What is Community College ?

Community colleges, or two year schools, are a type of school that offers enrollment to those that live in the surrounding community. Typically they are open enrollment for students who have graduated from high school. All District 214 students live in the Harper College district.

Harper College 

At Harper College, you can:

• Earn a Certificate to obtain job-specific skills

• Earn an Associates Degree to prepare to enter the workforce or to transfer to a 4 Year college

• Complete an apprenticeship to earn money through work while taking courses toward your degree

• Earn a 4 Year degree (bachelors) degree through Harper’s University Center

CLICK HERE to explore Harper’s 10 areas of interest and find your “right fit”

CLICK HERE to view Steps on Applying to Harper College (for seniors)

Certificate Programs 

• Can be a great way to get additional training in a specific area.

• Generally can be completed in 6-18 months and require no General Education classes (e.g. math, English, etc.)

• Many can be “stacked” on top of previous certificates to make yourself more marketable when applying for jobs or moving up in your company

• Harper College offers over 40 certificates, but also have tuition agreements with other schools for programs not offered.

Examples:

• 1. Early Childhood Education

  2. Pastry Arts

  3. Basic Welding

  4. Health Insurance Specialist

  5. Phlebotomy

  6. Paramedic

  7. Web Development

Associate Degrees & Transfer Programs

Associate's Degrees are two-year career programs to prepare to enter the workforce or to transfer to four-year institutions.

Transfer-Ready Programs

• Four degrees designed to help prepare you to transfer to a four-year university

• Academic counselors help you choose classes based on where you want to transfer to

Dual-Degree Programs

• Guaranteed admission and transfer guidance with institutions for a smooth transition

• Partners: DePaul, Governors State, Roosevelt University

University Center

• Earn your bachelor's degree without leaving Harper's campus

• University partners: DePaul, NIU, Roosevelt

Apprenticeships

• Employers hire you, pay you a salary with benefits, plus pay for your education at Harper

• You usually spend 1.5-2 years minimum working for that company after your education is complete

• Some employers will pay for your bachelor’s degree afterwards

Sample career fields:

Banking and Finance

Insurance

CNC Precision Machining

Cybersecurity/Networking

Marketing and Sales Management

Graphic Arts print Production

Supply Chain Management

Industrial Maintenance Mechanic

Other Community College Options

Joint Agreements

If Harper College does not offer the certificate or degree program you are interested in, you can request to attend a different community college in Illinois for the price of that school's in-district tuition through a joint agreement. Students would apply to both colleges and submit a joint agreement form to Harper College.

• CLICK HERE for the joint agreement form.

Community Colleges with Housing

Some community colleges offer housing. Here are some examples:

• Kirkwood Community College (near University of Iowa)

• Spoon River College (housing at Western Illinois University)

• University of Wisconsin System (two-year schools with housing)

• Parkland Pathways: (housing at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign)