Study Hospitality at Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College appears in our ranking of the 10 Best Online Colleges for an Associate’s Degree in Hospitality.
The associate degree programs offered by Chemeketa Community College teach students the practical experience that they need for future success. One of the top programs for those who want to work in the hospitality industry in and around this part of Oregon is its hospitality and tourism management program. It allows students to finish all requirements and earn their degrees in as little as 10 months. Students will develop the skills needed to work in event planning, restaurant and hotel management and related positions.
This program allows students to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management. They can then customize their studies with a certificate in a related field. Students will take 72 credits of required courses, including Business Law, Business Management Principles, Service Marketing, Lodging Operations, and Computer Reservation Systems. They also take Selling in Hospitality and Tourism Management, which teaches them the basics of marketing and advertising the services they offer.
There are also five certificate programs that students can complete. The college allows students to take courses to earn a certificate without completing the full degree, though most students find that earning both a degree and a certificate can help them find better jobs. They can earn a certificate in lodging management, food and beverage management, hospitality and tourism, event management or tourism and travel management. As some of the certificate programs include courses from the degree program, students typically only need to take a few extra courses to earn a certificate.
About Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College offers educational opportunities for students living in and around Salem, Oregon. As a community college, it offers two-year programs that help students earn an associate degree. Founded in 1952, it opened after the Salem School District decided to launch a new vocational school. Called Salem Technical-Vocational School when it first opened, it offered training programs designed to help students find work and lower the overall unemployment rate in the region. When it switched from a vocational school to a college, it let students and locals decided on the new name. The school became Chemeketa Community College in 1969.
The college now has a main campus in a small rural area of the state and serves as the main college for adult learners and other types of nontraditional students. It has a second campus in another city in Oregon and operates three education centers. The college also has a Northwest Wine Studies Center that allows students to learn more about the winemaking process and how to pair wines. Salem is home to the college’s Small Business Development Center, which allows students to get help before starting a new business. The multiple campuses that make up the CCC system have a total enrollment of more than 29,000 students.
Chemeketa Community College Accreditation Details
Though CCC is a community college, it has the same regional accreditation that major colleges have, which comes from the NWCCU. Like other schools, the college must renew that accreditation every decade and has had no problems with this renewal. NWCCU accreditation not only lets students transfer credits into a new college program, but it also allows those students to apply for the federal and state financial aid that they need.
Chemeketa Community College Application Requirements
Chemeketa believes that every student should have the right to higher education. That is why it accepts students who have their high school diplomas as well as those who have a homeschool certificate or a high school equivalency diploma. Around 30% of its students are the first in their families to go to college, and more than 10,000 new students enroll in a full-time program every year. Any student who completes all admissions requirements and submits an application will receive an acceptance letter. Students can tour the campus and meet with admissions counselors online before applying too.
New students can submit the CCC application for free. This application asks for a social security number and birth date as well as the student’s full name and where he or she went to high school. They can then apply for financial aid and take the college’s placement tests. Each test will determine whether the student can skip some courses and what classes he or she must take based on the score earned. Students can also use the college’s website to register for classes and to meet with their advisors for the first time.
Tuition and Financial Aid
CCC requires that students pay their total balances or make payment arrangements within the first 10 days of the new semester starting. Those who do not pay off their balances are subject to a $25 fee. The college also allows students to sign up for a payment plan to avoid this fee. Oregon residents and students taking online classes pay $105 per credit hour, which includes an $18 fee. Online students will pay a separate $50 fee too. Nonresidents pay $270 per credit hour for any classes they take on the CCC campus. The college offers some waivers for students who are over the age of 65 and those who served in the military. These waivers allow students to take classes for free.
Those who have a high school diploma or a GED may qualify for the Oregon Promise, which is a program that provides Oregon residents with a grant. They must take an experience course offered by the college, maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or higher and pass the majority of their classes each term. If they meet these requirements, they can get a new grant each semester. There is federal financial aid available as well for students who complete the FAFSA.
The Chemeketa Foundation offers scholarships for some students too. Students can use the accounts they set up to fill out the application to access information on those scholarships. This also lets them know what they must do when applying. Students typically find out if they received any awards by the end of May, but the college will continue granting scholarships throughout the year. There are more than 150 scholarships and grants available from the college. Chemeketa Community College recommends that hospitality and tourism management majors and those majoring in other fields apply for scholarships early in the year.