Education Opportunities
Four-year Colleges and Universities
Students attend four-year colleges and universities to earn bachelor’s degrees by successfully completing the degree program. There are hundreds of these institutions to choose from, and they vary by size, admission criteria, academic standards, and what types of courses they offer.
Many four-year colleges and universities also have graduate and professional schools. Students interested in studying for a profession that requires more than a bachelor’s degree will attend a graduate or professional school in order to earn a master’s, specialist’s, and/or doctoral degree(s).
Two-Year Colleges
Students attend two-year colleges to earn an Associate of Arts (AA) degree or an Applied Science (AAS) degree. Students who earn an AA degree may later transfer credits to a four-year college or university.
There are two different types of two-year colleges: public community colleges and private junior colleges. Public community colleges have open-admissions policies. These institutions are not typically residential. Private junior colleges often require entrance examinations or some level of equivalent work experience and/or extracurricular activities.
Vocational-Technical Schools and Programs
Vocational-technical schools and programs offer education and training that is specifically targeted to specialized areas within the employment domain. Certain career choices may require that students first obtain the specialized training that these programs offer before a reasonable job search can occur.
Students can access programs focusing on different occupational areas in both public and private vocational-technical schools. Examples include computer technician, nurse’s aide, plumbing, truck driving, barbering, or cosmetology.
GED and Continuing Education Programs
A wide range of course offerings can be found in adult education and continuing education programs. In these programs, students can study to take the GED® Test, improve basic academic skill, or take a course for self-enrichment.
The Adult Basic Education (ABE) program provides free instruction in reading, writing, and thinking skills to those who do not yet have high school diplomas or have deficits in basic skills.Adult education also includes a national system of literacy groups. Trained volunteers individually tutor students of varying levels of reading literacy.
Continuing education programs are most often housed at colleges and universities. The only requirement may be to pay the course fee.