Maui Community College

Educational options > on Maui
Maui County is a rural, tri-isle county served by two colleges, one public and one private, and a limited number of career and technical schools.

Maui Community College:
Maui Community College (MCC), is Maui's only publically-supported institution, and is one of seven community colleges and three universities in the University of Hawai‘i System. MCC has been providing Maui County residents with two-year transfer degrees, assorted career and technical degrees and certificates, and year-round non-credit courses since 1967.

Its credit and non-credit programs, as well as the University of Hawai‘i Center, Maui are located on its main campus in Kahului. MCC Education Centers, located in Hana and on Moloka‘i and Lana‘i, use distance learning technologies and in-person instruction to deliver college courses to residents in these areas.

Credit program:
MCC offers an affordable, convenient way for residents to begin their college careers. Its credit program is accredited and degree-granting. Each semester they enroll about 3,000 students in two-year transfer degrees or eighteen career and technical degrees and certificates.

The Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts and the Associate of Science degrees in Nursing, Human Services, and Electronic Computer Engineering Technology provides the general education requirements of the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year degree.

MCC's career and technical programs provide long- and short-term training in 18 areas: Accounting, Administration of Justice, Agicultural Careers, Automotive Technology, Auto Body Repair and Painting, Building Maintenance, Business Careers, Business Technology, Carpentry, Hotel Operations, Fashion Technology, Culinary Arts, Electronic Computer Engineering Technology, Human Services, Nursing Career Ladder, Sustainable Technology, and Welding.

Courses are taught during day, evening, and weekend hours using a variety of delivery methods. Classes may be taken on campus, by cable TV, or through the Internet. Students can even earn an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts entirely through distance learning through the UH Community College’s e-Learn program.

Financial aid is available to classified, degree-seeking students in the form of grants, low-interest student loans, and federal work-study programs.

The degree combines business and information technology and is designed to enable graduates to develop and/or manage small- to mid-sized companies, work in management and technology positions, or enter graduate school.

MCC is eligible to apply for and be visited for candidacy or initial accreditation with the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.

Non-credit program:
MCC's non-credit PACE, VITEC & COMPTECH courses are many and varied. They include skill upgrading, leisure, personal enrichment, and computer classes; industry-certified training and special institutes; as well as customized contract training for business and industry. Each year the program enrolls more than 12,000 students.

Courses are short-term and convenient. Students do not earn degrees or college credits; however, they can earn certificates of completion in select courses. In recent years, there has been a growing trend towards advanced training through special institutes and industry-certified training.

Because they are self-supporting, there is no financial aid available for these courses. Costs are paid by the student; however, in some cases, employers or agencies have educational reimbursement programs for select courses (ask your employer). Call 984-3231 or visit their website at ocet.org.

The University of Hawai‘i Center, Maui:
The University of Hawai‘i Center, Maui, located in the Laulima Building at MCC, coordinates the delivery of select bachelor’s and graduate degrees from the Universities of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Hilo, and West Oahu. The program offers the junior and senior levels of select four-year degrees and a limited number of graduate programs. Courses are delivered through a variety of distance learning technologies and on-site instruction enabling Maui County students to earn advanced degrees without leaving the island. Call 984-3525 or visit their website at www.umaui.net.

Other Maui educational options
The University of Phoenix, Maui Campus is a private, for-profit college that offers bachelor's and graduate degrees to working adults over age 24. Programs are offered on-site at its One Main Plaza campus in Wailuku or on-line.

There are also a number of vocational schools on Maui that offer beauty, massage, fitness, real estate, and tax preparation training, among others. There is no federal financial aid programs currently available for these programs, however many offer loan financing options.