As the oldest public two-year college in Minnesota, Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) prepares students for future academic and career success. RCTC offers more than 90 degree options in the liberal arts and sciences as well as career and technical fields. Leveraging the power of technology, RCTC’s expert faculty deliver courses in several formats including in-person, online, and hybrid allowing students to shape their schedule around their learning style and personal and work lives.
As a leader in classroom to career pathways, Rochester Community and Technical College is a part of a first-in-Minnesota collaboration to prepare under-served high school students for careers in high-demand fields. In partnership with Rochester Public Schools (RPS), IBM, and Mayo Clinic, RCTC is proud to be the host campus for P-TECH 535. Through the program, underrepresented students complete classes at their high schools and at RCTC simultaneously. Students gain workplace experience through paid internships and graduate with both a high school diploma and a diploma in practical nursing or an associate of applied science degree in information technology.
Contributing to the Minnesota Economy
• Rochester Community and Technical College generates an annual impact of $234.9 million. This includes a direct impact of $135.5 million and an indirect/induced impact of $99.3 million.
• Spending on operations and capital projects generates $96.5 million of the total impact, and student and visitor spending generates $138.4 million.
Supporting and Sustaining Jobs in the State
Rochester Community and Technical College supports and sustains 1,785 Minnesota jobs (1,273 direct and 512 indirect/induced). These jobs are at the College and in the community – 397 direct jobs are employees of RCTC.
Alumni in the State Generate Additional Impact
An estimated 40,344 Rochester Community and Technical College alumni living and working in Minnesota are continuing to make a positive economic impact after graduation. These graduates are an integral part of the Minnesota workforce, impacting the economy not only through their spending but also through the extra earning power generated by their Rochester Community and Technical College degree.
Each year, Rochester Community and Technical College alumni generate $148.8 million in economic impact for Minnesota and support and sustain 794 jobs. Over their 40-year career, Rochester Community and Technical College alumni will generate $6 billion in the economy. These impacts are based on the added value of earning a degree or credential from Rochester Community and Technical College, not alumni full wages. This impact is based upon the total number of alumni in Minnesota 10 years after graduation.
Making a Difference in the Community and State
Rochester is home to the world-renown Mayo Clinic, and RCTC is one of the largest providers of skilled healthcare talent to Mayo. Known for its many healthcare programs including nursing, surgical technology, and dental assistant and hygiene, RCTC also collaborates with the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences to offer several additional healthcare programs including Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist, Clinical Neurophysiology Technology, Emergency Medicine Paramedic, Histology Technician, Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI), and Radiography.
Through collaborations with business and industry partners, RCTC offers students internship and clinical opportunities to gain hands-on training. Working alongside experts in their fields, RCTC students get to apply their classroom experience in real-world settings using equipment and technology they would encounter on the job following graduation. And through partnerships like that with Rochester Public Schools’ P-TECH 535, high school students get to experience college academic programs while still in high-school, and graduate from college and high school at the same time — at no cost — and ready to enter the workforce.