Postsecondary occupational training is provided through 29 community colleges around the state and three universities — Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State — that serve some community college functions.[22] Enrollment and tuition for these programs varies greatly by school. Total enrollment, including academic and occupational programs, in 2016-2017 ranged from as few as 543 at Bay Mills Community College to 24,089 at Macomb Community College.[23] Per-credit-hour tuition, around the state, ranged from $88 to $135 in district and $145.50 to $238 out of district.[24]
The Michigan Community College NETwork provides detailed data about community college enrollments in Michigan.[*] Programming at community colleges around Michigan varies by discipline and field but, in general, stands apart from traditional four-year colleges by offering primarily (or only) associate degrees and certificates. As an example, among the community colleges reporting data on occupational training programming, 81% of the programs they provided were occupational in nature.[†]
Still, the most-enrolled program at nearly every community college in 2016-2017 was general studies, liberal arts or some other program indicating the student’s intent to transfer to a four-year institution. Among Michigan’s community colleges, 16 of 29 reported that nursing was the most popular among their occupational programs in 2016-2017. For 12 community colleges, the most-enrolled occupational program was related to business education — e.g., business administration, business management, etc. Indeed, nursing and business dominated in terms of popularity: 28 of 29 community colleges’ most-enrolled program was nursing or business, and 17 of these same institutions reported nursing or business as their second-highest enrolling occupational program. One college reported early childhood education as its most popular occupational training program. Graphic 3 reports the statewide aggregate enrollment for the top 20 occupational programs at community colleges in 2016-2017.
Graphic 3: Top 20 Postsecondary Occupational Programs by Enrollment, 2016-17[‡]
Business Management | 9,103 |
Nursing-Registered Nurse | 5,603 |
General Business-Global Supply Chain/International Business | 3,127 |
Criminal Justice Pre-service | 2,179 |
Software Developer | 1,655 |
Health Care Foundations | 1,615 |
Industrial Welding | 1,601 |
Industrial Pipefitting | 1,547 |
Accounting | 1,534 |
Automotive Technology | 1,218 |
Networking Specialist | 1,081 |
Early Childhood Education | 1,073 |
Child Care Management and Support | 1,007 |
Pre-nursing | 994 |
Graphic Design | 822 |
Computer Aided Drafting & Design Technology | 815 |
Medical Assistant | 699 |
Culinary Arts & Sustainable Food Systems | 687 |
Correction | 677 |
Paramedic | 663 |
Computer Programming Specialist | 651 |
Source: Michigan Community College NETwork.
For many Michigan students, community college degrees do not represent their terminal degree aspirations. In fact, 39% of program enrollments were in general studies, associate of arts programs or liberal arts programs, which are typically courses of study used to transfer to a four-year college or program.
Still, for many, and perhaps especially those in occupational programs, the terminal degree or certification for their intended career is within the scope of a community college curriculum and receiving a degree or certificate represents the ultimate purpose of their enrollment. In 2016-2017, community colleges in Michigan awarded a variety of degrees and certifications, in academic and occupational programs, including associate degrees (67%), degrees requiring more than one but less than two years (17%), degrees requiring less than one academic year (11%), and workforce certifications (4%). Graphic 4 shows the percentage of awards at each Michigan community college resulting from an occupational program. While there is variation across schools, ranging from 38% to 85% across traditional community colleges, the statewide percentage of occupational awards among all awards in 2016-17 was 58%.[§]
Graphic 4: Share of Occupational Awards Granted as a Portion of All Awards, 2016-17
Gogebic Community College | 84.78% |
Henry Ford College | 83.98% |
Kirtland Community College | 73.85% |
Alpena Community College | 72.65% |
Jackson College | 72.15% |
Bay College | 70.97% |
Kellogg Community College | 69.04% |
Schoolcraft College | 65.72% |
Lansing Community College | 64.15% |
Glen Oaks Community College | 63.77% |
Monroe County Community College | 60.00% |
Bay Mills Community College | 59.38% |
Delta College | 58.06% |
West Shore Community College | 57.43% |
Montcalm Community College | 56.27% |
Mid Michigan Community College | 55.04% |
Northwestern Michigan College | 54.81% |
Macomb Community College | 53.64% |
Lake Michigan College | 53.36% |
Washtenaw Community College | 53.03% |
Grand Rapids Community College | 52.35% |
Kalamazoo Valley Community College | 49.50% |
Muskegon Community College | 48.24% |
Wayne County Community College | 46.55% |
Oakland Community College | 46.41% |
North Central Michigan College | 45.56% |
Southwestern Michigan College | 45.39% |
St. Clair County Community College | 41.76% |
Mott Community College | 38.19% |
Source: Michigan Community College NETwork
As with high school CTE participation, enrollment does not guarantee completion. Graphic 5 reports the number of occupational awards earned for the top 20 occupational fields in rank order. In comparison to Graphic 3, it is clear that business and nursing remain at the top but some of the lower enrolling programs shift position when ranking them by completed awards. Without additional data, including what track, certification, or degree a program participant is attempting, it is not possible to say if annual yield reflects individual “success,” let alone efficiency or effectiveness at the program level.
Graphic 5: Occupational Awards Granted by 20 Most Enrolled Programs, 2016-17[**]
Business Administration | 1,174 |
Registered Nursing | 1,045 |
Industrial Trades | 914 |
CAD/CAM Technology | 607 |
Long-Term Care Nurse Aide | 604 |
Automotive Service and Repair Certificate | 335 |
General Business-Global Supply Chain/International Business | 319 |
Welding Fabrication Certificate | 317 |
Criminal Justice | 280 |
Science Technologies/Technicians | 229 |
Paramedic | 213 |
Licensed Practical Nursing Certificate | 211 |
Industrial HVAC | 200 |
Early Childhood Education | 175 |
Culinary Arts Sustainable Food | 167 |
Accounting | 167 |
Health Care Foundations | 162 |
Computer Programming Specialist | 161 |
Networking Specialist | 156 |
Phlebotomy Technician Skill Set | 148 |
Medical Assistant | 146 |
Source: Michigan Community College NETwork
[*] The analysis that follows is based on data from the Michigan Community College NETwork, available at: http://michigancc. net/ccdata/sd/yearendall.aspx.
[†] For each specific program discussed below, its status as an occupational program is determined by its CIP code. There are different CIP codes for nonoccupational programs with business relevance, for example, than there are for business programs that are occupational in nature.
[‡] Some of the source data available at the Michigan Community College NETwork appear to conflict with the numbers reported here, which were taken from a prepared report published by the MCCN. We were not able to reconcile these differences at the time of this publishing.
[§] Author’s calculation based on data provided by the Michigan Community College NETwork, available at http://michigancc. net/ccdata/sd/certdegall.aspx. Note: Some of the data provided in prepared reports by the Michigan Community College NETwork appears to conflict with these results, but yet other data provided by MCCN confirm it.
[**] Some of the source data available at the Michigan Community College NETwork appear to conflict with the numbers reported here, which were taken from a prepared report published by the MCCN. We were not able to reconcile these differences at the time of this publishing.