Central Carolina Community College is a tax-supported public, non-profit, two-year college in the North Carolina Community College System

North Carolina Community College System

The North Carolina Community College System is a statewide network of fifty-eight public community colleges. Each college has a distinct governance system and policies. In total, the system enrolls over 800,000 students, and is the third largest community college system in the nation...

. It offered its first classes in 1961. The college has campuses in Chatham, Harnett, and Lee counties, as well as a number of centers to serve those areas. It has an expansive distance education program that attracts students both within and beyond its geographical locations.

Curriculum and programs

Central Carolina Community College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degrees. Many students take their first two years of college at Central Carolina, then transfer to a four-year institution. One-year, or shorter, vocational and academic programs lead to a diploma or certificate. The college also offers non-curriculum credit courses in Adult Basic Education and other adult education courses in technical, vocational, academic, and general interest areas. The college's vocational training programs provide nurses, early childhood teachers, police officers, bioprocessing technicians, and many other essential skilled workers. In partnership with Lee County Public Schools, the college is home to Lee Early College. In the five-year program, students earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree.

It has one of the few Laser-Photonics Technology programs at a community college in the United States. It also offers the only Alternative Energy Technology: Biofuels degree program at a North Carolina community college. Central Carolina also provides extensive training support to business and industry through its Industrial Relations Office and three Small Business Centers.

Lee County Campus

Central Carolina Community College's Lee County Campus is located in Sanford, North Carolina

Sanford, North Carolina

Sanford is a city in Lee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,220 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lee County.-Geography:Sanford is located at ....

. It has 251000 square feet (23,318.7 m²) of classroom, shop, and laboratory space, plus a full-service library and an Academic Assistance Center. The campus includes the 36000 square feet (3,344.5 m²) Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, with its large exhibition hall, auditorium, and conference/classrooms. Other college facilities in Lee County include the 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) North Carolina School of Telecommunications, the 116 acre (0.46943576 km²) Emergency Services Training Center, and the Jonesboro Center for adult education.

Harnett County Campus

The Harnett County Campus is located between Lillington and Buies Creek, NC. The campus has 76000 square feet (7,060.6 m²) of instructional floor space, plus a full-service library and an Academic Assistance Center. The Triangle South Enterprise Center, in Dunn, is a joint venture of the college, Dunn Committee of 100, and Harnett County. It provides space for classes and serves as a small business incubator, as well as housing one of the college's Small Business Centers. The college also operates a cosmetology school in Dunn and has an 8500 square feet (789.7 m²) Center in the Western Harnett Industrial Park.

Chatham County Campus

The Chatham County Campus is located in Pittsboro, North Carolina

Pittsboro, North Carolina

Pittsboro, North Carolina is a town located in Chatham County, 34 miles southwest of Raleigh, 47 miles southeast of Greensboro, and 17 miles south of Chapel Hill. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chatham County....

. It has 43000 square feet (3,994.8 m²) of instructional space, plus a full-service library and an Academic Assistance Center. A 16500 square feet (1,532.9 m²) Sustainable Technologies Classroom and Lab Building is being added to house the sustainable agriculture, alternative fuel technology, and green building programs, as well as to provide space for culinary training and arts instruction. A 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) joint College-Chatham County library is being constructed. The college's Professional Arts and Crafts: Sculpture program is located in Siler City, North Carolina

Siler City, North Carolina

Siler City is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population is right at 8,747 within corporate limits and 14,005 within corporate limits and ETJ...

. The current Siler City Center is being replaced by a new Center on 41 acres (165,921.3 m²) in the Central Carolina Business Park.