Academic Divisions

Business & Law

The Business and Law Division provides students with several affordable, accessible, and high-quality programs that will help launch them into rewarding and meaningful careers. Students may choose pathways in: Accounting, Business Technologies and Administrative Careers (BTAC), Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Court Reporting and Captioning, and Business Management.

English

The English Division at Green River offers composition courses from pre-college to college level and provides offerings in American, British, and world literature courses. English courses apply to the AA transfer degree; they are prerequisites for many courses in other disciplines, and they apply to many certificates, such as Diversity Studies and Gender Studies.

At Green River College you may begin your studies by taking courses that prepare you to be "major ready" and transfer to a university. While you are taking your major prerequisites within your transfer degree, you can focus your distribution choices and elective credits toward meeting your educational goals and area of interest. All transferability of classes to four-year institutions is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Students should contact an advisor at the college to which they intend to transfer. Please visit the University and College Transfer for more information.

Fine Arts

The Fine Arts Division at Green River College encompasses the Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism. Students can find courses and programs that include Ceramics, Dance, Design, Drama, Drawing, Journalism, Music, Painting, Photography, and Radio Broadcasting. The Fine Arts Division has a variety of Concentrations and Degrees. Our Associate of Fine Arts Degree will prepare you for transfer to a four year institution with an emphasis on the fundamentals of visual art and creating a strong portfolio. The Fine Arts Division focuses on creating, making and discovering. Students who enroll in our classes can choose to act in a play, make music, sing in a choir, work on a newspaper, be a voice on the radio or make art. Many of our courses will fit into the AA Direct Transfer Degree and students can take these classes to explore areas as an interest or as a pathway to a career.

Health Sciences, Education, & Wellness Division

The Health Sciences, Education, and Wellness Division at Green River College prepares students to be workforce ready in influential careers in the healthcare and education industries including physical therapist assistant, occupational therapy assistant, childcare and educators. In the transfer degree area, we offer classes in Health Education and Physical Education. Our programs vary in length providing either a certificate, applied associates or applied bachelor's degree focusing on skills needed to be an outstanding healthcare or education practitioner. We are comprised of over 40 full-time and adjunct faculty serving more than 500 students annually in our respective areas of expertise. We have strong community partnerships that serve our students through on-site training to provide the necessary skills for employment readiness. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, healthcare is one of the most consistently in demand, high wage industries. Education and childcare are also in constant demand and the wages associated with jobs in those industries are on the rise.

Humanities

An education in the Humanities cultivates invaluable and practical skills for a productive career and an engaged life. As a Humanities student, you will learn critical and creative thinking, effective communication with diverse groups, and gain insight into how language and culture shape our world. You will address life's big questions and learn how to navigate workplace and personal communication with care and respect. With these skills, you'll be ready to tackle challenges, connect meaningfully with others, and make a difference.

Within the Humanities Division, students can take classes and degree concentrations in subjects that cover Asian Studies, Communication Studies, Diversity Studies, Film, Gender Studies, Global Studies, Hispanic and Latin American Studies, Information Studies, Philosophy, and Foreign Languages such as Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. The Humanities Division also includes faculty counselors who provide mental health services and faculty librarians who assist with student research and instructional support.

Intensive English Program

Green River's Intensive English Program (IEP) program is designed to give nonimmigrant international students the strong English communication skills necessary for success in college. The IEP is for students who score lower than 500 on TOEFL.

The program includes five levels of courses in speaking and listening (oral), grammar, writing, reading, and optional TOEFL for level five students. Free tutoring is available for IEP students. Classes meet four hours a day, five days a week, with a special schedule during summer quarter. After successfully completing the IEP, international students can enroll directly in Green River's academic classes.

Mathematics

The Mathematics Division offers a wide range of mathematics courses designed to meet students at their current understanding and expand that understanding to fulfill the requirements of their degree. In addition to the traditional classes for Science and Engineering majors, a variety of specialized classes are available to students pursuing Education, Information Technology, Social Science, Humanities, and Business.

