Kingsborough Community College

 

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About Kingsborough Community College

Overview

Kingsborough Community College recently celebrated 60 years of teaching and learning effectiveness. Founded in 1963, KCC is Brooklyn’s only community college and a key generator of upward social and economic mobility within the borough and the region. Located on a 70-acre campus in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. Kingsborough is one of 25 colleges and schools within the City University of New York (CUNY). Kingsborough Community College (KCC) is the only community college in Brooklyn, New York, New York City’s most populous borough. As one of the 25 schools within the City University of New York (CUNY), KCC offers learners the opportunity to earn the Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science in over 37 degree programs, as well as two credit-bearing industry certificate programs and over 20 noncredit education and training programs. 

Over 60% of students who complete a degree at KCC transfer to a bachelor’s institution within CUNY.

KCC serves the educational needs of a highly diverse student population, representing over 140 different countries and speaking over 70 languages. The diversity of the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn is reflected in its student body; 52.7% of students identify as an underrepresented minority (URM) (e.g., Black and Hispanic students). Throughout the College, there is a strong commitment to ensuring that students are successful in their academic endeavors and to developing well-rounded and informed individuals able to contribute to their communities. As a result of this commitment and an overall College culture of continuous self-reflection and improvement, Kingsborough stands out among CUNY community colleges for its relatively high graduation rate (the Fall 2017 cohort had a 35.0% three-year graduation rate and a 39.5% four-year graduation rate) and has been consistently recognized as a top community college by the Aspen Institute.

Located on a 70-acre campus in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Kingsborough is one of 25 colleges and schools within the City University of New York (CUNY).  As of Fall 2024, the College employed 339 fulltime faculty members, of whom 61% hold a doctorate, and 698 adjuncts in credit-bearing courses. 

Key Facts about Kingsborough Community College:

    1. Recognition: Kingsborough has been recognized by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program as one of the top 10% of public community colleges in the United States eight consecutive times, three times advancing to the final round of 10 schools that competed for the highly prestigious $1M Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The College has also earned recognition as a Leader College of Distinction for excellence in student success by Achieving the Dream
    2. Learning Communities: The College has gained national acclaim for its innovative use of learning communities, particularly through the Opening Doors program designed for freshman and English as a Second Language students. Kingsborough's expertise in this area has been shared with other educational institutions nationwide.
    3. Civic Engagement: Kingsborough is a leader in promoting civic learning and engagement. The College was one of the first community colleges to institute a graduation requirement focused on civic engagement and However, the text on the new page has not been reviewed yet. I copied the content from actively participates in national civic engagement initiatives and research projects.
    4. Academic Calendar: The College follows a unique academic calendar consisting of two semesters, each with a 12-week and a 6-week session. NYC resident full-time students attending the 12-week session can benefit from the 6-week module at no extra cost, allowing for more focused developmental education or accelerated academic progress.
    5. Diversity and Degrees: Kingsborough serves a diverse student population of approximately 8,500 full- and part-time students annually. Our 14 academic departments offer more than 37 programs of study, 12 available completely online. Our top five majors are liberal arts, business administration, criminal justice, nursing, and mental health. More than 70% of our graduates go on to pursue a baccalaureate degree.
    6. Honors Program: The College offers an honors program for high-achieving students, providing opportunities for a variety of enriching co-curricular activities both on and off-campus. It is also home to one of the largest chapters of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges.
    7. College Now: KCC was the first CUNY college to offers free credit-bearing and college preparatory courses to NYC public high school students. Adopted CUNY-wide, the College Now program is now available in more than 400 New York City high schools, enrolling over 20,000 students annually.
    8. Continuing Education and Workforce Development: Kingsborough’s expanding continuing education and workforce development programs serve over 20,000 students annually, spanning ages from six to 70-plus. These courses cover a wide range of topics, including occupational, academic, and personal development. To better serve the business community, microcredentials and certificates are offered to train in-demand workers in such burgeoning fields as cannabis, UX design and offshore wind.

In addition to its academic excellence, Kingsborough Community College actively engages with the Brooklyn community through various events and activities, including lectures, concerts, art exhibitions, and theater productions.

