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Community college



 
 
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.

United States

In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, community colleges are primarily two-year public
Public

Public, adj, is of or pertaining to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; opposed to Private sector; as, the public treasury, a road or lake....
 institutions of higher education
Higher education

Higher education refers to a level of education that is provided by university, vocational university, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, Institute of technology and other collegiate level institutions, such as Vocational school, trade schools and career colleges, that award academic degrees or professional certifications....
 and were once commonly called junior colleges. After graduating from a community college, some students usually transfer to a four-year liberal arts college
Liberal arts college

Liberal arts colleges are primarily colleges with an emphasis upon undergraduate study in the liberal arts. The Encyclop?dia Britannica Concise defines "liberal arts" as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational educati...
 for two to three years to complete a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
.

Before the 1970s, community colleges in the United States were more commonly referred to as junior colleges, and that term is still used at some institutions.






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A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.

United States



In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, community colleges are primarily two-year public
Public

Public, adj, is of or pertaining to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; opposed to Private sector; as, the public treasury, a road or lake....
 institutions of higher education
Higher education

Higher education refers to a level of education that is provided by university, vocational university, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, Institute of technology and other collegiate level institutions, such as Vocational school, trade schools and career colleges, that award academic degrees or professional certifications....
 and were once commonly called junior colleges. After graduating from a community college, some students usually transfer to a four-year liberal arts college
Liberal arts college

Liberal arts colleges are primarily colleges with an emphasis upon undergraduate study in the liberal arts. The Encyclop?dia Britannica Concise defines "liberal arts" as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational educati...
 for two to three years to complete a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
.

Before the 1970s, community colleges in the United States were more commonly referred to as junior colleges, and that term is still used at some institutions. However, the term "junior college" has evolved to describe private
Private

Private can refer to:* Privacy, the ability of a person to control the availability and path of information about himself or herself and exposure of himself or herself....
 two-year institutions, whereas the term "community college" has evolved to describe publicly-funded two-year institutions.

Canada


In Canada, community colleges are usually simply referred to as "colleges". This is because in Canadian English, there is formal differentiation between the term "college" (referring to a community college) and a University, that is not present in American English. In the province of Quebec, they are called Cégeps
Cégep

A CEGEP is a higher education institution exclusive to the province of Quebec in Canada. CEGEP is a French language acronym for Coll?ge d'enseignement g?n?ral et professionnel, meaning "College of General and Vocational Education"....
 for Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, meaning "College of General and Vocational Education"

In Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, and also in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, a community college, sometimes called a county college, junior college, technical college, or a city college, is an educational institution providing higher education
Higher education

Higher education refers to a level of education that is provided by university, vocational university, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, Institute of technology and other collegiate level institutions, such as Vocational school, trade schools and career colleges, that award academic degrees or professional certifications....
 and lower-level tertiary education
Tertiary education

Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, or gymnasium ....
, granting certificate
Certificate

A certificate is an official document affirming some fact. For example, a birth certificate or death certificate testifies to basic facts regarding a person's birth or death....
s, diploma
Diploma

A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree....
s, and in the United States associate's degrees; in Canada, the associates' degree is rare and community colleges increasingly offer limited selections of specialized bachelor's degrees. The name derives from the fact that community colleges primarily attract and accept students from the local community
Community

In biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms sharing an environment .In human communities, intention, belief, Natural resource, preferences, Need assessment, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the Identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness....
, and are often supported by local tax revenue.

Canadian Community College Systems
  • Nova Scotia Community College system
    Nova Scotia Community College

    The Nova Scotia Community College, commonly referred to as the NSCC, is a community college serving the province of Nova Scotia.The college delivers a diverse program of trades, technology, health, human services, applied arts, new media, business administration and adult education through a system of thirteen campuses and six communi...
  • Ontario Colleges
  • Quebec CEGEPs
    Cégep

    A CEGEP is a higher education institution exclusive to the province of Quebec in Canada. CEGEP is a French language acronym for Coll?ge d'enseignement g?n?ral et professionnel, meaning "College of General and Vocational Education"....
  • New Brunswick Community College
    New Brunswick Community College

    The New Brunswick Community College is a community college....


Malaysia

Community colleges in Malaysia are a network of educational institutions whereby vocational and technical skills training could be provided at all levels for school leavers before they entered the workforce. The community colleges also provide an infrastructure for rural communities to gain skills training through short courses as well as providing access to a post-secondary education.

At the moment, most community colleges award qualifications up to Level 3 in the Malaysian Qualifications Framework
Malaysian Qualifications Framework

The Malaysian Qualifications Framework or the MQF is a unified system of post secondary qualifications offered on a national basis in Malaysia....
 (Certificate 3) in both the Skills sector (Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia or the Malaysian Skills Certificate) as well as the Vocational and Training sector but the number of community colleges that are starting to award Level 4 qualifications (Diploma) are increasing. This is two levels below a Bachelor's degree (Level 6 in the MQF) and students within the system who intend to further their studies to that level will usually seek entry into Advanced Diploma programs in public universities, polytechnics or accredited private providers.

