Why choose Southwest Florida College?
Listening to Employers – We are listening to employers and embracing what they say are the skills that students need upon graduating. Southwest Florida College remains student-centered and employer-focused by delivering curriculum that is up-to-date to ensure that students are prepared for the expectations of employers.
Flexibility – We understand that in today’s world our lives are hectic. That’s why we offer our classes to fit into your busy schedule. We offer convenient online classes as well as campus-based classes during the day, evening and even on the weekend.
Individual Attention – You won’t get lost in a sea of students here at Southwest Florida College. Our classes are small so that you get more one-on-one attention with your instructors. We even have an Academic Success Center where you can go to get additional help with your coursework.
Graduate Placement – At Southwest Florida College, we take your education a step further. Our Graduate Placement and Industry Relations Department has one primary function – to get you employed. This is a lifetime service for our graduates. The Graduate Placement and Industry Relations department will assist you with your resume and then help match your skills with desirable employers.
* Programs vary by location.
School Name
Southwest Florida College
City
Campuses in Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Bonita Springs and Tampa, Florida, as well as fully Online.
State
Florida
General Information
Institutional Control
Private fully accredited post-secondary institution.
Year Founded:
1974
Academic Calendar
There are eight starts per year including the Fall, Fall Mini, Winter, Winter Mini, Spring, Spring Mini and Summer and Summer Mini.
Accreditation:
Southwest Florida College is a Senior College accredited by the accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) to award bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and diplomas. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools is listed as a nationally recognized accrediting agency by the United States Department of Education and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ACICS is located at:
750 First Street, NE, Suite 980, Washington, D.C., 20002, (202) 336-6780.
Awards
Our Paralegal Studies program is certified by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA).
Our Surgical Technology program is programmatically accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). This programmatic accreditation allows the student to sit for the certification exam in surgical technology given by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). After passing this internationally recognized exam, the graduate will earn the credential CST (Certified Surgical Technologist).
Southwest Florida College is a proud member of the American Association of Medical Assistant. The Medical Assistant associate’s degree program is accredited with the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
Southwest Florida College is proud to be a CompTia Authorized Academy Partner.
Completion of the Web Design and Development program will prepare the student for the MCAD (Microsoft Certified Applications Developer) certification.
Graduates of the bachelor’s degree program in the Elementary Education (K-6 grades) with ESOL Endorsement, that have met all admissions, program course and state exam requirements, receive a transcript indicating the completion of a Florida Department of Education (DOE) state-approved program.
Graduates of the bachelor’s degree in the Early Childhood Education (PreK-3rd grades) with ESOL Endorsement, that have met all admissions, program course and state exam requirements, receive a transcript indicating the completion of a Florida Department of Education (DOE) state-approved program.
Southwest Florida College is a proud member of the International Interior Design Association.
Student Services
Freshman Studies and the Academic Success Center
The Freshman Studies department places students on the road to success. Through preparatory classes and individualized tutoring, the goal is to enrich the academic experience and enable students to be successful throughout college. Most freshmen will be enrolled in College Success and through an assessment process at time of application, it will be determined if preparatory courses in Math, English or Reading are required.
The mission of the Academic Success Center is to reinforce and enrich the instruction provided by the faculty of Southwest Florida College, thereby enabling students to be successful throughout their time at Southwest Florida College.
The Academic Success Center is designed to help students become independent and successful learners by improving their study skills, increasing their understanding of course content, enhancing their self-confidence and encouraging them to develop a positive attitude toward learning.
Student Activities
The Student Activities department at Southwest Florida College organizes on- and off-campus events and workshops. Recent events have included student vs. faculty basketball, bowling, pictures with Santa and seasonal events and activities. Most events are opened to the entire college, community and alumni of the college.
Southwest Florida College graduates are pursuing careers at the following organizations, to name a few:
- Adforce Advertising
- Aetna
- Allied Home Mortgage
- AOL/Stream
- Apollo Information Services
- Baer’s Furniture
- Bank of America
- Banks Engineering
- Best Buy/Geek Squad
- Boeing
- Brandon Health & Rehab
- Brandon Regional Hospital
- Bright House Networks
- Brightstar
- Caldwell Banker Realty
- Cape Coral Daily Breeze
- Cape Coral Police Department
- Charlotte County Board of Commissioners
- Chico’s
- Childcare of Southwest Florida
- Children’s Network of Southwest Florida
- Collier County Public Schools
