A national survey released by Community College Week ranks Cerritos College as one of the 100 Top Associate’s Degree Producers for the 1999-2000 academic year.

The College ranked 63rd among the more than 1,500 two-year institutions nation-wide, and 12th among the 108 community colleges in California.

As part of the survey, Community College Week looked at the number of associate’s degrees awarded to minority students at two-year institutions.

The College was ranked 14th nationally for degrees across all disciplines given to minority students (sixth in California), and seventh in the nation for awarding associate’s degrees to Hispanic students, as well as third in the state.

In addition, Cerritos College ranks 29th for Asian American graduates in all disciplines.

According to Community College Week, the 1999-2000 preliminary data show a modest increase in the overall two-year degree conferrals and “the number is up 1.4 percent from the preliminary 1997-1998 data.”

Included in the analysis were institutions accredited at the college level by an agency or association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education Secretary and that operate within the 50 states or the District of Columbia. In addition, this year’s analysis was expanded to include all institutions eligible for federal financial aid funds under Title IV legislation.

The data for the study came from the United States Department of Education. It is collected through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) program completers survey conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

The survey requests data on the number of degrees and other formal awards conferred in academic, vocational, and continuing professional education programs.