Spring 2009 registration begins November 17 at the three community colleges of Ventura County Community College District. Spring semester begins January 12, 2009. Returning students may begin registering online by appointment on November 17. All students may register online beginning December 15, with no appointment required. High school special admission students can register in person at the Admissions and Records Offices starting December 16. Walk-in registration begins January 5, and students in grade 9 or below can register beginning January 12.

Students may register for full semester spring courses in person through January 23 and online through January 25. Additional late start and short-term courses are available that begin in January, February, and March. In addition to the full semester day and evening courses, the colleges offer weekend courses, short-term courses, one-day seminars, and online courses. Offering more than 3,000 courses in 100 majors and programs, the three colleges provide general education, transfer preparation, career programs, skills enhancement, and lifelong learning courses. The complete list of spring courses for each college is available online at www.oxnardcollege.edu, www.venturacollege.edu, www.moorparkcollege.edu, and www.vcccd.edu.

Moorpark College is offering new career courses in Health Information Management, Exercise Science (listed under Physical Education), and Insurance (listed under Business). The Business Department’s new Personal Insurance course is offered in conjunction with the California Insurance Careers Program (CA-ICP), a statewide initiative that promotes training students for insurance careers. BUS M45 Personal Insurance is a three-unit course, offered completely online and with no pre-requisites. In the future, Moorpark College will offer all five CA-ICP courses: Introduction to Insurance, Code and Ethics, Property/Liability Insurance Principles, and Commercial Insurance, as well as arrange for students to get college credit for paid internships. Professor Jim Allyn at jallyn@vcccd.edu is the contact for the program. More information is available at www.ca-icp.org.

Ventura College is offering a wide range of new courses including Anthropology of Women, Political Science: Service Learning (students concurrently enroll in Introduction to Political Science), Personal Insurance, Modularized Elementary Algebra, Criminal Justice Employment Orientation, Introduction to Forensic Science, Introduction to Methods of Biotechnology, Business Calculations-Online, English Composition for Healthcare Majors, Holistic Health and Disabilities, History of the Modern Middle East, Women in Literature I, and Survey of English Literature II. Many courses are transferable to colleges within the UC and CSU systems.

Two new short-term courses at Ventura College are Elementary Algebra, an eight-week course from January 12-March 12, and Intermediate Algebra, a second eight-week course from March 16- May 20, allowing students to complete two algebra courses in one semester. New online courses include General Physics II, General Physics II Calculus Based, Racial and Ethnic Group Relations, Dance Appreciation, and Theatre Arts Appreciation.

Several new courses at Oxnard College include Communicating Ocean Science (MST R195) and Biological and Geological Marine Resource Management (MST R170 and R178), two courses where students can discover outside the classroom the biological and geological marine resources of Ventura County and beyond. Field trips take place every weekend and include hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, visiting the Channel Islands, and trips to local coastal habitats. Initial meetings will be held on campus January 15 or at the Oxnard College Marine Center at Channel Islands Harbor on January 17, 2009. For more information, email instructors kflint@vcccd.edu or jsaenz@vcccd.edu.

Other new courses include Principles of Microbiology, Martial Arts-Tai Chi Chuan, Small Group Communication (Speech R110), and Race and Ethnic Relations. Among new online instruction offerings are Introduction to Sociology (SOC R101), Social Problems (SOC R102), Crime and Society (R116), African-American History (HIST R104), World Cultural Geography (GEOG R102), and Marketing (BUS R132A). The Center for International Trade Development at Oxnard College is also offering an International Trade certificate, “Going, Going Global,” with a series of five workshops that begin February 28, 2009, and are conducted on alternate Saturdays through May 9, 2009. For more information please call 986-5896 or email citd@vcccd.edu.

With California resident fees at just $20 per unit, the California community college is still the best value in higher education, costing thousands of dollars less than a California state or private university. Students who have not yet graduated from high school can enroll concurrently at any Ventura County community college and will not be required to pay enrollment fees.

The Ventura County Community College District is a partner in the 110-campus California Community College system. The District’s three colleges, Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura, offer programs in general education for transfer to four-year universities, occupational and vocational fields, developmental programs, community service and continuing education, and provide opportunities to engage in co-curricular campus activities. For more information, please visit us at www.vcccd.edu.