Orange Coast College Programs
Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College is one of the nation’s top transfer schools offering thousands of students opportunities to transfer to universities and private colleges within California and across the nation. OCC is the best choice for a quality education at an affordable price featuring exceptional facilities and the latest in technology. Students enjoy our vibrant campus life joining many of our student clubs, college and sporting events, and enrichment programs. Our 164-acre campus is located in the heart of Costa Mesa, just minutes from Southern California’s beautiful beaches.
Career Pathways
Agriculture & Natural Resources
OCC Horticulture programs will prepare you for a career in landscape design, landscape construction and maintenance, and/or sustainable landscape design and retrofitting. You can also gain the education you need to pursue a bachelor’s degree in a related field if that is your goal. Take the first step forward in your career designing, building and maintaining attractive, healthy outdoor spaces – read on to learn about our degree and certificate programs.
Arts, Media & Entertainment
Commercial Art
Do you love being immersed in the fantastic worlds of popular culture and wonder about who imagined and created these worlds? Do you think you might have the imagination to create these worlds too? Find out about OCC Career Advantage Commercial Art programs in Narrative Illustration and Entertainment Art. In these programs you will learn how to develop your artistic skills and creativity for careers in animation, feature films, video games, graphic novels, and illustrated books. The creative industry and economy in the LA/OC region is growing rapidly, and so is the demand for skilled artists. Imagine your passion and skill in drawing and painting becoming your profession. Read on to learn more about the OCC Commercial Art program.
Dance Instructor
Ballet. Jazz. Modern. World. Whether you are new to dance or already working in the field and looking to perfect your technique and acquire teaching skills, OCC’s highly respected Dance program can help explore or build upon your passion for dance. Our program can prepare you to become a dance performer or a dance instructor. We also offer Pilates teacher training, which will enable you to expand and apply your skills in yet another direction. Picture yourself doing what you love every day – read on to learn more about the programs our college offers.
Digital Media Arts & Design
Websites. Social media. Video games. Commercials. They all depend on high-quality visuals and great design. If a career in graphic design, UX (User Experience), web design or animation appeals to you, then let the OCC Career Advantage program in Digital Media Arts and Design help you hone your skills and build the portfolio that will set you apart. Learn and work with industry-standard technology and take advantage of internships and mentoring by working professionals.
Film & Television
Movies. TV. Commercial Production. YouTube. If you are interested in a career in the entertainment field, the OCC Career Advantage Film & Television program will give you the skills you need to enter or grow your skills and opportunities in the industry. OCC’s Film & Television labs include current industry-standard equipment and technology to prepare you to enter the working world immediately, or transfer to a bachelor’s degree program for further study if that is your goal. OCC graduates with skills and a strong drive to work in this competitive field are in demand and earn good wages. Whether you want to become a camera operator, videographer, director or producer of your own video content, the OCC Career Advantage program in Film & Television can give you a head start on that path. Read on to learn more about the programs we offer.
Photography
In a studio or stadium, at a quiet wedding or at world championship. Do you have a knack for crafting artful photos that capture the key moment or evoke the essence of the person. From celebratory moments to landmark events – the OCC Career Advantage program in Applied/Commercial Photography will make sure you and your camera are equipped to capture them. The OCC Career Advantage Applied Photography program can help you start a career as a professional photographer, or build your skills with our state-of-the art technology if you are already a working professional. Choose a certificate program or earn an associate degree. The field is wide open for commercial photographers in California. Read on to learn more about your options at OCC.
Building & Construction Trades
Construction Technology
From carpentry to plumbing, concrete to fine woodworking, from basic to master builder. The OCC Career Advantage Construction Technology program gives you the skills you need to build or advance your career in the construction industry. You can enter the field and start earning as soon as you complete your first certification program and return to OCC for additional certifications to advance in the industry if you’re already working. Build your career in construction technology here. Read on to learn how OCC can give you the career advantage.
