Brookdale Community College was founded in 1967 and today is a two-year, public, coeducational institution offering over 50 associate degree and certificate programs as well as career and professional education, business development, and adult basic education programs.
The College was established by the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and
has been supported by the County over the years. The College operates on additional
funding from tuition and the State of New Jersey. There is an appointed Board of Trustees
that hires the President, sets policies, tuition and fees, and monitors education programs.
Serving approximately 11,500 students in Fall 2019, Brookdale has one flagship campus in Lincroft, and five regional locations in Monmouth County, and two additional locations as well. Online students represent 8.2% of all FTEs and our online programs were recently ranked 13th in the country for community colleges. Approximately 1,000 employees serve students at Brookdale, including 202 full-time faculty members, approximately 500 adjunct faculty members,
and 336 staff members/administrators.
The College is committed to an inclusive environment. Our student body is 33.2 percent
racially diverse with a growing population of Hispanic students. We strive to have our
full-time employee population reflect the diversity of our student body, through
recruitment and retention efforts. Through a wide range of activities and initiatives across
the campus, including the Diversity Council, which is one of seven standing committees
of Governance, the College works to achieve its commitment to cultural, age, belief, and
identity diversity in the classroom, the workplace and the entire College environment.
Brookdale supports campus life and activities through a variety of clubs and
organizations. Each group caters to students' interests and is supervised by a student life
coordinator and College staff advisor. Financial aid is offered in the form of grants, loans, work-study, and student help positions.
Brookdale offers the following degrees: Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate
in Fine Arts and Associate in Applied Science in addition to Academic Credit Certificates
and Academic Credit Certificates of Achievement. The A.A., A.S., and A.F.A. programs
are designed to prepare students who hope to transfer to a four-year institution.
Associate Degree options feature a broad range of academic programs including Business, Communication Media, Culinary Arts, Digital Animation and 3-D Design, Fashion Design and Merchandising, Humanities, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
Brookdale offers more than 50 degree and certificate programs in both traditional and
emerging disciplines. New programs include a Homeland Security option, a Cyber
Security Training Program, Sports Broadcasting and Public Health Administration.
Brookdale offers expanded access to post-associate degree learning at the baccalaureate and graduate levels through onsite university partnerships with Georgian Court, New Jersey City University, and Rutgers as well as joint admissions agreements with numerous other colleges and universities. Many of Brookdale’s students take advantage of advanced degree opportunities provided through these collaborations. In addition to our university partnerships, Brookdale has become a state leader in the number of early college high school programs it offers. In the fall 2019, there were eleven (11) programs in place.