Junior College
Junior College, an institution that offers two years of education beyond high school. Some junior colleges—including those that are affiliated with churches-are privately owned. However, most junior colleges are public institutions controlled and financed by state and local governments. Public junior colleges also participate in certain federal aid programs.
Public junior colleges are also called community colleges because they serve the special needs of their community. Most students of public junior colleges are residents of the community; many of them work during the day and attend college in the evening. These colleges are often cultural centers for their neighborhoods.
Junior colleges are designed to meet the needs of three main grouos of students:
- High-school graduates who want one or two additional years of general education or of vocational or semiprofessional training and who do not expect to go on to a four-year college.
- Those who intend to transfer to a four-year college or university, usually as a sophomore or junior, after attending junior college.
- Adults interested in general or vocational courses.
Junior colleges confer the degrees Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science. Certificates instead of degrees are granted to graduates who have been enrolled in certain semiprofessional and vocational programs.
Junior colleges in the modern sense date to the late 19th century. After World War II the growth of junior colleges increased rapidly. Junior colleges helped take the enrollment pressure off four-year colleges. In addition, junior colleges helped satisfy the growing demand for a wide variety of educational programs not met by high schools and four-year colleges.