Hawaii's Best Two-Year Colleges
Kapi‘olani Community College, Hawai‘i Community College, Honolulu Community College, Windward Community College
As one of the youngest states in America, Hawaii has some of the most modern educational facilities in the country and some of the most innovative programs. The state realizes that it’s education system helps stimulate economic growth in the local economy by creating jobs and enabling skilled and educated workers to get good jobs that they deserve. More specifically, Hawaii’s 7 two-year college programs really help increase access to education for the 28,000 students who study annually at the state’s public community colleges. The state’s unique location in the middle of the ocean between the East and the West gives students a unique opportunity to learn about diverse perspectives and enables students to become well-rounded. Hawaiians are clearly just as concerned about helping produce good citizens that respect diversity and their peers, have integrity, are accountable, like to collaborate with their peers, and challenge themselves intellectually, as they are concerned with handing out degrees. The state’s unique “Running Start” program encourages high school students to further their education by granting them college credit for classes they can complete while still attending high school. Hawaii is a unique state that provides students with a unique opportunity to get a good and different education at a two-year college.
Located near the beautiful and world-famous beach of Waikiki and within East Honolulu, students at Kapi‘olani Community College have the best of both worlds with nature and a large metropolitan area at their fingertips. More than 8,500 students are engaged in 49 different programs, but class sizes remain small with the impressively low average student to faculty ratio of 17:1. The liberal arts program that prepares students to continue studying at a 4-year school is very popular at KCC, but the school has several unique programs in fields such as educational paraprofessional, mobile intensive care technician and phlebotomy. KCC is especially well-known for it’s tourism program as well as it’s culinary school, which has produced some of the islands’ most famous chefs and has received national recognition. The college also has a great program related to geriatric care and aging, and the Kupuna Education Center helps challenge students to grow and think about aging adults in a new way, which is incredibly important as the baby boomer generation continues to age and retire.
Located in Hilo on the big island, Hawai‘i Community College is within a mile of the 911³Ô¹ÏÍø of Hawai‘i at Hilo so both institutions share some buildings, and it is easier for students to transfer to UHH after they’ve received their associates degree from HawCC. The college has more than 55 different fields of study so every student will be able to find something they are interested in, but HawCC is particularly well known for it’s hospitality division, which includes the fields of food service and hotel operations, for it’s Hawaiian lifestyles program within the humanities department, for it’s writing programs within the English department, for it’s Lawai’a (Fishing) program and for it’s Mahi’ai (Kalo Farming) program. Hawai‘i Community College incorporates service learning techniques into it’s classrooms so the school’s 3,000 students have the ability to get hands-on experience while helping to alleviate social problems related to health issues, poverty, legal representation, AIDS, children and families, homelessness, Hawaiian cultural studies, tutoring/literary assistance, animal rights, the environment and juvenile delinquency. Additionally, students can develop a strong sense of community by living on campus or getting involved with student government or one of HawCC’s many student-run organizations.
Founded in 1920, Honolulu Community College is one of the oldest higher education institutions in Hawaii and one of the oldest community colleges in the country. Conveniently located in Hawaii’s political, cultural and economic capitol, Honolulu Community College gives it’s 4,500 students access to all of the great opportunities that are available in the state’s biggest city. On campus, there are currently over 15 registered student organizations, but students who can’t find what the extra-curricular activity they’re looking for are welcome to start their own group. Students can choose from over 53 different programs, and Honolulu Community College has particularly strong Asian studies, Hawaiian studies, aeronautics maintenance, sheet metal and plastics technology, commercial aviation, marine education, and automotive arts programs.
With just 2,000 students, Windward Community College provides it’s students with one of the state’s smallest and most supportive close-knit learning communities. With only 14 different fields of study, Windward is really able to focus on the programs it offers to provide students with high-quality courses. The school has especially strong programs in the arts, Hawaiian studies, and plant biotechnology and landscaping, and the school’s cutting-edge Planetarium and Music Institute encourage students to get involved in those programs. Located in Kaneohe on Oahu, Windward is situated in a moderately sized community at the base of a beautiful mountain range, and of course the ocean and Honolulu are never far away from the campus either. In addition to empowering their students to continue their education or get skilled-jobs, Windward strives to help shape it’s students into culturally aware citizens who have positive impacts on their communities and the greater world.
Additional topics
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