1. Area of Focus

Community colleges tend to focus more broadly on a professional area of study. They reflect a sampled version of a four-year university experience. Credits are transferable to other schools and, hence, cover universal material. Community colleges can specialize in areas which are obviously not technical in any sense whereas technical schools primarily focus on such areas as medical, dental, automotive, or other technical studies. The focus of a technical college like Ameritech in Utah is focused on a particularly decided field like those previously mentioned. The classes are then built around that career and its duties.

2. Length

A community college in Utah, for example Salt Lake Community College (SLCC), will take much longer to complete and earn a degree. This is due to it basis on the standard four-year college experience. It’s also due to its broader range of study. Utah’s technical colleges like Ameritech can achieve their education in a matter of months. SLCC’s credits are much more transferable but take much longer while Ameritech College’s programs are shorter but don’t have credits transferable to four-year schools. However, some community colleges only offer two-year degrees anyway.

3. Funding 

Since SLCC and other community colleges are considered to be ‘public schools’ they are also considered property of the state of Utah. Thus, they are partly funded by tax payers, income taxes, and other financial resources. Ameritech and other tech colleges are not owned by Utah, but instead are ran and owned privately. However, since technical schools are much more accelerated programs than community colleges, they tend to be less expensive overall. SLCC may cost less per class or semester, but since it’s a longer experience the loans and payments will start to pile up over time. 

4. Accreditation 

One aspect which can be dangerous about technical schools is that many do not claim properly accredited programs. Some tech schools, because they’re privately founded do not qualify their students for receiving a degree. However, this problem can easily be solved by comparative shopping between tech colleges. Utah’s better colleges like Ameritech have had accredited programs for years and have gained a large amount of respect from employers and other programs. Ameritech College’s students do receive degrees at the end of their college education. These degrees prove not only the legitimacy of the schools attended but also the legitimacy of the expertise learned by the students thereof. Employers are much more apt to hire potential employees which have sought out and earned diplomas at accredited technical schools. 

Source by Meagan Hollman