Virginia College is a private for-profit college, located primarily in the southeastern United States. Virginia College offers classes, certificates, diplomas, and degrees related to specific professions, such as health and medical, information technology, business, office management, and criminal justice. Virginia College also offers online degree programs.
History
The original Virginia College campus was founded in 1983 in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1989, the college was purchased by Education Futures, Inc. In February 1992, Virginia College opened its first branch campus in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of Homewood. Another branch campus was opened in April 1993 in Huntsville, Alabama.
Ownership
The company that owns and operates the schools, Education Corporation of America, is a privately held corporation headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. ECA also owns Virginia College Online, which offers distance education academic programs via the Internet; Golf Academy of America; Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College, offering degrees in the culinary arts; and Ecotech Institute, offering degrees in fields of renewable energy, sustainable design, and energy efficiency.
Locations
Brick and mortar Virginia College campus locations:
- Augusta, Georgia
- Austin, Texas
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Biloxi, Mississippi
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Bossier City, Louisiana
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Columbus, Georgia
- Florence, South Carolina
- Fort Pierce, Florida
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Lubbock, Texas
- Macon, Georgia
- Mobile, Alabama
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Pensacola, Florida
- Richmond, Virginia
- Savannah, Georgia
- Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
Culinard campus and teaching kitchen locations:
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Fort Pierce, Florida
- Mobile, Alabama
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Richmond, Virginia
- Savannah, Georgia
Golf Academy of America campuses locations:
- San Diego, California
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Orlando, Florida
- Dallas, Texas
Curriculum
Virginia College offers courses in health care, cosmetology, criminal justice, paralegal, and network engineering (Network engineering courses are not ABET-accredited), as well as several trades (professional training) programs such as truck driving. Online classes and degrees are also offered.
Accreditation
Virginia College programs were formerly accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, which was de-recognized by the Department of Education on December 12, 2016.
According to the their webpage <https://www.vc.edu/accreditation-faq/>, Virginia College is now provisionally accredited through the Department of Education and is pursuing accreditation with ACCET, which they hope to finalize by June 2018.
Criticism
In 2012, Virginia College was sued by the Mississippi Center for Justice on behalf of seven students. The lawsuit claims that Virginia College misled students about the value of their degrees, and that it specifically targeted misleading advertising to women and minority students.
The case was remanded to arbitration.
See also
- Vocational school
- Online degrees
References
External links
- Official website
- Online College