HVACR Technology
Are you a hands-on problem solver? Do you like the idea of working to create and fix systems that make life safe and comfortable for everyone? Imagine yourself in a well-paying field that is vital to our health and security, from preserving our food to making sure our homes, hotels, hospitals and offices stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Earn a certificate in Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Technology at OCC and start a career that your family – and everyone else’s – will thank you for. Skilled HVACR technicians are in high demand throughout the state. Read on to learn more about how OCC can help you start or advance in your career in this high-wage, high-demand field.
Manufacturing Technology
Prepare to become a master of machines in a career where your technical and problem-solving skills produce the parts and products we see and use in our everyday lives. If you are ready to put your mind and your hands to work in a high-tech industrial environment, then the OCC Manufacturing Technology program is right for you. OCC Career Advantage offers training on cutting-edge machine technology with beginning to advanced skill certificate and degree options in CNC operation, programming, tooling and machining. Skilled CNC and machinists are in high demand in the Southern California region, earning high wages. Train to enter an in-demand high-tech job in manufacturing or advance within the field if you’re already working. Take the first step toward machine mastery and get the OCC Career Advantage. Read on to learn more.
Welding Technology
Buildings. Bridges. Pipelines. Sculpture. Welding is the skill of using technology and tools to join metals. Learn welding, and your career possibilities are wide open: Welders apply their skills to build, fabricate and repair metal structures and items of all types, including fine art sculptures. Through the OCC Career Advantage welding program, you can gain the skills you need to enter the field or build on your existing skills to specialize – and earn higher pay – within a specific area. Skilled welders are in high demand and earn high wages. Read on to learn more about the Welding Technology programs at OCC.
Business &
Finance
Accounting
Looking to grow your accounting skills and your paycheck? Need to prepare for a certification exam? Or maybe you want to start earning credits that transfer to a university. Get the advantage: Earn an accounting certificate or degree at Orange Coast College. Our specialization programs include business taxation competency, individual accounting competency, cost accounting and payroll accounting, to name just a few. You can begin your career with our Entry-Level Accounting Certificate of Specialization, and then expand your skills and competencies with additional specialized training. Move closer to your new career, or earn that work promotion, through certification in specialty areas. Read on to learn more about the OCC Career Advantage Accounting programs.
Business Administration
Are you ready to launch your small business and need help getting started? Or maybe you’re interested in a career in finance or want to lead a non-profit organization? You’re on the path to an MBA? Entrepreneurship, finance, marketing or general business: Whatever your business career goal, the OCC Career Advantage program in Business Administration can help you reach it. Start or build your business career at OCC. Read on to learn more about the OCC Career Advantage program in Business Administration.
Management
Every business and organization needs strong leaders to thrive. With the OCC Career Advantage, you can be that successful leader. Whether you are ready to step into a management role or already are a manager and want to sharpen your skills, our certificates in management prepares you for success in a variety of settings—retail stores, small business or large corporations. Like the businesses and organizations they lead, well-prepared leaders have wide-open opportunities. If the idea of being recognized as a leader appeals to you – read on to learn more about the Management program offered at OCC.
Marketing
Do you understand the art of persuasion? Are you a natural communicator? Earn a certificate in or an associate degree in Marketing through OCC’s Career Advantage program and prepare for a career in market research, sales or brand management. Imagine your sense of accomplishment when you see the successful product or program launch, knowing your skill and talent made it possible. Marketing professionals are in demand and earn high salaries. Read on to learn more about the OCC Marketing program.
Real Estate
Fixer Upper. Million Dollar Listing. Love It or List It. While cable TV has put the exciting business of real estate at the forefront, you don’t have to be on TV to help a family find their dream home or a business establish its new corporate headquarters. Career options in real estate are wide-ranging, from residential and commercial real estate to urban planning. The OCC Career Advantage real estate program will prepare you or help you advance in a career assisting clients with their real estate needs. The real estate field offers almost limitless earning potential for those with the right training and skills. Read on to learn more.
