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

The Health Sciences & Education Division at Green River College prepares students to be workforce ready in influential careers in the healthcare and education industries including practical nursing, phlebotomy, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapy assistant, nursing assistants, childcare and educators. 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

The Humanities Division is the academic home to a number of different academic disciplines: Humanities, Philosophy, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Chinese, Communication Studies, and Film Studies. We are also home to the Faculty Librarians and Counseling Services. We also provide help and support for students through The Public Speaking Center and the Language Lab. In addition to working in our specific academic areas, members of our Division work actively with the Instructional Diversity Council, GDEC, Academic Bridge Program, and coordinate some instruction with the English Division.

Intensive English as a Second Language

Green River’s Intensive English as a Second Language (IESL) program is designed to give nonimmigrant international students the strong English communication skills necessary for success in college. The IESL program 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 IESL students. Classes meet four hours a day, five days a week, with a special schedule during summer quarter. After successfully completing the IESL program, international students can enroll directly in Green River’s academic classes.

Mathematics

The Mathematics Division provides a variety of courses and services that promote student success in mathematics.
The Math Learning Center provides a wide range of math resources for students, including free drop-in tutoring assistance, math videos, computers, textbooks and calculator workshops.

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 at Green River College is made up of American Ethnic & Minority Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. The Division offers a wide variety of 100-level and 200-level introductory and specialty courses that are required for the AA DTA Transfer Degree and fit into many other degrees and certificates offered by the college. Social Science courses promote students’ efforts to develop intellectual independence, critical thinking skills, writing skills, and problem solving abilities. In addition, the Division’s offerings help students develop a better sense of self, insight into diverse cultures and points of view, and a better understanding of what it means to live in a global community. Social Science faculty are committed to high academic standards and strive to challenge students while offering encouragement and support to ensure student success in our courses and beyond.

Technology

Green River Technology Division is focused on providing qualified graduates in the career and technical fields which are a part of everyone’s lives. The division is nationally recognized by NSA as a CyberSecurity Center for Academic Excellence, certified by the FAA, and well-received by both state and local businesses. Many of our students continue on to receive graduate degrees in cybersecurity and leadership.

The Technology Division offers undergraduate degrees in Computer Science, Engineering, Aviation, Software Development, Natural Resources, Design Drafting and IT Cybersecurity and Networking. Faculty hold numerous certifications and qualifications and some are published authors. The course offerings are current, cutting-edge and reflect the needs of our community. Our graduates work for such prestigious companies as Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Tennessee Titans, New York Times, to name a few.

Trades

The Trades Division consists of Automotive Technology, Carpentry Technology, Manufacturing - Aerospace Technology 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.

Transitional Studies & Wellness

The Transitional Studies and Wellness Division offers classes in two main areas: Pre-college and Physical Education and Wellness. In the Pre-college areas we have classes in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Adult Basic Education, High School Equivalency (ABE/HSE), and High School Completion (HSC). In the transfer degree area, we offer classes in Health Education or Physical Education. 

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