Philippines

In the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, a community school functions as elementary or secondary school at daytime and towards the end of the day convert into a community college. This type of institution offers night classes under the supervision of the same principal, and the same faculty members who are given part time college teaching load.

The concept of community college dates back to the time of the former Minister of Education, Culture and Sports (MECS) that had under its wings the Bureaus of Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Higher Education and Vocational-Technical Education. MECS Secretary, Dr. Cecilio Putong, who in 1971 wrote that a community school is a school established in the community, by the community, an for the community itself. Dr. Pedro T. Orata of Pangasinan shared the same idea, hence the establishment of a Community College, now called the City College of Urdaneta.

A community college like the one in Abuyog, Leyte
Leyte

Leyte is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island....
 can operate with only PHP
PHP

PHP is a scripting language originally designed for producing dynamic web pages. It has evolved to include a command line interface capability and can be used in Standalone software Graphical user interface....
 124,000 annual budget in a 2-storey structure housing more than 700 students.

United Kingdom - England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

In the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, community college is a name given to, or added on to, a secondary school
Secondary school

Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling, known as secondary education, takes place....
, usually offering extended services of some sort, for example by having achieved a status as a technology college or by providing adult education
Adult education

Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. This often happens in the workplace, through 'extension' or 'continuing education' courses at secondary schools, at a college or university....
 courses. Community colleges throughout the countries of the UK teach General Certificates of Secondary Education
General Certificate of Secondary Education

The General Certificate of Secondary Education is the name of an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 13-16 in secondary education in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland....
 courses and if the college incorporates a Sixth Form
Sixth form

The sixth form , in the Education in England, Education in Wales and Education in Northern Ireland education systems, Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Malta is the final two years of secondary schooling when students are sixteen to eighteen years of age and normally prepare for...
, A-levels, Scottish Higher
Higher

Higher may refer to:In education:* Higher , a Scottish national school-leaving certificate exam and university entrance qualificationIn music:...
, or other vocational qualifications (such as a GNVQ or an HND
HND

HND is a three-character combination which may refer to one of:* Higher National Diploma* Tokyo International Airport – * Henderson Executive Airport – ...
 for example).

See also


  • Adult education
    Adult education

    Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. This often happens in the workplace, through 'extension' or 'continuing education' courses at secondary schools, at a college or university....
  • Adult high school
    Adult high school

    An adult high school or adult school is a high school facility designed for adult education. It is intended for adults who have not completed high school to continue their education....
  • Continuing education
    Continuing education

    Continuing education is an all encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States....
  • Distance learning
  • E-learning
    E-learning

    Electronic learning is a type of Technology supported education/learning where the medium of instruction is through computer technology, particularly involving digital technologies....
  • Folk high school
    Folk high school

    Folk high schools are institutions for adult education that do not grant academic degrees. They are most commonly found in Nordic countries and in Germany....
  • Lifelong learning
    Lifelong learning

    Lifelong learning is a term that is widely used in a variety of contexts; however its meaning is often unclear. The term recognises that learning is not confined to childhood or the classroom, but takes place throughout life and in a range of situations....
  • Vocational university
    Vocational university

    A vocational university is an institution of higher education and sometimes research, which provides both tertiary education and sometimes quaternary education and grants academic degrees at all levels in a variety of subjects....
  • Vocational education
    Vocational education

    Vocational education or Vocational Education and Training , also called Career and Technical Education , prepares learners for jobs that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academics and totally related to a specific trade, employment or vocation, hence the term, in which the learner participates....
  • Higher vocational education
  • Articulation (education)
    Articulation (education)

    In Australia and the United States education, articulation or more specifically course articulation, refers to the process of comparing the content of courses that are transferred between postsecondary institutions such as TAFE institutes, colleges or university....


In Australia:
  • Technical and Further Education
    Technical and Further Education

    Technical and Further Education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational post-secondary education courses in Australia....
  • Workers' Educational Association
    Workers' Educational Association

    The Workers? Educational Association seeks to provide access to education and lifelong learning for adults from all backgrounds, and in particular those who have previously missed out on education....
     also in the UK


In the Philippines:
  • Local college and university
    Local college and university

    Local Colleges and Universities are higher educational institutions that are being run by Administrative divisions of the Philippines in the Philippines....
  • Association of Local Colleges and Universities
    Association of Local Colleges and Universities

    The Association of Local Colleges and Universities or simply ALCU is composed of thirty-one local college and university of the Philippines....


In the UK:
  • Further Education
    Further education

    Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities ....


External links