EDUCATION

June / July, 2010

Community College Connection

By Irene Thomas

With its main campus 10 miles south of downtown Denver, Littleton-based Arapahoe Community College—an open-door admissions institution—offers two-year associate degree and certificate programs to about 18,000 people annually, with or without high school diplomas and/or general education development certificates (GEDs.) Small class sizes, affordable tuition, low-turnover faculty and guaranteed transfer programs to Colorado's public four-year institutions are some of the school's attributes.

In 1965, Arapahoe Junior College became the first two year college in the Denver area. In 1970, its name changed to Arapahoe Community College. With a satellite location in Parker, the main campus is in downtown Littleton on 51 acres with a panoramic view of the Rockies. ACC is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The average age of students is 28.76 years, while the average class size for traditional classes is 18 students. The average credit load is 8.4 hours, with 74.9 percent of the student body seeking degrees and 70.5 percent part-time.

ACC offers a widely diverse course load, including Mortuary Science and Emergency Dispatch (the only such programs offered in Colorado) Astronomy, Law Enforcement, Physics, Greek, Japanese and Game Design, along with outstanding programs in fine arts and design, automotive technology and human performance (kinesiology.) At ACC, students can work towards more than 100 degrees and certificates. The school also offers workforce training and community education for nondegree seekers. More than 300 online courses are offered as well. A new program in the Corporate Learning Division will teach automotive technicians skills for work on hybrids. This course will be limited to 12 students and will run 40 hours for $299.

Tuition is the same as all of Colorado's community colleges (the lowest among the state's public higher education institutions.) Colorado residents also qualify for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend ($62 per credit hour.)

Campus life is not unlike that of a four-year academic institution in that ACC is host to a wealth of extracurricular organizations along with intramural sports. Whichever you choose, Arapahoe Community College is well worth an exploration.

Arapahoe Community College
5900 S. Santa Fe Drive
Littleton, CO 80120
303-797-4222
arapahoe.edu

Irene Thomas is a Denver-based freelance writer for dozens of local, national and international publications. She specializes in travel, profiles, bicycling and microbrews.