Social Media Strategist
Do you enjoy social media and want to turn it from a hobby into a career? The Social Media Strategist Certificate of Achievement is intended to prepare students for careers in which they will use social media to promote products, individuals and organizations. The courses within the certificate emphasize the skills and tools necessary to analyze, create, implement and evaluate social media. Upon completion, you will be able to function effectively in an entry-level social media strategist position using the skills, principles and tools acquired.
Fashion & Interior Design
Fashion
Expression. Creativity. Style. Whether you aim to establish your own personal brand or build on the vision and success of a top local retail brand, the OCC Career Advantage Fashion program will prepare you for the career you want in the exciting, thriving fashion industry. Our programs prepare you to work as a fashion designer, merchandising specialist, and fashion product development specialist, stylist, tailor and more. The Fashion program also gives you the foundation you need to transfer and excel in a four-year, bachelor’s degree program in a similar field if that is your goal. OCC Fashion offers unique opportunities that you won’t find anywhere else, including internships at top local and national brands and hands-on, real world experience working side-by-side with local fashion brands in our pop-up shop, “The Box.” Career opportunities in this field are broad and diverse, as are the income opportunities. If fashion is your passion, OCC is your college. Read on to learn more.
Interior Design
Love the space you’re in? From homes to offices to hospitals to restaurants, our feelings, our productivity, and even our health, are influenced for better or worse by our interior environment. The interior designer must bring beauty, comfort and function together to design spaces that work for the people who live, work and play in them. If you picture yourself in a career where creativity, skill and psychology come together, the Interior Design program at OCC is a place to start. If you’re a working professional already in the field, add a new dimension to your practice by completing a specialization certificate. Earn a certificate or degree and go to work, or transfer to a bachelor’s program and continue your education. Either way, you can design your future at OCC. Read on to learn more.
Health Science & Medical Technology
Cardiovascular Technology
Compassion, energy, physical stamina and dedication to helping others in a clinical/medical environment. These are traits that make for a good cardiovascular technician (CVT). CVT’s use technology to perform tests that help doctors diagnose heart and blood vessel diseases. The OCC Cardiovascular Technologist degree program will give you the skills you need to pass the necessary certification exams and become a well-paid electrocardiography technician. Your skill in this area could help save lives – read on to learn more about our program.
Dental Assisting
Imagine yourself in a busy dental office working with adults and children and assisting a busy dentist. If you like a fast-paced, on-the-go environment and helping people achieve dental health, then the OCC Career Advantage Registered Dental Assistant program may be right for you. Our program includes a clinical rotation where you will get hands-on training in a dental clinic or a local dental office. OCC students train with industry-standard dental technology, and graduates are prepared to take the state and national registered dental assistant certification exams.
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
It’s a girl! The gender and developmental progress of unborn babies is just one kind of information that diagnostic medical sonography provides for doctors and their patients. Sonographers use sophisticated sound technology to create images that help physicians monitor pregnancies and other conditions and diseases within the human body. If you enjoy working with both people and technology, have good physical stamina and an analytical eye, and aim for a career in health care, then a career as an ultrasound technician may be for you. If you imagine yourself in a career working hands-on in a clinical setting providing care and vital information for patients and doctors, read on to learn more about our program.
Emergency Medical Services
Does the idea of helping people in life-threatening situations appeal to you? Do you thrive in a high-stakes, high-emotion environment? Then you may be a good fit for a career in the field of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). EMS certification will qualify you to work for an ambulance service or in an emergency department of a hospital or clinic. Lifeguards, ski patrol and firefighters also frequently require EMS certification. OCC Career Advantage offers an EMS certificate program that prepares you to take the national EMS certification exam for EMT Basic certification in any California county. If you see yourself as a member of a life-saving team, read on to learn more about our program.
