Students have many different goals in mind when they enroll at Porterville College. Some plan to earn a certificate to enhance their job skills while others want to earn a two-year degree and/or transfer to a four-year university.

Porterville College offers the following types of certificate and degree programs:

Associate in Arts for Transfer & Associate in Science for Transfer / (AA-T) (AS-T)

• intended for students who plan to complete a bachelor’s degree in a similar major at a CSU campus. Students completing these degrees are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, but not a particular campus or major. 

Associate in Arts (AA) & Associate in Science (AS)

• Can be used to obtain necessary skills for a range of possible careers or they may be used to transfer to a four-year institution. 

Certificates of Achievement

• Certificates of Achievement represent a well-defined pattern of learning experiences designed to develop certain capabilities that may be oriented to career or GE.
•  Certificates of Achievement are awarded to students and represent a well-defined pattern of learning experiences of at least 12 units designed to prepare for a specific career or General Education. 

Job Skills Certificates

• Awarded upon the satisfactory completion of coursework in a specific area of study. Job Skill Certificates are not included on transcripts.

Certificate of Competency 

A noncredit Certificate of Competency means a document confirming that a student enrolled in a noncredit educational program of noncredit courses has demonstrated achievement in a set of competencies that prepares students to progress in a career path or to undertake degree- applicable or nondegree-applicable credit courses.

Distance Education Degree Options

50% or more of the major courses below can be completed via Distance Education (online and/or hybrid).

• Early Childhood Education Associate in Science for Transfer (AST) Degree
• History Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) Degree
• Political Science Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) Degree
• Sociology Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) Degree
• Philosophy Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) Degree
• Advanced Information Systems Associate in Science (AS) Degree 
• Business Information Systems Associate in Science (AS) Degree
• Business Management – Accounting Emphasis Associate in Science (AS) Degree
• Business Management – Entrepreneurship Emphasis Associate in Science (AS) Degree 
• Business Management – Human Resources Emphasis Associate in Science (AS) Degree 
• Business Management – Logistics Emphasis Associate in Science (AS) Degree 
• Child Development Associate in Arts (AA) Degree
• Computer Information Systems Associate in Science (AS) Degree 
• Social Science Associate in Arts (AA) Degree