2023-2024 General Catalog 
    
    Nov 23, 2024  
2023-2024 General Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

About the College


South Plains College is a comprehensive, two-year community college that offers academic transfer options and college-level technical education programs.

South Plains College serves the greater South Plains area of Texas with innovative educational programs that span the arts and sciences, technical education, health sciences, continuing education and workforce development. The college’s main campus is located in Levelland. SPC maintains three extension centers in Lubbock that are located at The SPC Lubbock Downtown Center, The SPC Career and Technical Center, and The SPCReese Technology Center. The northern tier of the college’s service area is served by The SPC Plainview Center. The college’s educational program includes academic transfer courses that parallel university programs for students who plan to earn a bachelor’s degree. SPC also maintains a diverse offering of one and two-year technical programs for students who want to develop specific job skills and then enter the world of work.

Through its Arts and Sciences Division, the college offers students 47 academic transfer options which lead to the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Arts in Teaching degrees. Transfer guides can be found in fine arts, the sciences, social sciences, behavioral sciences, communications, languages, mathematics, engineering, business administration and physical education. Students who attend SPC complete their freshman and sophomore-level course work and then transfer to a university to complete the remaining years of a baccalaureate program. The college’s faculty advisor system helps students plan for successful transfer.

In the Health Sciences Division and Technical Education Division, the college offers another 83 programs that lead to the Associate of Applied Science degree, Associate of Applied Arts degree or a Certificate of Proficiency. Students enrolled in these programs receive first-class training in a variety of career and technical areas, including allied health, nursing, business administration, the creative arts, computer information and electronics technology, industrial technology, and professional services and energy. All technical programs are continually updated with the help of advisory committees composed of representatives from the medical community, education, the professional community, business and industry. In this way, SPC can assure students are receiving career and technical training that is in tune with the region’s workforce needs.

South Plains College also provides short-term training and workforce development programs in a variety of formats that help individuals gain marketable skills for immediate employment or that help them upgrade existing skills to meet emerging job technologies. Through its Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, the college is an active participant in the area’s economic development efforts.

SPC takes great pride in its teaching faculty and its teaching facilities. Instructors are highly qualified in their respective areas of study. But more importantly, they are associated with SPC because they want to teach. The college’s instructional facilities are also excellent. Students learn in modern, comfortable classrooms and labs that house some of the most current instructional equipment available. Hands-on training and teaching concepts are an integral part of the educational philosophy. Additionally, there is a commitment to introducing students to advanced technologies and computer applications in all areas.

Nearly 10,000 students take advantage of the educational offerings available at SPC each semester, and nearly half of all SPC students are the first in their families to attend college. An additional 5,500 students enroll in non-credit continuing education or workforce development programs each year.

South Plains College’s accessibility, its excellent facilities and its qualified, friendly teachers are what bring about student success. Personal attention in and out of the classroom is a way of life at SPC.

Campuses and Centers

 SPC Levelland Campus

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South Plains College’s main campus is located in Levelland, Texas, 25 miles due west of Lubbock. Established in 1957 by the residents of Hockley County, South Plains College offers its students a diverse educational program. The program of study on the Levelland Campus spans freshman and sophomore studies for students who plan to earn a bachelor’s degree. These classes, offered through the Arts and Sciences Division, parallel those offered by universities and are fully transferable to these schools. First-class technical programs are also available to students who want to obtain specific job skills in one or two years of college and then go right to work in a good paying job.

SPC is recognized as one of the most modern and complete community colleges in Texas. The Levelland Campus encompasses 42 buildings on a 177-acre campus. Attractively landscaped and maintained, the campus features a contemporary architectural design that enhances an excellent learning environment.

What sets SPC apart from other schools its size are first rate classroom and laboratory facilities that are specifically designed for each teaching area. SPC students have access to some of the most sophisticated and up-to-date educational and training equipment available. Computer technologies can be found in every instructional area.

Nearly 5,000 students enroll for classes each fall on the Levelland Campus. SPC’s student body is diverse in its makeup and character. Geographically, about 94 percent of these students come from within a 100-mile radius of Levelland and Lubbock. Being close to family and jobs at home are important to the majority of SPC students who commute to classes. Even with SPC’s regional makeup, almost all 50 states and a number of foreign countries are represented.

The age of SPC students is also wide ranging. About three-quarters of all SPC students are traditional college-age. The average age of the student body on the Levelland Campus is 22 years.

