junior college

junior college

noun

: a school that has two years of studies similar to those in the first two years of a four-year college

Full Definition of JUNIOR COLLEGE

:  an educational institution that offers two years of studies corresponding to those in the first two years of a four-year college and that often offers technical, vocational, and liberal studies to the adults of a community

First Known Use of JUNIOR COLLEGE

1899

junior college

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Educational institution that provides up to two years of college-level academic, technical, and vocational instruction with emphasis on career preparation. Roots of the junior college may be traced to the Chautauqua movement and other adult-education programs created after the American Civil War. The first junior college opened in Joliet, Ill., in 1901. The vast majority of junior colleges are publicly supported; called community colleges, they offer a variety of flexible programs that are often nontraditional in style and content. They have pioneered in offering part-time study, evening sessions, instruction by television, weekend workshops, and other services for members of their communities. Students rarely live on campus. Graduates of junior or community colleges ordinarily earn an associate degree. They then transfer to a four-year college or enter the workforce. See also continuing education.

Variants of JUNIOR COLLEGE

junior college or community college