Why are Two-Year Colleges Important?
Two-year colleges (2YCs) play a major role in geoscience education in the United States and Canada. In the U.S., nearly half of the students who take introductory geoscience do so at a 2YC. Students take geoscience at 2YCs to meet their science degree requirements, to begin coursework towards a bachelor's degree in geoscience, to receive an associates degree or certificate in geoscience or geoscience technology, to receive science education for K-12 teaching, or for continuing education as part of life-long learning. At some public universities, over half of the geoscience majors start their geoscience coursework at a 2YC and many institutions are beginning to see the value in using their local 2YCs to recruit new majors.
Other Disciplines at Two Year Colleges
Two year colleges are important to other disciplines as well and there are several efforts afoot to strengthen teaching and learning at the 2YC level.
- Economics at Two-Year Colleges - This NSF-funded an initiative aims to promote the use of innovative economic education resources by community college economics instructors.
- SPIN-UP/2YC - Strategic Programs for Innovation in Undergraduate Physics at Two-Year Colleges (SPIN-UP/TYC) is a project to find exemplary physics programs at two-year colleges from which a large number of minorities and women enter science, technology, engineering or math programs at a four-year college or university.
- AMATYC - The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges was founded in 1974. It is the only organization exclusively devoted to providing a national forum for the improvement of mathematics instruction in the first two years of college.
