MiraCosta College

MiraCosta College

Former names	Oceanside-Carlsbad Junior College
Type	Public community college
Established	1934
President	Sunita V. Cooke, Superintendent/President
Academic staff	700+
Administrative staff	27
Students	17,252
Location	Oceanside, CA, USA
Campus	Suburban; 121 acres (49 ha)
Athletics	CCCAA – PCAC
Nickname	Spartans
Affiliations	California Community Colleges System
Mascot	Spartan
Website	www.miracosta.edu

MiraCosta College is a public California community college serving coastal North San Diego County. The main campus is located in Oceanside, California, United States, at 1 Barnard Drive. The San Elijo campus is located in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. The Community Learning Center is also located in Oceanside, on Mission Avenue.

MiraCosta was founded in 1934. Classes began in a wing at Oceanside High School. Originally, MiraCosta was known as Oceanside-Carlsbad Junior College. There were 122 students enrolled and 20 faculty members. It was the second community college to be established in San Diego County. Only 16 courses were initially offered and they counted as credit toward advanced standing at the University of California.

By 1959, enrollment in Oceanside-Carlsbad Junior College had grown to 500 full-time students in classrooms on 30 acres (12 ha) adjacent to Oceanside High School. In 1960, voters approved a separate community college district and a bond issue to provide funding for a new college campus

In 1964, the college relocated to its present 121-acre (49 ha) hilltop location and was renamed MiraCosta College. The name MiraCosta (Spanish for "behold the coast") refers to the panoramic ocean and coastal mountain views from the campus. The property was purchased for $575,000 and was part of a parcel owned by renowned ice skater Sonja Henie. A neighborhood in Oceanside named Henie Hills is to the west of the campus.

The district once again expanded in 1976 to include all of the North County coastal communities from Camp Pendleton to Del Mar. By 1978, enrollment was more than 7,000 students. A satellite campus opened in Del Mar in a vacant elementary school. This campus served students who lived in the southern portion of the district. In the first semester, 1,034 credit students enrolled. Soon after, MiraCosta purchased a 48-acre (19 ha) parcel near the San Elijo Lagoon in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. The San Elijo Campus opened in 1988 to 2,500 credit students.

In 2000, the Adult Learning Center relocated to its current permanent CLC location on Mission Avenue in Oceanside and was renamed the Community Learning Center. The center has expanded its adult education offerings to include parenting classes, workshops for older adults, and programs for those who are physically and mentally challenged. The Cisco Academy, offerring training in computer networking, is also housed at the center. The college's Small Business Development Center is next door.