The College was originally established in 1967 as the Commercial Diving Center at the Port of Los Angeles in Wilmington and later was renamed the College of Oceaneering in 1973 when it was purchased by Oceaneering International. In 2002, the College was purchased by National University and now is a non-profit organization and is a member of the National University System. Also in 2002, the College opened a second campus in San Diego, California.
Recognizing the expanding needs of its students and employers of its graduates, in 2004 the College changed its name to National Polytechnic College of Engineering and Oceaneering. It also revised its mission from a commercial diving orientation to one dedicated to meeting student needs for successful entry into the workforce.
In 2005, the College responded to the high demand of clinics and hospitals around the nation by taking a leading role in the hyperbaric industry when it received approval by ACCJC/WASC and the National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technologist to offer its Associate of Science degree in hyperbaric medical technology. And in July, the College expanded its concentrations in the marine technology program to include homeland security management, which was designed to meet the needs of public safety and military divers.
In response to the strong interest of individuals in the military and public safety, the College expanded its homeland security management concentration to an Associate of Science degree in Homeland Security. The program was approved by the ACCJC/WASC and was offered in the summer of 2007. Responding to the growing need of allied health and engineering programs, the College opened its nondestructive testing and EMT courses to students as separate certification programs. It was in this same time period that the College officially changed its name to the National Polytechnic College of Science.
The academic programs at National Polytechnic are organized into four areas of study – allied health, engineering technology, marine technology, and security management.
The allied health program at National Polytechnic focuses on hyperbaric medical technology and emergency medical technicians. Engineering technology offers construction management and non-destructive testing programs. Marine technology covers the areas of commercial diving and marine technology, while security management offers programs in the emerging field of homeland security.
The College also offers several extended learning programs, including the 50-hour Certified Hyperbaric Technologist (CHT) program and continuing education credits in EMT and advanced diver medic.
