St. Petersburg College ranked 13th in the nation for the number of associate degrees awarded during the 2010-11 academic year, Community College Week reported in its rankings this month.
Each year the publication lists the top 100 community colleges according to associate degrees awarded. In the rankings, SPC placed 13th overall and 11th among four-year institutions. During the last academic year, the college placed 14th overall and eighth among four-year institutions.
SPC ranked fifth among Florida community colleges behind Miami-Dade, Valencia, Broward, and Florida State College at Jacksonville in the number of associate degrees awarded. The college graduated 3,518 associate degree candidates, a 7.2 percent increase over the previous year. Miami-Dade graduated 9,445; Valencia, 6,627; Broward, 4,881; and Florida State at Jacksonville, 5,409.
Looking at associate degrees involving nursing, the college ranked fourth overall and third among four-year institutions. There were 392 associate degrees awarded under the category of registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research, and clinical nursing. The figure represents a 17 percent increase over the past academic year when the college ranked eighth overall and sixth among four-year institutions.
SPC ranked 20th in the country for four-year institutions awarding associate degrees to minority students. The college graduated 632 minority associate degree-seeking students, up 11 percent compared to the previous academic year, according to the report. In the 2009-10 academic year, it ranked 19th in the same category and 70th overall, compared to 69th overall for the 2010-11 year. The college ranked 54th in the country among African-American associate degree seekers with 316 graduates, up 21 percent.
The rankings were published in Community College Week’s June 11 issue.
