Some information to consider about Community Colleges:
- Community Colleges are affordable.
- Community Colleges are generally very affordable for students. To be eligible for in-district tuition, a student must live in the district or, in some cases, work in the district. Residents of another district wishing to enroll in a Program not offered at their resident Community College may apply for a chargeback or joint agreement to attend another Community College at the in-district tuition rate.
- Community Colleges are accessible.
- All students in Illinois live in a Community College district located near their places of residence or work.6
- Community Colleges offer a "complete" college experience.
- While many Community College students live at home, the College offers a full range of student activities. Examples of Programs might include: Student government, School newspaper, Clubs, Vocal groups, Theater groups, Athletics, Band/Orchestra/Ensemble, Student radio, etc.
- Community Colleges also offer a variety of student services. Examples might include health services, childcare, library and technology resources, academic advising, career counseling, etc.
- Community Colleges are not "easier" than four-year schools, however...
- Because professors are not required to engage in requirements such as research and being published...they may have more time to engage in direct student contact.
- Students with disabilities tend to do better in college by starting their education in the Community College studying for an AA or AS degree and then transferring to a four-year institution (PEQUIS, 1998).
- In Community Colleges, class size tends to be smaller.
- Many students find that they do better if they can focus on just studying for their first year or two of college and then moving away from home to establish the other independent living skills required to succeed.7
- Community Colleges offer services to students with special needs.
- At Oakton Community College (OCC), the Program is called Assist (Additional Support Services Instructional Support Team (847 635-1759).
- At College of Lake County, the Program is called OSC (The Office for Students with Disabilities (847 543-2055).
- Community Colleges offer developmental programs for students requiring additional preparation in basic skills, prior to beginning college level studies.
- Community Colleges participate in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI).
- [Most state-funded Community Colleges] participate in the Illinois Articulation Initiative, a statewide agreement that allows transfer of the completed Illinois transferable General Education Core Curriculum between participating institutions. Completion of the General Education Core Curriculum at any participating Community College assures transferring students that lower-division general education requirements for an associate or bachelors degree have been satisfied,students must follow the IAI general education core curriculum.8
- This is important for students with special needs because it assists them when they transfer to a four-year college to continue their education. Essentially, when students transfer, the required core education requirements of the participating school being transferred to are considered to be completed. An example of how this is helpful is that some four-year institutions require College Algebra. However, IAI requirements offer a variety of mathematics courses to choose from, for example, Finite Mathematics I, Contemporary Math, Quantitative Literacy, or Elementary Statistics. If a student has received an Associate degree from a Community College, and completed the IAI general education core curriculum, the participating institution to which the student is transferring considers all core education courses as having been completed. 9 Thus the student would not be required to take College Algebra.
- Students must discuss IAI with their Community College academic counselor from the beginning of their academic planning to be certain that all requirements required for transfer are met.
Specific Community College Vocational/Career Programs:As noted earlier, Community Colleges offer Associate degrees designed for students planning to
transfer to 4-year colleges or universities. The second major focus of Community Colleges is
Vocational/Career Programs. Community Colleges provide excellent preparation for Vocational
careers. It should be noted that other types of educational institutions including junior colleges,
two-year colleges, technical colleges, private schools and some four-year colleges and universities
also provide Vocational/Career Programs.
Vocational/Career education is education designed to provide the necessary skills for a particular
job or career. Vocational/Career preparation often requires course work, which is designed to
develop specific skills for a specific career or job.10 Admission requirements for Vocational/Career
Programs are often similar to those for regular admission to any Community College course of
study. Depending on the intended course of study, prerequisite classes may be required prior to
admittance to Vocational/Career programs.
On the pages that follow is a chart indicating Vocational/Career Programs offered at:
- Oakton Community College (OCC) (DesPlaines & Skokie, IL)
- College of Lake County (CLC) (Grays Lake, Waukegan (Lakeshore Campus), Vernon Hills (Southlake Campus), IL)
This information was taken from the OCC and CLC 2009/2010 catalogs.
Also, included is information on Harper College (HRP - Palatine, Prospect Heights). Students in the
Choices geographic service area are not generally "in-district" for Harper College. However,
because Harper (HRP) is easily accessible and offers programs not offered at OCC and CLC, the
information is being included. Information on Harper is taken from their website
(http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/). OCC , CLC and HRP all offer some off-campus classes.
Programs offered are listed by broad categories:
- Specific information on Programs and the degrees, courses, certificates, etc., which are available, can be obtained from the individual school's catalog and/or admissions office.
- Note that some colleges use different terminology for similar Programs of study, for example, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
- In addition, many of the broad categories listed have multiple programs within them, for example, Computer Applications for Business (OCC) includes: Desktop Publishing Track, Office Technology Track, Administrative Assistant Certificate, Desktop Publishing Professional Certificate, Desktop Publishing Specialist Certificate, Executive Support Specialist Certificate, Microsoft Office Specialist Core (MOS) Certificate, Microsoft Office
Specialist Excel Expert Certificate, Microsoft Office Specialist Word Expert Certificate and Office Information
Processing Specialist Certificate.
