New Mexico Junior College

Known as “The JC”, New Mexico Junior College was the first junior college founded in New Mexico after the legislature in Santa Fe passed the 1963 Junior College Act. Established in 1965, the college first opened its doors to students in the fall of 1966. Since that time, the JC has become a leader in innovative educational programs, dual credit education for area high school students, industrial and professional workforce training, and a critical player in the economy of the region. Situated on 219 acres, the college has over 637,000 gross square feet of building space with an enrollment of about 3,000 students. Students can receive an Associates of Arts, and Associates of Science, and an Associates of Applied Science, with an emphasis in several fields, plus we offer occupational certificate programs that provide a course of study preparing students directly for employment or self-employment upon completion of the program. Long a leader in dual credit education, well before the term was widely recognized, NMJC and area high schools have evolved a best practice model of dual credit and on campus career technical training courses that regularly results in high school seniors walking for their high school diploma and two-year degree in the same week. As an early adopter of distance education technology, NMJC provides a wide range of educational opportunities to students throughout the region and nation. Roughly one-third of NMJC student credit hours are produced in an online-learning environment. In workforce training and professional development, The JC provided more workforce training in 2014 for area residents and businesses than any other community college in New Mexico, despite the fact that its rural area is significantly smaller than the large metropolitan areas of the state. NMJC is a national leader in energy education and training. Serving an area of the country known as the Permian Basin, The JC has developed one of the first comprehensive oil field training facilities in the nation. In addition, the recent expansion of the nuclear industry in the region has driven development of a robust online training program for nuclear technicians. With support from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Lockheed Martin, The JC has become the college-of-choice for technical training in the nuclear industry. Annually, students in the nursing program at NMJC are ranked in the top ten percent of all nursing students in the nation, based on their national testing scores. The NMJC Law Enforcement Academy has been ranked one of the premiere academies in the state. Its instructors are in demand to help police departments throughout New Mexico with updated training for their forces. The NMJC Foundation has awarded over $2.5 million in scholarships and work-study assistance to NMJC students. Another $560,000 has funded program support for students and faculty. The foundation manages over 75 different endowments, annual scholarships and program assistance funds totaling over $8 million. New Mexico Junior College is one of the few community colleges in New Mexico with athletic programs. Student-athletes typically maintain high GPAs while competing. All six of the athletic programs earned post-season berths in either regional or national competitions. NMJC is a full-service institution with student housing, athletics and an aggressive range of traditional, transfer educational offerings. The University Center houses four-year and graduate programs allowing students to move from Day One of their college experience through Bachelors and Masters level programs without leaving campus.