of the student body composed of students of color .
Besides the traditional courses leading to a variety of associates degrees and certificates that community colleges are known for , Normandale offers specialized degree programs . Students may enroll in a nanotechnology program , for instance , offered in cooperation with leading high-tech manufacturers .
Normandale has also partnered with other public institutions of higher learning such as Minnesota State University , Mankato , and Metropolitan State University , bringing fouryear programs to its campus . Students pursuing degrees in education can complete all four years of their training while attending Normandale .
The college is also known for its criminal justice , dental hygiene , radiologic technology and music and theater programs . The college ’ s largest program remains its liberal arts transfer course sequence , followed by business marketing and management , science and engineering , nursing and teacher education .
In keeping with trends in higher education , Normandale also offers much of its course content online .
Students who want to take a course simply for the sake of learning aren ’ t excluded . Normandale offers a variety of continuing education courses ranging from career enrichment and computer technology to foreign languages such as Chinese , Japanese and Spanish .
Other colleges in Bloomington include Academy College , offering a variety of professional training programs , Bethany Global University , a private Christian college that focuses on training missionaries , Northwestern Health Sciences University , offering natural and integrative health care education , and Rasmussen College , offering degree programs in a variety of growing fields .
Academy College 1600 W . 82nd St ., Suite 100 academycollege . edu
Bethany Global University 6820 Auto Club Road bethanygu . edu
Normandale Community College 9700 France Ave . S . normandale . edu
Northwestern Health Sciences University 2501 W . 84th St . nwhealth . edu
Rasmussen College 4400 W . 78th St . rasmussen . edu
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