With a mission to promote student success in these courses, the Math Learning Center (MLC) provides a variety of resources for students, including free drop-in tutoring assistance, computers, textbooks and graphing calculator rentals.

Science

The Science Division at Green River College includes courses in Anatomy and Physiology, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Oceanography, and Physics. We teach classes face-to-face, online, and a little of each. On any given day our students can be found studying dinosaurs, organic chemistry, cadaver anatomy, botany, and wave dynamics. We teach classes in Auburn as well as Kent and Enumclaw. Our courses are designed to give students the skills they need for careers in science and the knowledge they need to understand their world.

Social Science

The Social Science Division houses the following academic departments: American Ethnic Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. The Social Science Division offers a variety of Social Science courses that fulfill requirements for the Associate of Arts Degree and various Technical/Professional Degrees and Certificates. Social Science classes introduce students to scientific methods and approaches that seek to develop a systematic understanding of a wide array of social phenomena concerning social relationships, behaviors, preferences, identities, and institutions across diverse groups and societies. The Social Science division is committed to introducing students to the diversity and complexity of the social world. Our classes incorporate the study of marginalized groups and perspectives and help students understand the causes and impact of gender, racial, and economic inequalities at the local, national, and international levels. Our classes strongly emphasize analysis that is based on the recognition of intersectional identities of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, disability, and social class.

Technology

Green River Technology Division is focused on pathways to in-demand careers that make up a major part of Washington's economy, especially in the greater Seattle area. Because of the quality of our programs and our graduates, they are well-received by both state and local businesses, allowing students to earn thriving wages and opportunities to continue to earn advanced degrees. The Technology Division offers undergraduate degrees in Computer Science, Engineering, Aviation, Software Development, Natural Resources, Computer-Aided Design and IT Cybersecurity and Networking. Nursing is also part of the Technology Division, offering Associate and Baccalaureate degrees in Nursing, as well as Certificates leading students to careers as Phlebotomists, Nursing Assistants and Emergency Room Technicians. Nursing offers full- and part-time programs to ensure we can help current healthcare workers grow their skills to meet industry demands in this region.

Many of our programs are nationally recognized or accredited, our IT program is an NSA Cybersecurity Center for Academic Excellence. Our Aviation programs are certified by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), Natural Resources maintains Society of American Forester's accreditation, and our Nursing programs have state and national accreditation through the NLN CNEA (National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation). Faculty also hold numerous certifications and do regular development to make sure their qualifications match industry demands. The course offerings are current, innovative and reflect the needs of our community. Our graduates work for many different companies and organizations, from small and large businesses, start-ups, and non-profits to state and federal agencies and locally for national companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, MultiCare and Blue Origin.

Trades

The Trades Division consists of Automotive Technology, Carpentry Technology, Machining & Manufacturing Technology, Maintenance Mechatronics, and Welding Technology.

The Trades Division offers educational opportunities for developing aptitudes, perfecting skills and acquiring the knowledge necessary for individuals to be effective and competitive throughout a lifetime of employment in a changing work environment.

College and Career Pathways

The Career and College Pathways Division (formerly Transitional Studies and Wellness) offers classes in Pre-college areas. These include classes in English for Language Learners (ELL), Adult Basic Education, High School Equivalency (ABE/HSE), and High School Completion (HSC).

Our goal is to assist students to meet their personal and educational goals through academic preparation. For continued intellectual and development, we strongly encourage and assist students to take other college classes and to complete degrees and certificates.

Workforce Education Services provides financial support to help connect students with a path into high demand, high wage career through grants. These services can help support students planning on transferring to a university, Professional Technical degrees and certifications, job skills training needed to gain employment and pre-college skill attainment through GED, ELL and Basic Skills programs. Available grants include Worker Retraining, Workfirst, BFET, and Opportunity Grant. Funding Workshops available to determine eligibility.