Programs change and information on Programs should be checked at the colleges directly or
through their websites:
- OCC - www.oakton.edu, (847 635-1600),
- CLC - www.clcillinois.edu, (847 543-2055),
- HRP - http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/, (847 925-6707).
It should also be noted that other local Community Colleges are available.11 They may offer additional Programs, which are not offered at OCC & CLC. Some other local Community Colleges include: Harper College, College of DuPage, Elgin Community College District, Kishwaukee College District, McHenry County College District, Rock Valley College District and Triton College District. Examples of Programs that are not offered at OCC, CLC or HRP, but which are offered through other local Community Colleges include:
- Automated Manufacturing Technology
- Aviation Maintenance Technology
- Hotel/Motel Management
- Parks & Grounds Operation Maintenance
- Travel & Tourism
"The benefits of post-secondary education are compelling. For the individual, these include jobs
with higher wages and career advancement potential.
For society, they include a productive workforce, increased tax revenue, and less demand for
selected public services. Post-secondary education provides individuals with opportunities
throughout their lifetimes...12
Examples of Programs that may be available at Oakton Community College (OCC), College of Lake County (CLC), and Harper College (HRP) Program are listed below. You should check the community college website and/or catalog for specific programs offered at each school as every program/degree may not be offered at each school.
Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Accounting Associate
Administrative Office Systems
Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology
Applied Business
Architectural Studies
Architectural Technology
Automotive Service Excellence
Automotive Technology (Apprenticeship)
Building Codes and Enforcement
Business
Business Management
Cardiac Technology
CISCO Networking
Civil and Environmental Technology
CNC Programming
Computer Applications for Business
Computer Information Systems
Computer Networking and Systems
Construction Management
Cosmetology
Criminal Justice
Culinary Arts
Dental Hygiene
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Dietetic Technician
Digital Media and Design
Early Childhood Education
Education: Paraprofessional Educators
Electrician Apprenticeship
Electrical Engineering Technology
Electronic Information Technology
Electronics and Computer Technology
Electronics Engineering Technology
Electronics Systems Technology
Emergency and Disaster Management
Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Medical Technology
Energy (Alternative/Solar/Wind)
Engineering (Associate of Science)
Environmental Health and Safety
Facilities Management and Engineering
Fashion Design
Fashion Merchandising
Financial Services
Fire Science Technology
Food Service Management
Forensic Science
Global Business Studies
Graphic Arts Technology
Graphic Design
Health and Wellness Promotion
Health Information Technology (Systems)
Homeland Security
Horticulture
Horticultural Therapy
Hospitality Management
Human Services
Interior Design
International Business
Journalism
Law Enforcement
Laser/Photonics/Optics
Library Technical Assistance
Machine Technology (Apprenticeship)
Machine Tool Trades
Maintenance
Management and Supervision
Manufacturing Technology
Marketing Management
Massage Therapy
Mass Communication
Mechanical Design/CAD
Mechanical Engineering Technology
Medical Assisting
Medical Imaging
Medical Laboratory Technology
Medical Office Administration
Nano Science
Nursing, Associate Degree
Nursing, Basic Nurse Assistant Training
Nursing, Practical Nursing
Paralegal Studies
Paraprofessional Educator
Pharmacy Technician
Phlebotomy
Physical Therapist Assistant
Professional Cook
Public Relations
Radio Frequency Identification
Radiologic Technology
Real Estate
Sign Language Interpreting
Substance Abuse Counseling
Supply Chain Management
Surgical Technology
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)(ESL)
Technical Communications
Welding
World Wide Web
4 Note that Harper College offers an Associate in General Studies
(AGS)...This degree and its courses may or may not be transferable to
four-year schools depending on the specific courses completed. Further
information on this degree should be obtained directly from the academic institution.
5 CLC Catalog, 2009-2010, p334
6 In 1965, the Illinois General Assembly established the Illinois Community College Board to create a system
of public Community Colleges that would be within easy reach of every resident. Forty years later, the
Illinois Community College System covers the entire state with 48 colleges and one multi-Community College
center in 39 Community College districts. Community Colleges serve nearly one million Illinois residents
each year in credit and noncredit courses and many more through their public service programs.
http://www.iccb.org/thesystem.html
7 Taken from/adapted from Health Resource Center, Online Clearinghouse for Post-secondary Education for
Individuals with Disabilities, Community College.
8 OCC Catalog, 2009-2010, p70
9 Information on specific course requirements MUST be discussed with individual institutions. It may be
that, using our example, the student wishes to complete a program of study at the four year institution, and
that specific program does require College Algebra as a necessary part of that particular degree/program.
Specifics of AIA course transferability MUST, therefore, be discussed in detail with the community college
AND the school to which the student is transferring.
10 Vocational education (or Vocational Education and Training (VET), also called Career and Technical
Education (CTE)) prepares learners for careers that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally
non-academic and totally related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation�It is sometimes referred to as
technical education, as the learner directly develops expertise in a particular group of techniques or
technology. (http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/advisories/02_3.html)
11 As noted earlier: Residents of another district wishing to enroll in a Program not offered at their resident
Community College may apply for a chargeback or joint agreement to attend another Community College at
the in-district tuition rate.
12 "Post-secondary Education Transition: A Summary of the Findings From Two Literature Reviews," U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Feb 2010, p1.