Fitness Specialist
Fitness is a billion-dollar industry, and the public’s interest and participation in fitness activities is growing every day, especially in California. Opportunities for qualified fitness trainers are plentiful in fitness centers, community health and wellness institutions, spas and more. If that sounds like your calling, then the OCC Career Advantage Fitness Specialist program can help. We will prepare you to become a fitness instructor, exercise testing technician, strength coach or personal trainer – and give you the foundation for advanced education in a bachelor’s degree or higher-level program. Ready to help others improve their lives through fitness? Read on to learn more.
Integrated Health Coach
Integrative Health Coaches (IHC) are trained professionals that help clients improve their health by focusing on prevention, wellness and behavior change. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team in community clinics, hospitals, wellness centers and nonprofit agencies, health coaches wear many hats to provide clients with solutions and support. They use skills that emphasize motivation, patient navigation, health education and planning. Additionally, by learning about proven holistic ways to address mind/body needs, integrative health coaches can broaden their view of patient care. Students can earn a certificate in Integrative Health Coaching that compliments many other health/wellness fields or an associate degree as well. If a job that combines giving back and helping others live longer, healthier lives sounds interesting, read on to explore your options at OCC.
Medical Assisting
As a medical assistant, yours will be the face people in a doctor’s office or clinic are likely to see most. You play an important role in the patient experience, with a mix of administrative duties – greeting patients, filling out medical records, scheduling appointments – and clinical duties – taking medical histories, preparing patients for examination and helping the doctor during appointments. The OCC Career Advantage Medical Assistant program prepares you for a career in medical offices, clinics and hospitals, or in related medical and business fields. Upon graduating from our program, you will be eligible to sit for the national Certified Medical Assistant certification exam. Are you ready to step into a career where you are a valued member of a team that provides high-quality medical care for patients? Read on to learn more about our program.
Neurodiagnostic Technology
Are you conscientious, tech-savvy and searching for a serious career in the health care field? Do the brain and its functions interest you? Neurodiagnostic Technicians (NDTs) work in hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices and research centers using sophisticated technology to capture information that helps physicians to identify and diagnose brain and nerve-related conditions like epilepsy, strokes and multiple sclerosis. You can complete OCC’s associate degree program in about 22 months and start a career in this prestigious and well-paying field. Read on to learn more about our program.
Nutrition & Dietetics
We are what we eat? Maybe not. But we all know that our health and well-being are impacted by our diet. Dieticians and nutritionists work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and private practices creating personalized nutrition programs to create, restore or support the health of patients and clients. You can earn a certificate or an associate degree in nutrition and dietetics to become a technician in the field. With the associate degree, you are eligible to take the national registration exam for dietetic technicians. Gain the knowledge you need to put others on a path to good health through a sound diet and good nutrition. Read on to explore your options at OCC.
Hospitality, Tourism & Recreation
Airline Travel Careers
Do you love to travel? Do you have a heart for great customer service and enjoy working with people in a fast-paced, busy airport or travel office? If so, the OCC Career Advantage programs in Airline Travel Careers may be your ticket! Our programs include flight attendant training, and if you prefer to be grounded, a program to prepare you for a career in airline travel management. Whichever program you choose, you will experience hands-on learning both in the classroom and outside it at the nearby John Wayne International Airport. Whether your dream is to take to the skies or take off as a manager or travel career specialist, you can take your first steps at OCC – read on to learn more.
Athletics Coaching
Even with the most talented athletes, games can be won or lost based on the skills of a coach. A successful coach not only motivates its athletes, they also know how to safely train and prepare them for practices and competitions. Through OCC’s Career Advantage program, you will attain knowledge in athletics psychology and coaching theory, and gain the skills needed to succeed through practical application. Athletics coaches serve at a variety of skill levels, including as assistant or head coaches to amateur or professional athletes. Read on to learn more about this growing field.
