Community Colleges

[Page 280]The term community college has been used by institutions whose names include community, applied arts or technology, junior, polytechnic, regional or district, further education, and career or vocational. This broad categorization includes both nonprofit and for-profit entities. Some provide a breadth of programs, while others focus on a single vocation. Academic programs most often result in subdegree credentials such as a badge, certificate, or diploma, and the associate degree, but more recently, a number of community colleges award baccalaureate degrees.

In 1971, the OECD hosted a meeting to develop a common definition of community colleges. The resulting definition most closely aligned with the comprehensive community college model of the United States, and many scholars point to the U.S. model as the starting point for global ...