Palm Beach State College


Check out the most popular majors and specific degrees students have earned at Palm Beach State College.
*Sources for school statistics and data include the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Data may vary depending on school and academic year.
Check out the online programs offered at Palm Beach State College.
Nursing (NUR) - Baccalaureate program
Dental Hygiene (DH) Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, Commission on Accreditation Montessori Education (MONTE) - Montessori teacher education programs and institutions
You’re going places. And you’re going to be helping others go places, too — literally — when you’re part of the automotive and diesel programs at Palm Beach State College. Whether you’re interested in being a technician, service advisor, parts specialist, manager, or entrepreneur, you’ll be ready with hands-on experience—working on actual cars, trucks and heavy equipment — at state-of-the-art facilities in the Belle Glade or Lake Worth campus. Students can choose to work toward a postsecondary adult vocational certificate, an associate in science degree, a bachelor of applied science degree, or a corporate and continuing education certificate, depending on their goals. Every program is accredited by ASE/NATEF, the industry standard. And to accommodate all students, both day and evening classes are offered, with small class sizes to ensure one-on-one attention from expert, certified instructors. After students complete coursework and a required number of practicing hours, the faculty help students prepare for tests like ASE certification and help them land their dream careers. Some students have gone on to work at Goodyear and Nextran Truck Centers or even have started their own shops.
I'll be the first to admit when I graduated from high school, I wasn't really ready for university life. PBSC helped me find myself and who I wanted to be without putting me in massive debt. I did most of my classes at the Eissey campus in Palm Beach Gardens, where I would spend most of my time in the library or student center. Student activities on this campus were strong with flyers everywhere and an event (or three) happening almost every week with the various clubs on campus. I went above and beyond to be involved and made some new friends along the way. Together we did a lot of good for the community through Relay For Life, Hannah's Home, and Habitat for Humanity, to name a few. I was involved in student government, and my favorite memory from that is when we got a chance to visit Tallahassee to speak to our state senators and representatives. I took my general education courses during the week while working on nights and weekends. It was a huge juggle but one that paid off. I still stay in touch with friends and staff there on a regular basis as an alumni.
The atmosphere at PBSC is one of collaboration and learning and celebrating education. There were always exciting activities occurring on campus with an opportunity to network and have fun, while eating great food. The background of all my professors allowed me to gain insight from highly successful business people and helped me learn to apply the concepts being taught to real-world issues.
My experience at Palm Beach State College was a wonderful one. I liked how the classes were small, allowing us to have a good learning experience with the professor and fellow students. When I was there, a few friends and I co-founded the STEAM club (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics). My favorite part of that organization was being able to get together with like-minded students to create an initiative for science-related fields. We had the opportunity to visit the Kennedy Space Center, which was exciting! All in all, my time at Palm Beach State College is an experience I am grateful for.
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In its 80-plus year history, Palm Beach State College has seen a number of well-known faces. In 1941, James L. Wattenbarger earned an associate’s degree at the college and went on to help develop the Florida community college system in place today. Later, a number of actors passed through the facilities, such as rugged Western-star Burt Reynolds and “Days of Our Lives” Deidre Hall. Jesper Parnevik hailed from Sweden on a golf scholarship and has gone on to the PGA tour, while Yolanda Griffith left PBSC and went on to win two Olympic gold medals in 2000 and 2004 and earn the title of one of the greatest rebounders and defensive players in the WNBA.
In Lake Worth, Florida, speckled with palm trees and white-sided, large-windowed buildings, sits PBSC’s main campus: Lake Worth. Next to Lake Osborne and John Prince Park, this 114-acre campus serves more than 30,000 students a year. The campus houses the honors college, the Panthers athletic facilities, the Watson B. Duncan III Theatre, and the Public Safety Training Center. Nearby, about 15,000 students learn at the Palm Beach Gardens 123-acre campus. They have access to the Myrna Rubenstein Pavilion at the center of campus with an ecological pond and waterfall, multimedia classrooms and laboratories, a horticultural nursery, community athletic fields, and an art gallery. Aside from Palm Beach Gardens and Lake Worth campus, students can learn at full-service locations around Palm Beach County in Belle Glade, Boca Raton, and Loxahatchee Groves.
Students who want to learn from the keyboards of their own laptops can take advantage of Palm Beach e-learning opportunities. Around 15,955 distance-learning students earn credits via discussion boards, online chat rooms, and web conferencing. All credit classes are transferrable and appear identical to in-class courses on transcripts. Adult learners should check out one of the four campuses in their area for classes to upgrade technical skills and to continue education in early childhood and teacher education, health sciences, and public safety. Continuing education courses take place over shorter periods of time and focus on specific workforce needs.
Palm Beach State College takes to the fields and courts as the Panthers. Decked out in green and gold, the Panthers compete in the NJCAA Division I in baseball, basketball, volleyball, and softball—while Palmer Florida Panther, their whiskered mascot, revs up the crowd and cheers the teams to victory. The school also has both men and women soccer clubs.
Palm Beach State College is Florida’s first public community college and offers more than 130 degree and certificate programs — associate and baccalaureate degrees, professional certificates, and workforce development — from biotechnology to massage therapy. About 48,000 students attend one of five campuses and enjoy small class sizes of about 25 students, low tuition, and a diverse student body stemming from more than 160 countries. More than 2,500 full- and part-time faculty and staff help prepare students for transfer to universities or for immediate employment upon program completion. The college and its faculty have maintained strong partnerships with the Palm Beach Country community. And many facilities have been renovated or added to provide students with the latest technology and media to prepare for the workforce.