SPC teachers are dedicated professionals who first and foremost love to teach and who believe in the community college concept. Faculty members are highly qualified in their fields of study and exhibit a wealth of educational experience they are willing to share with you. An average class size of 30 students assures that you receive a personal education. Faculty members work closely with you to help you gain your academic or technical goals.

A professional advising staff can help you set your educational goals. If you are undecided about a college major, SPC advisors can help you determine what you like to do and where your talents lie. They are available, along with faculty advisors, to help you plan your college career. 

SPC maintains residence halls for men and women on its Levelland Campus. The residence hall program offers comfortable and economical housing and dining facilities for students who want to live on campus. The college maintains nine residence halls plus the Smallwood Apartment Complex, housing 278 men and 392 women. The college’s newest residence hall, Tubb Hall, opened in 2012 and houses 104 students.

Student activities, student organizations, intercollegiate athletics, recreational activities and rich college traditions give the Levelland Campus a resident-college flavor.

Click Here To View the SPC Levelland Campus Map    

 SPC Reese Center

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South Plains College has been providing educational programs in the Lubbock area since 1970, when it first began offering courses at the former Reese Air Force Base. Located at 819 Gilbert Drive, the SPC Reese Center offers courses in health sciences and its state-award-winning Professional Truck Driving School.

The SPC Reese Center offers a Vocational Nursing Program, which prepares students for a career in nursing. There are five program areas that prepare students for careers in the healthcare industry: Emergency Medical Services, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care, Surgical Technology and Sterile Processing Technician.

One of the highlights of the SPC Reese Center is the Center for Clinical Excellence, a state-of-the-art nursing simulation facility which is housed in SPC Building 1. The facility has four simulation suites with equipment furnished by area hospitals to make the rooms look realistic. The suites house patient simulators or mannequins that mimic human reactions to illness and treatment.

The SPC Reese Center is dedicated to ensuring student success in college programs in an ever-challenging world.

Click Here To View the SPC Reese Center Map    

 

SPC Lubbock Career and Technical Center

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The SPC Lubbock Career and Technical Center is designed to expand access to a college education for the residents of the City of Lubbock and the surrounding area. Located at 3907 Ave. Q, the South Plains College Lubbock Center offers college-level career and technical education programs and courses that focus on culinary arts, business, office administration, computer technology, machinist trades, automotive technology, welding technology, and industrial manufacturing/emerging technologies. Additionally, students have access to a variety of academic transfer courses that support the technical degree programs offered at the center.

Through an extensive continuing education and workforce development program, the Lubbock Center also serves the training needs of non-traditional students and workers who need to upgrade job skills or retrain for new jobs. Some of these programs include specialized training in the construction trades, health occupations, and computer technologies. The facility enables South Plains College to collaborate with its business partners to provide rapid response training to attract new business and industry and customized job training to support and retain existing businesses.

A comprehensive array of student services is offered to support the educational program and the success of students, including admissions, financial aid, advising and testing, tutoring and student business services. An information media center gives students access to the extensive library services provided to all SPC students at all campus locations. Students also have high speed WiFi access throughout the entire building.

The Lubbock Career and Technical Center houses more than 77,000 square feet of instructional space and features eight high-tech computer classrooms with Internet access and 10 instructional classrooms with multimedia capabilities. Additionally, the facility houses a millwork lab, metals lab, welding lab, automotive technology lab and construction trades lab that also functions as a rapid response training lab. A culinary arts lab is now the centerpiece of that program. State-of-the-art equipment in all instructional areas provides students with “high-tech, high-touch” instruction and hands-on application of skills.

The ability of South Plains College to expand its educational footprint in Lubbock has been made possible through generous financial support provided by the Helen Jones Foundation, The CH Foundation, the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Charitable Foundation, United Supermarkets and City Bank Lubbock. These partners join South Plains College in expanding higher education opportunities for local citizens that will lead to greater economic viability and diversity for the region.

Many individuals who need certain college classes to advance in their jobs, now find these college classes at the SPC Lubbock Career and Technical Center.

 

SPC Lubbock Downtown Center

The newest location for South Plains College has opened for instruction in downtown Lubbock. SPC acquired the former Lubbock City Hall building in 2019 and has completely remodeled the 101,000 square foot building for Arts and Sciences courses. The SPC Lubbock Downtown Center represents the fifth center for the college and will continue to offer the long-standing tradition of providing quality and affordable educational opportunities to the city of Lubbock. The academic building includes 46 classrooms, and students have access to all services that are needed to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Click Here To View the SPC Lubbock Downtown Map

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