Academics
A community college dedicated to serving the multifaceted educational needs of Jefferson County, Alabama, Lawson State Community College provides comprehensive, technology rich, innovative academic and technical licensing programs. The school's success stems from its mission to prioritize individual student support-maintaining a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1 and offering a variety of extracurricular programs that support students in furthering their academic and professional goals. Graduates are equipped for academic achievement, community service, and leadership in business, technical trades, and health services. Lawson State's wide range of accredited programs are divided across four divisions: Academic, Business Technologies, Career Technical, and Health Professions. The health services program prepares technicians, medical assistants, and registered nurses to enter the workforce. A nationwide leader in the automotive repair sector, the technical trade program offers professional licenses in construction, manufacturing, and service. Thanks to its successful academic and licensing programs, Lawson State helps students develop critical skills within the workforce or to transfer into baccalaureate programs.
Career
Lawson State serves its community from two brick campuses in Birmingham, one of Alabama's industrial and educational hubs. Students range from the traditional 18-year-olds to high schoolers taking advantage of Lawson's dual enrollment program and life-long learners seeking personal and professional development. School spirit extends beyond academic and professional pursuits. The school's celebrated Ambassadors program is a service-oriented organization that hosts the school's annual Martin Luther King breakfast, organizes reading events at local elementary schools, and ensures that students, educators, and guests have a positive experience while at Lawson. Each year, Lawson students, affectionately known as Cougars, crown a Miss Lawson State to further represent the student body throughout the community. As athletes, Cougars compete as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, and dance. All students are welcome to take part in basketball and volleyball as intramural sports.
Culture
True to its reputation for championing change at the academic and technical level, Lawson State delivers on its promise of empowering students, awarding 420 associate degrees and 342 professional certificates in the 2019-2020 school year alone. Career development workshops are offered in areas such as résumé writing, interviewing workshops, and job search support. To aid students planning to complete a four-year degree, Lawson State partners with Miles College, a liberal arts HBCU just four miles away, to facilitate admissions for students who maintain a 2.0 GPA or better while earning their associate degree. Meanwhile, the associate degree in nursing program enjoys one of the highest pass rates on the state licensing exam, and the automotive program works directly with manufacturers to ensure that students have expertise in working with Ford, GM, Mercedes, and Toyota vehicles.
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