Professional & Technical Career Training
The Seattle Colleges offer more than 130 career and technical education (CTE) and training programs (also known as professional and technical education). These programs offer certificates and/or degrees, and vary from 1 to 7 quarters in length. They are designed to prepare students for specific careers. Several professional/technical programs also offer short-term training certificates; in some programs students may build skills and add certificates over time to progress in their fields. Contact the program office for further information.
Explore career training programs each college offers by clicking the links below:
Learn more about different types of career training degrees and certificates:
The Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree prepares students to compete for employment through development of technical and related skills and instruction in academic subjects appropriate to the occupational field.
To earn a degree at Seattle Colleges, a student must complete at least 90 credits and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0. At least 15 credits must be earned at the Seattle Colleges campus location granting the degree. Students should consult an advisor or division counselor for specific GPA requirements in their programs of study.
Programs are designed and updated by advisory committees, made up of local industry leaders and labor representatives, to reflect current employment trends. Instructors bring industry experience as well as education and training to the classroom. All full-time instructors hold vocational instructor certificates and stay informed of industry changes.
A core of general education and/or related instruction courses is regarded as essential for all A.A.S. degree programs and all certificate programs of an academic year or more in length. College-level courses (100 and above) in communications, computation, human relations and selected courses from humanities, natural sciences and social sciences are required. Additional topics may include safety and environmental awareness.
Some A.A.S. programs and some courses in A.A.S. degree programs may transfer to four-year colleges or universities. Consult a program advisor or transfer institution concerning course transferability prior to enrollment.
The Associate of Applied Science – T degree is designed to assist students who initially enrolled for a professional/technical degree and who then seek to transfer to a four-year institution for a bachelor’s degree. Degree requirements include satisfactory completion of at least 90 approved credits with a 2.0 cumulative GPA. At least 15 credits in college-level courses (100 or above) must be earned at the Seattle Colleges campus granting the degree. The A.A.S.-T degree is based on technical courses required for job preparation but also includes transfer degree general education courses. In general, technical degree programs are not designed for general transfer to other colleges or universities; the A.A.S.-T degree prepares students for specific bachelor’s degree programs at specific institutions. Students should contact the appropriate college division dean or Advising Office for a current list of baccalaureate institutions accepting the A.A.S.-T degree.
Earn a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) degree in several different fields.