Culinary Arts
Great cooking is an art that takes both talent and skill to master. If the kitchen is your happy place and cooking or baking is your passion, you can make it your career through the OCC Career Advantage Culinary Arts/Baking and Pastry programs. Our award-winning competition teams and long list of alumni working in top restaurants and hotel kitchens across the region demonstrate the quality of our basic and advanced programs. Our Advanced Culinary Arts program will prepare you to take the industry exam to become a Certified Culinarian, a designation recognized as a mark of excellence in the restaurant industry. OCC graduates are in demand and recruited directly into the numerous hot restaurants and top hotels and resorts in the LA/OC region. If you want a career at the top of this exciting, fast-paced restaurant industry, then read on to learn more.
Culinology & Food Science
Culinologists can work in food manufacturing, chain restaurants, hotels, ingredient supply houses, consulting and academia, and new product development. If you’re excited about the idea of joining a new and growing field where food is your focus and the laboratory is your domain, let OCC Career Advantage prepare you for a career as a food science technician or a food scientist. We offer both basic and professional-level certificate programs, as well as an associate degree program. You could develop the next “big thing” in food, and help advance this new field of food science – read on to learn more.
Fitness Specialist
Fitness is a billion-dollar industry, and the public’s interest and participation in fitness activities is growing every day, especially in California. Opportunities for qualified fitness trainers are plentiful in fitness centers, community health and wellness institutions, spas and more. If that sounds like your calling, then the OCC Career Advantage Fitness Specialist program can help. We will prepare you to become a fitness instructor, exercise testing technician, strength coach or personal trainer – and give you the foundation for advanced education in a bachelor’s degree or higher-level program. Ready to help others improve their lives through fitness? Read on to learn more.
Food Service Management
You’re ready to launch your own catering business. Or maybe you’re eager to move into restaurant management and make more money. In either case, OCC Career Advantage has restaurant management programs that will help you reach your goals. Earn a certificate or an associate degree that will give you the skills you need for a supervisory or management role in food service operations at restaurants or catering businesses. If you’re ready to move ahead in management or ready to launch your own successful catering business, you can take the next step at OCC. Read on to learn more about your options.
Hotel Management
The hotel and resort business is booming in Orange County. People from all over the world are drawn to our internationally known theme parks and resorts. Meeting the needs and expectations of travelers from near and far is the job of the hotel manager. From check-in to check-out, the manager must ensure a great stay. If you strive for excellence and love interacting with people, the OCC Career Advantage Hotel Management training program can give you the skills you need to start a career in hotel guest services, operations or management. Choose from a number of different specialty certificate programs or earn an associate degree. Channel your passion for service into a rewarding career. Read on to learn about your options.
Travel & Tourism
Do you want to see the world – or more of it? Would you enjoy helping others live their travel dreams? A career as a travel agent who helps others book memorable trips can help make it possible. As a perk you may earn free trips, discounts and other perks to help you explore global destinations. Being an independent travel agent also gives you the freedom to set your work hours and location. OCC Career Advantage provides travel agent training – we offer a certificate and an associate degree – that prepares you to work in a variety of settings. If you picture yourself traveling the world and using your experiences to help others create the vacation of a lifetime, read on to learn more about your program options.
Yoga Instructor Training
Yoga soothes the mind, calms the soul and strengthens the body. And it’s becoming increasingly popular in stressed out, health-conscious California. OCC Career Advantage provides yoga teacher training that can help you develop the knowledge, skill and experience needed to work as a yoga instructor at health clubs, spas and yoga/dance studios or as a freelance instructor. The 200-hour program meets the requirements set by Yoga Alliance, a professional membership and trade association, to become a registered yoga teacher (RYT). If you have a passion for wellness and want to share it with others, read on to learn more.
Information & Computer Technology
Computer Information Systems
If you “get” computers and are intrigued by the idea of learning and using the languages that make them work, then a career in the growing field of computer information systems may be your fit. OCC Career Advantage offers a computer information systems degree that can prepare you to transfer to a four-year college or university. We also offer a number of certificate programs designed to prepare you for entry-level or advanced positions in the industry. Start planning your path into this well-paying industry – read on to learn more about your options.
