Iowa Valley Community College District

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Welcome to online/distance learning at Iowa Valley

We're glad you're taking the time to get more information about online/distance learning, and perhaps even taking the next steps toward enrollment, registration and participation. Navigating your way through college can be challenging when you're on a new campus, and sometimes even more challenging when you're online. We hope that the information below and on the pages listed to the left will be of great help to you.

Iowa Valley Community College District operates Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls and Marshalltown Community College, as well as Iowa Valley Grinnell, a satellite campus of MCC. At some point in the process, you'll need to apply for admission to one college or the other ... the information on the Admissions & Financial Aid page will walk you through that process.

Please contact us any time you need help!

Our online degrees

AA Liberal Arts/Transfer degree

The 64-credit Associate in Arts (AA) degree is generally considered our best transferable degree. Ellsworth Community College and Marshalltown Community College have articulation agreements with Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, and The University of Iowa, which basically state that our AA degree will transfer completely to these universities. How the individual courses will apply at the next level depends on each student's major.  Students who plan to study programs such as accounting, history, paralegal or psychology, for example, can complete an AA at one of our colleges and transfer the credits to a university to be used toward completion of a bachelor's degree. If a student knows that he or she wants to transfer into a specific major, that student can choose electives that emphasize courses in that specific area (such as psychology or business). We have 51 AA emphases in various areas to help guide students to appropriate electives to transfer. To get an AA degree completed in two years, students should average 16 credits per semester or take additional courses in off-terms such as summer or winter interim.

In addition to the general AA degree available fully online, the AA degree emphases that can be completed online at our colleges (if key courses are chosen as electives) include:

• Accounting (major codes: EAPAT/MAPAT)

• Communications/Public Relations/Journalism (major codes: EAPJR/MAPJR)

• Computer Applications in Business (major codes: EAPCB/MAPCB)

• Education, Secondary (major codes: EAPSC/MAPSC)

• Finance & Banking (major code: EAPFB, available only through Ellsworth)

• History (major codes: EAPHI/MAPHI)

• Human Services (major codes: EAPRH/MAPRH)

• Paralegal (major code: MAPAR, available only through Marshalltown/IVGrinnell)

• Psychology (major codes: EAPPY/MAPPY)

• Social Work (major codes: EAPSW/MAPSW)

• Sociology (major codes: EAPSS/MAPSS)

AAS Paralegal degree

Iowa Valley offers an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Paralegal degree completely online; if students prefer, some of the coursework can also be taken at our Iowa Valley Grinnell campus. More information ...

Class schedules

Our class schedules are available in an online database and in printable pdf versions; links to both are on the pages linked below. Be sure to look at ONLINE classes unless you plan to come to campus and participate in a regular classroom setting. Additional instructions (and illustrations) are found on pages 4 & 6 of our Online Student Handbook.

• Ellsworth Community College class schedules

• Marshalltown Community College/Iowa Valley Grinnell class schedules

Here's what to do next ...

1. Check out the technical requirements for our online courses ... do you have access to a computer that will meet these criteria?

2. Apply to either Marshalltown Community College/Iowa Valley Grinnell or Ellsworth Community College. (direct links to the appropriate application pages)

3. Submit your ACT or COMPASS scores to the ECC/MCC Admissions Office.

4. Submit official high school or GED and college transcripts from all previous institutions to the ECC (1100 College Avenue, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126) / MCC (3700 South Center Street, Marshalltown, Iowa 50158) Admissions Office.

5. Access the ECC Financial Aid Checklist or the MCC Financial Aid Checklist, which will direct you to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid/FAFSA.

6. All of our online courses are taught on our ANGEL platform. Once you have a student identification number, you can create your ANGEL account.

7. Complete the Student Orientation for ANGEL Users.

8. Schedule an advising appointment with Online Advisor Chris Russell.

9. Register for classes.