Location

There are many reasons why an international student would choose Howard Community College.  The college's location in Columbia, Maryland (directly between the port city of Baltimore, Maryland and the nation's capital, Washington DC, in the Mid-Atlantic region of the East Coast of the United States) make it an exciting and accessible place to attend college.  There are many excellent colleges and universities in the region for those students preparing to transfer after they complete an associate's degree at HCC.  The Baltimore-Washington region, and Columbia specifically, are very diverse.  People from many different backgrounds and nations work, attend school, visit, and reside in the area.  There are many wonderful opportunities for cultural and recreational activities, including museums, arts and entertainment of all kinds, historical sites, sporting events, shopping, excellent restaurants, and beautiful parks.  The region also has three major international airports.

Academics & Facilities

Howard Community College has an excellent academic reputation and offers a broad range of academic programs for international students.  Many of HCC's international students transfer to some of the United States' most distinguished four-year colleges and universities when they complete their HCC studies.  The college's career programs also prepare students for excellent employment opportunities when they return home.

Howard Community College was very pleased to open the Peter & Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center in the fall of 2006.  This impressive building houses facilities for theatre, music, sculpture, painting, ceramics, and the visual arts.  It joins the recently opened English, Languages, and Business building (ELB), which houses one of two on-campus open computer labs.  To complete our campus quad, the Student Services Building will open in the spring of 2007.

The college has many other facilities including its Athletics and Fitness Center, which has a 25-yard, eight-lane swimming pool, a large gymnasium for basketball and volleyball, a weight room, and nine acres of athletic fields for archery, tennis, soccer, lacrosse, and track.

Student Services

The college offers many student services, including online services such as registration and student email accounts, academic and transfer advising, career and personal counseling, intercollegiate and intramural athletics, and tutoring.  It has a Student Activities Center and a wide range of extracurricular activities, including student government, a student newspaper, and numerous student clubs.  Throughout the campus, students can find pleasing spaces for quiet study, informal gatherings, and special events.  The college also provides a number of services specifically for international students.

Accreditation & Membership

The college is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and is authorized by the Maryland Higher Education Commission to offer programs of learning leading to the  award of associate of arts degrees, associate of applied science degrees and certificates of proficiency.  HCC is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Association of Community Colleges, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, the Maryland Association of Community Colleges, the National Association of Community College Trustees, and the National Accrediting Commission.  Howard Community College was formally authorized by the Howard County, Maryland Commissioners and approved by the State of Maryland in 1966.  Its first classes were held in 1970.

Howard Community College is a diverse learning community that is friendly and welcoming.  Students from other nations feel at home and are valued as important members of the college community.