 

Accreditation

Kingsborough is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE or the Commission). Kingsborough's accreditation status is Accreditation Reaffirmed. The Commission’s most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status in 2016 was to reaffirm accreditation. MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidate status) activities for institutions of higher education including distance, correspondence education, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions. The Commission’s geographic area of accrediting activities is throughout the United States. You can find additional information related to Kingsborough's accreditation status in the MSCHE Institution Directory. 

All academic programs are registered by the New York State Education Department. In addition, our majors have received accreditation by their governing accrediting agencies

 

KCC Students

The College enrolls approximately 8,500 students annually in degree programs, along with 20,000 students in non-credit workforce development  and continuing education program and over 11, 000 in high school dual enrollment courses. Kingsborough’s students come from 140 different countries and speaking over 70 languages. The diversity of the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn is reflected in its student body;   52.7 % of students identify as an underrepresented minority (URM)  (e.g. Black and Hispanic  students). Throughout the College, there is a strong commitment to ensuring that students are successful in their academic endeavors and to developing well-rounded and informed individuals able to contribute to their communities. As a result
of this commitment and an overall College culture of continuous self-reflection and improvement, Kingsborough stands out among CUNY community colleges for its relatively high graduation rate (the Fall 2017 cohort had a 35.0% three-year graduation rate and a 39.5% four-year graduation rate) and has been consistently recognized as a top community college by the Aspen Institute.

KCC Student Services and Programs

Kingsborough offers many student services and programs to help students succeed to the maximum of their abilities including the TRiO program, College Discovery, CUNY Edge, Access-Ability Services, Single Parent Students, and ASAP. Students also enjoy a wide range of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. There are over 50 active student clubs and organizations and 10 intercollegiate athletic teams in which students can participate.

 

KCC Faculty

As of Fall 2024, the College employed 339 fulltime faculty members, of whom 61% hold a doctorate, and 698 adjuncts in credit-bearing courses. 

KCC Campus

Located on a peninsula hugged by Sheepshead Bay, Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Kingsborough Community College enjoys a spectacular waterfront setting. Striking modern architecture – and a working lighthouse — adds to the natural beauty. Our facilities include:

    • The Marine and Academic Center (MAC), whose iconic beacon is a registered lighthouse (USCG 1-34360). The building houses state-of-the-art nursing and surgical technology labs; a 12,000 square foot conference facility that is the site of numerous college, community, and university-related events; classrooms; computer labs and cyber lounge; an aquarium; the Women’s Center, and the Honors Program.
    • The Regina S. Peruggi Academic Village, which houses our recruitment office, one-stop admissions office, international student office, the Child Development Center, which services our student-parents, as well as addition classrooms, computer labs, and early childhood education workshops.
    • The Robert J. Kibbee Library and Media Center, with a high-quality collection that includes more than 177,000 print reference and circulating books, 462,000 ebooks, 35,000 online and 810 print periodicals; 2,800 DVDs.
    • A marina and ocean-going instructional vessels used by the maritime technology program.
    • A sports facility with two gymnasiums, a fitness center, a dance studio, two squash courts, and an indoor Olympic-sized pool.
    • The Student Union and Intercultural Center
    • The 743-seat Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center and the 300-seat Marine and Academic Center Playhouse.
    • A 1,600 square foot art museum.
    • Fifty-one general purpose instructional computer labs with more than 1,700 work stations and approximately 360 computer work stations in specialized instructional facilities.
    • A computerized testing facility with more than 50 stations.
    • An 800-student capacity NYC Department of Education high school.
    • State-of-the-art labs and simulation equipment for our nursing, surgical technology, polysomnographic (sleep) technology and paramedic programs, replete with high-fidelity simulation mannequins and a fully equipped ambulance.
    • A digital TV studio as well as an FCC-licensed digital radio station, home to WKRB-90.3FM.
    • A quarter-acre community farm and garden and hydroponic lab that produces organic vegetables for use in class by culinary arts students and free distribution to students. The space is also open to class tours, research projects, and educational events and workshops.

Take a virtual tour of the campus.