- Collier County Sheriff’s Office
- Colwill Engineering
- Comcast
- Country Inn and Suites
- Crossmark
- Cypress Lake Country Club
- Dillards
- DSI Laboratories
- Eye Centers of Florida
- Family Health Centers
- Fawcett Memorial Hospital
- Fiber Solutions
- First Community Bank
- First Home Mortgage of Florida
- Florida Cancer Specialists
- Florida Career Specialists
- Florida Department of Corrections
- Florida Department of Transportation
- Florida Department of Children and Families
- Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
- Florida Heart Associates
- Florida Retina Center
- Fort Myers News Press
- Fort Myers Police Department
- Glades County Sheriff’s Department
- Gulfcoast Village
- Hard Rock Cafe’ & Casino
- Head Start
- Hendry County School Board
- Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
- Hilton Naples & Towers
- Hope Hospice
- IKEA
- JP Morgan
- Lee County Board of Commissioners
- Lee County Clerk of Courts
- Lee County School Board
- Lee Security Incorporated
- Lehigh Regional Hospital
- LifeLink
- Linen’s and Things
- Macy’s
- Medical Staffing Network
- Moffit Cancer Center
- NCH
- New Tampa Physician’s Group
- North Port Primary Care
- Office of the State Attorney
- Peace River Regional Medical Center
- PETCO
- Physician’s Primary Care
- Physician’s Regional Medical
- Publix
- Retina Consultants
- Safety Signal Systems
- Sears
- Shell Point Retirement Village
- SONY
- Staples
- STC Transcom
- Suntrust Bank
- Southwest Florida Addiction Services
- Sweetbay
- SWFL Heart Group
- Tampa Cardiology Center
- Tampa General Hospital
- Target
- Tervis Tumbler
- TJ Maxx
- 21st Century Oncology
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife
- U.S. Post Office
- United Engineering
- Verizon
- Wackenhut
- Walgreen’s
- Walmart
Degrees/Certificates Offered
Each program has a specific campus association with it. Not all programs are offered at each campus. Programs below are associated with the campus they are associated:
Fort Myers Campus
- Diploma - Early Childhood Care and Mgmt
- Diploma - Early Childhood Care and Mgmt – Online
- Diploma - Medical Assistant
- Diploma - Medical Billing & Coding Technology
- Diploma - Medical Billing & Coding Technology - Online
- A.S. – Accounting
- A.S. - Accounting – Online
- A.S. - Computer Animation/Multimedia
- A.S. - Computer Programming & Database Mgmt
- A.S. - Criminal Justice
- A.S. - Criminal Justice – Online
- A.S. - Digital Design
- A.S. - Early Childhood Education
- A.S. - Early Childhood Education – Online
- A.S. - Health Information Mgmt
- A.S. - Health Information Mgmt – Online
- A.S. – Management
- A.S. - Management – Online
- A.S. - Medical Assistant
- A.S. - Medical Lab Technician
- A.S. - Network Engineering & Admin
- A.S. - Paralegal Studies – Online
- A.S. – Nursing (RN)
- A.S. - Surgical Technician
- A.S. - Web Design & Development
- B.S. – Accounting
- B.S. - Accounting – Online
- B.S. - Cyber Technology and Security
- B.S. - Elementary Education
- B.S. - Early Childhood Education
- B.S. - Health Care Administration
- B.S. - Health Care Admin – Online
- B.S. – Management
- B.S. - Management – Online
- B.S. – Public Service and Admin
- B.S. – Public Service and Admin – Online
Tampa Campus
- Diploma – Medical Assistant
- Diploma – Medical Billing & Coding Technology
- Diploma – Medical Billing & Coding Technology – Online
- Diploma – Early Childhood Care and Mgmt
- Diploma – Early Childhood Care and Mgmt – Online
- A.S. – Accounting – Online
- A.S. – Computer Aided Drafting & Design
- A.S. – Computer Animation / Multimedia
- A.S. – Criminal Justice
- A.S. – Criminal Justice – Online
- A.S. – Digital Design
- A.S. – Early Childhood Education
- A.S. – Early Childhood Education – Online
- A.S. – Health Information Mgmt
- A.S. – Health Information Mgmt – Online
- A.S. – Management
- A.S. – Management – Online
- A.S. – Medical Assistant
- A.S. – Medical Lab Technician
- A.S. – Network Engineering & Admin
- A.S. – Paralegal Studies – Online
- B.S. – Accounting – Online
- B.S. – Cyber Technology and Security
- B.S. – Early Childhood Education
- B.S. – Health Care Administration
- B.S. – Health Care Administration – Online
- B.S. – Management
- B.S. – Management - Online
- B.S. – Public Service and Administration
- B.S. – Public Service and Admin – Online
Port Charlotte Campus
- Diploma – Early Childhood Care and Mgmt
- Diploma – Early Childhood Care and Mgmt – Online
- Diploma – Medical Billing & Coding Technology
- Diploma – Medical Billing & Coding Technology – Online
- Diploma – Medical Assistant
- A.S. – Accounting – Online
- A.S. – Criminal Justice
- A.S. – Criminal Justice – Online
- A.S. – Early Childhood Education
- A.S. – Early Childhood Education – Online
- A.S. – Health Information Mgmt
- A.S. – Health Information Mgmt – Online
- A.S. – Management
- A.S. – Management – Online
- A.S. – Medical Assistant
- A.S. – Medical Lab Technician
- A.S. – Paralegal Studies – Online
- A.S. – Surgical Technician
- B.S. – Accounting – Online
- B.S. – Health Care Admin – Online
- B.S. – Management – Online
- B.S. – Public Service and Admin – Online
Bonita Springs Campus
- Diploma – Kitchen and Bath
- A.S. – Interior Design & Decorating
- B.S. – Interior Design
- Diploma – Medical Billing & Coding Technology
- Diploma – Medical Billing & Coding Technology – Online
- Diploma – Early Childhood Care and Mgmt – Online
- A.S. – Accounting – Online
- A.S. – Criminal Justice
- A.S. – Computer Aided Drafting & Design
- A.S. – Network Engineering & Admin
- A.S. – Management
- A.S. – Management – Online
- A.S. – Health Information Mgmt – Online
- A.S. – Early Childhood Education – Online
- A.S. – Criminal Justice – Online
- A.S. – Paralegal Studies – Online
- A.S. – Medical Assistant
- A.S. – Early Childhood Education
- B.S. – Management – Online
- B.S. – Accounting – Online
- B.S. – Health Care Admin – Online
- B.S. – Public Service and Admin- Online