Academic Catalog
College History
The present-day Midlands Technical College is the product of a rich and unique history. Never before had a public trade school, a public technical education center and a private junior college merged to form a comprehensive two-year technical/community college in South Carolina.
In 1947, the South Carolina Area Trade Schools (SCATS) Act established the South Carolina Area Trade School–Columbia Campus to provide skilled and educated workers to meet the expanding labor needs of the community. In 1969, the name was changed to Columbia Technical Education Center (TEC) and it became part of the State Committee for Technical Education, which was responsible for guiding the technical programs in the state. The site of the Columbia Technical Education Center is now the Airport Campus of Midlands Technical College.
Richland Technical Education Center (Richland TEC) was established in 1963 to address the need for specialized training for industrial growth, and the first students were enrolled in the fall of 1963. By 1969, the school’s enrollment expanded to 1,200 students and Lexington County officials joined forces with Richland County to form the Richland-Lexington Counties Commission for Technical Education. With this partnership, the name of the school was changed to Midlands Technical Education Center (TEC).
Approximately 15,500 students were enrolled in Midlands Technical Education Center between the years 1969-1974. Major programs of study were offered in industrial and engineering technologies, business and allied health. The site of the Midlands Technical Education Center is now the Beltline Campus of Midlands Technical College. Palmer College in Columbia, a private business college, joined with the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education in 1973. At that time, Palmer College annually enrolled 1,000 students in 16 associate degree and diploma programs. On March 21, 1973, the Columbia Technical Education Center, Midlands Technical Education Center and Palmer College in Columbia merged to form a single, multi-campus college. This new college operated as three separate entities governed by one local commission through June 1974. On July 1 of that year, the three separate institutions merged to form Midlands Technical College under the guidance of the Richland-Lexington Counties Commission for Technical Education.
Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Midlands Technical College provides a variety of educational opportunities that support its mission of human resource development in support of economic development.
More than 100 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs of study are offered. A strong college transfer program has evolved to allow students the opportunity to take the first two years of a baccalaureate degree and transfer to one of the state’s four-year institutions. Midlands Technical College is currently the largest feeder college to Columbia College and the University of South Carolina.
Midlands Technical College provides corporate and continuing education opportunities and has more than 25,000 enrollments annually and is the largest provider of corporate and continuing education of any college in the state. Off-campus sites provide classes for many residents.
More than 80 percent of MTC graduates who do not continue their education after graduation are employed in jobs related to their field of study. State-of-the-art equipment, a well-qualified faculty and staff, and hands-on experience give Midlands Technical College’s students the high-quality education and training they need to successfully compete in the marketplace.
MTC’s students are all ages — the average fall enrollment being 25 years old — and there are more females (60%) than males. The college employs 617 full-time people (fall, 2017).
This 2021-2022 catalog attests to the Midlands Technical College tradition. The college’s solid foundation in the past, together with the vision for excellence in the future, ensure citizens and students alike will be proud to call Midlands Technical College their college.