PCC No. 1 in U.S. in Two-Year Certificates

September 19, 2011

Pima Community College is the national leader in awarding two-year certificates.

Pima granted 1,824 certificates – more than any other two-year college in the United States – during the 2009-10 academic year, according to data compiled by Community College Week. The College has ranked No. 1 in at least three of the last five CCW annual reports.

Two-year certificates are awarded at Pima in a variety of disciplines, such as nursing, teacher training, truck driving and fire science.

“Pima Community College’s two-year certificate programs are an essential part of our mission,” said Chancellor Roy Flores. “They allow us to better serve the needs of the many students who come to us in search of a better education or workforce training.”

Typically, a two-year certificate requires less than 60 credits in a specific field and can be used for employment or for transfer to a college or university. An associate degree at Pima usually is granted after earning 60 to 72 credits.

Pima’s top certificate producing programs in 2009-10 were for the Arizona General Education Curriculum, an agreement among the state’s public academic institutions that provides students with the coursework they need to transfer from a community college to a university.

These certificates accounted for 59.2 percent of the certificates the College granted in the 2009-10 academic year. Most – 949 – were liberal arts certificates; 208 were granted in business administration and 171 were granted in science.

Another 229 certificates were granted through Pima’s Center for Training and Development at Desert Vista Campus, which offers noncredit, training for direct employment in various occupational fields. The center has a 90 percent completion rate and an 85 percent job placement rate.

See the full Community College Week report at www.ccweek.com/Top_100_Archives.aspx.

CONTACT:
C.J. Karamargin
Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations
(520) 206-4850