Information Technology
When your computer goes down, who do you call? The information technologist (IT) is everyone’s hero when our technology goes on the fritz, whether we work in an office or study at home. IT keeps businesses and institutions running by supporting and/or managing computer networks, analyzing, testing, problem-solving, and evaluating local area networks (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN). OCC Career Advantage offers a network professional program, along with a few other specialized certificates that will help you enter or advance as a professional in this crucial, and exploding career field. Start building the skills you need to be the company hero – read on to learn more about your options.
Manufacturing & Product Design
Manufacturing Technology
Prepare to become a master of machines in a career where your technical and problem-solving skills produce the parts and products we see and use in our everyday lives. If you are ready to put your mind and your hands to work in a high-tech industrial environment, then the OCC Manufacturing Technology program is right for you. OCC Career Advantage offers training on cutting-edge machine technology with beginning to advanced skill certificate and degree options in CNC operation, programming, tooling and machining. Skilled CNC and machinists are in high demand in the Southern California region, earning high wages. Train to enter an in-demand high-tech job in manufacturing or advance within the field if you’re already working. Take the first step toward machine mastery and get the OCC Career Advantage. Read on to learn more.
Welding Technology
Buildings. Bridges. Pipelines. Sculpture. Welding is the skill of using technology and tools to join metals. Learn welding, and your career possibilities are wide open: Welders apply their skills to build, fabricate and repair metal structures and items of all types, including fine art sculptures. Through the OCC Career Advantage welding program, you can gain the skills you need to enter the field or build on your existing skills to specialize – and earn higher pay – within a specific area. Skilled welders are in high demand and earn high wages. Read on to learn more about the Welding Technology programs at OCC.
Tranportation
Airline Travel Careers
Do you love to travel? Do you have a heart for great customer service and enjoy working with people in a fast-paced, busy airport or travel office? If so, the OCC Career Advantage programs in Airline Travel Careers may be your ticket! Our programs include flight attendant training, and if you prefer to be grounded, a program to prepare you for a career in airline travel management. Whichever program you choose, you will experience hands-on learning both in the classroom and outside it at the nearby John Wayne International Airport. Whether your dream is to take to the skies or take off as a manager or travel career specialist, you can take your first steps at OCC – read on to learn more.
Aviation Maintenance Technology
Do airplanes fascinate you? Do you have a natural aptitude for technology and mechanics? Would you feel good knowing that your work ensures the safe travel of hundreds of airline passengers every day? If so, look to OCC Career Advantage programs in Aviation Maintenance Technology to prepare you for high-paying, in-demand jobs as aircraft maintenance technician or avionics specialist. Earn a certificate or associate degree in Airframe, Powerplant, Avionics and/or Helicopter Theory and Maintenance. These programs prepare you for entry-level or higher positions in commercial airlines and private or corporate aviation. The OCC Aviation Maintenance Technology program has helped launch careers in aviation maintenance for over 30 years, and our graduates have thriving careers in major and corporate airline companies across the state. Read on to learn how OCC can help propel you forward in this exciting career field.
Aviation Science
Are you ready to fly? Imagine yourself in the cockpit, heading for the clouds. Become a professional pilot, aircraft dispatcher or flight operations specialist through OCC Career Advantage. Our pilot training programs can meet the individual goals and needs of students from beginners without flying experience, to those with some training and experience. Learn to operate single and multi-engine aircraft through our certificate program, or earn an associate degree.
Professional Mariner
Does the idea of a career at sea appeal to you? Do you see yourself as the captain of a luxury yacht, or the crew on a large charter boat or even a cruise ship? Maybe you’re interested in being a merchant marine? If so, prepare for a career as a professional mariner through Orange Coast College’s unique Professional Mariner program. At our beautiful Sailing Center on the Newport Harbor, we provide mariner training that prepares you for the Merchant Mariner Credential. Or, you may wish to complete an associate degree and transfer to the California Maritime Academy. Trained captains and crew are in demand in Coastal California. If you’re looking to make your living with a maritime career, read on to learn more our unique mariner programs.
