Terms & Definitions
What is the difference between Continuing Education, Community Education, and Workforce Training?
- Continuing Education includes Community Education and Workforce Training. Continuing Ed encompasses non-credit learning opportunities, both in-person and online.
- Community Education encompasses community lectures and casual interest classes that don’t result in college credit. Synonyms for Community Education include Personal Development, Lifelong Learning, Life Enrichment, and Personal Enrichment.
- Workforce Training is available to provide non-credit programs that may result in a credential such as a certificate that is meant to better prepare you for the workforce or enhance your skills in your current job. Workforce Training also includes opportunities for businesses and employers to provide trainings that are specific to their workforce. Synonyms for Workforce Training include Professional Development, Job Skills, and Corporate Education/Training.
What do you mean by credit and non-credit?
- When you enroll in CCC, you have the opportunity to take classes for credit that will either result in the ability to transfer to a 4-year university or college (i.e. CCC2University) or earn a certificate or degree at CCC (i.e. CCC2Work). Continuing Education (i.e. CCC2Community) courses do not earn you any credit that is transferable to another institution or toward a degree, though some courses may result in a certificate that prepares you for the workforce.
- To learn more about the different Pathways available at CCC, visit CCC Pathways.
What's the Difference?
| FOR-CREDIT COURSES | NON-CREDIT COURSES | |
| GENERAL DEFINITION | These courses are designed for students interested in earning college credit towards a degree or certificate. | Non-credit courses are designed for students who are not interested in college credit but are interested in gaining new skills or knowledge for personal enrichment or workforce training. Industry specific certifications may be earned. |
| SEAT TIME | Meet standards for contact time known as Carnegie units. A one credit course must have 45 hours of class time and 90 hours of student preparation (US Department of Education) | The length of time for non-credit courses varies by course content. |
| START DATE/END DATES | Courses typically fall within a 16 week semester. Though some courses may be shorter in length, the overall time meets seat time requirements. | Courses can happen any time of the year and do not need to fall within academic semesters. |
| GRADING | Students receive a letter grade or a pass/fail at the end of the class. | Students do not receive a letter grade at the end of the course though they may receive a pass/fail or "satisfactory" completion. |
| TRANSCRIPTS | Coursework appears on official academic transcripts. | Coursework does not appear on official academic transcripts but could appear on a non-credit transcript. |
| TRANSFER | Many courses transfer to other institutions. | Courses do not transfer to other institutions. |
| PREREQUISITES | Varies by course according to CCC Academic Catalog. | Varies by course according to subject and course content. Typically there is no pre-requisite for non-credit courses other than an interest in learning the subject matter. |
| PLACEMENT TESTING | Students must take a placement test to determine skills in English, Reading, and Math. | No placement testing required. |
| LOCATION | For-credit classes are typically held on one of CCC's campuses or instructional sites. CCC also offers fully online classes. | May be offered at CCC locations, anywhere throughout the community, or online. |
| TUITION | Tuition rate is determined by the District Governing Board. | Tuition is determined by formula to cover the cost of materials, instruction, and administration. Tuition will vary course to course. |
| FINANCIAL AID | Many courses in a student's degree are eligible for Financial Aid Funding. | Non-credit courses are not eligible for federal financial aid but may be eligible for other financial assistance programs. |
| ADMISSION PROCESS | Students must apply for admission. | Students register for courses, typically without the need to apply for admission. |
| STUDENT AGE | CCC welcomes students of all ages. Typically students not participating in concurrent programs are 18 years of age or older. | Non-credit programming can be for all ages, including children's programming. |
| ACCESS TO SERVICES | Student have access to all CCC services and are issued a CometID | Students are not typically issued a CometID unless required for technology access for a particular class. |
| FACULTY CREDENTIALS | Faculty members need to meet HLC Faculty credentialing standards. For transferrable classes this is typically a Master's Degree in the subject area. | Faculty members must show subject are knowledge and expertise, but they do not have to meet the HLC standards of faculty credentialing. |
| FACULTY COMPENSATION | Faculty are paid through pay addendum based on load hour rate set by the District Governing Board. | CCC faculty are paid based on salary schedule set through Human Resources. Non-CCC faculty instructors are determined their pay based on course proposal, outlined with CCC Extended Learning staff. |
What does it mean to audit a course?
Auditing a course means you are taking a CCC course, but not for credit or grade. Audited courses are excluded from your GPA, but do appear on your transcript. Auditing a course is different from registering for a Continuing Education course. Here are the steps to audit a course:
- If you have not done so already, enroll at CCC.
- Register for your desired class.
- Get approval from the instructor as an auditing student.
- Submit the Audit Form (requires instructor signature) and return to a CCC campus.
- Audited classes are subject to posted tuition pricing and a $25 per credit hour fee.
Registration & Payment
Is there Financial Aid available?
Because our courses are non-credit, the Pell Grant from the FAFSA and other sources of financial aid provided by Coconino Community College (i.e. scholarships, grants, and loans) are not accepted. However, depending on the course you are interested in, there may be other financial assistance or payment plans available. Just be sure to ask.
How much are the courses, how long do they last, and where do I register?
Courses range in price and time commitment. Explore the offerings listed on the Community Education, Workforce Training, and Small Business Development Center websites for more information on available courses and trainings and to register for a course or training.
Do I have to be a CCC student to participate in these courses?
For the most part, you do NOT have to enroll as a CCC student to participate in our Continuing Education courses and trainings. There are few exceptions that we will make sure you know about when you do have to enroll as a CCC student. There are no pre-requisites to participate, and these courses are open to the public.
What happens if my course gets cancelled?
If your course is cancelled due to not meeting the minimum number of participants, we will make every effort to place you into another course. If that is not possible, you will get a full refund of your registration cost.
What is your refund policy?
The process and amounts for refunds depends on which course you are taking. If you have questions about the refund policy on a particular course, email or call us and we can review the policy with you:
Professional & Workforce Development
What are the workforce trends and job projections in my area?
If you would like to learn more about workforce trends and job projections in Arizona and Coconino County, check out the Jobs Profile Tool from Arizona @ Work.
Can I get Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for these courses?
At this time, we are not an accredited institution to offer CEUs. However, we can provide evidence of your successful completion of a course and the time involved, upon request. Talk to your employer about what they may need to consider Continuing Education Units.
General Questions
Is it normal to be sent to a website outside of CCC?
We work with several partners to provide some of our courses. Therefore, there may be times that you are redirected to an outside website to sign up for a particular course. Below is a list of our trusted partners:
- CE Shop, Phoenix Truck Driving School, Coursestorm, Ed2Go
Get in Touch with Us
I’m interested in teaching. What do I need to be able to teach a course?
Learn about how to apply and our standards and expectations for non-credit community instructors on our Course Proposal page.
Who do I contact about these courses?
We can be reached at
What if I don’t find a course I’m looking for?
If you don’t find what you are looking for feel free to contact us at