2023 Best Online Community Colleges in Mississippi

Itawamba Community College (ICCMS) recognizes the popularity of online learning. It offers online associate degrees and certificates to meet the demand. Students can complete some programs in as few as eighteen months. Programs are available in business and marketing management, criminal justice, early childhood education, general studies, hospitality management, paralegal, and public health. For example, students can enroll in online associate degrees in paralegal technology, public health technology, and early childhood education technology. An online associate degree in general studies can help prepare students for transfer to four-year universities. Online students can also access many of the same student resources as their on-campus peers, including tech support, tutoring, academic advising, and new student orientation.

Holmes Community College welcomes distance learners by offering online associate degrees that provide convenience, flexibility, and accelerated options for early completion. Online associate degrees include medical office technology, paralegal technology, criminal justice, and medical billing and coding technology. Accelerated courses may be available within these programs as well. Students may complete a degree online in four to eight weeks, depending on their pace. Holmes provides online access to the school’s library and academic and career resources. A program advisor can help online students determine which other services may be available remotely.

Hinds Community College offers 14 fully online associate degrees in business, health sciences, public and safety administration, and STEM. Distance learners can choose from majors, such as medical data technology, real estate technology, health information technology, criminal justice, and software engineering technology. Hinds also offers online career and technical certificates to help students develop job-readiness skills in various fields, such as accounting, administrative office technology, paralegal technology, and cybersecurity technology. Online student services include tech support, academic advising, library resources, licensure and credentialing exams, and access to Hind’s Student Engagement Center.

In partnership with the Mississippi Virtual Community College Consortium, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) offers a wide variety of online certificate and degree programs. Online associate degree programs are primarily in the field of business, with concentrations in accounting technology, office systems technology, and business management technology. MGCCC also offers secondary teaching certificates in English and history. Distance learners can have their exams proctored for an additional fee. Online student services, such as library resources and the IT help desk, are available. Additionally, distance learners can purchase books and supplies for classes online through the MGCCC bookstore.

Northwest Mississippi Community College offers several online academic pathways that can help students earn transfer credits that can apply toward bachelor’s degrees. Students can enroll online in associate degree majors, such as psychology, social work, elementary education, and marketing communications. Online career and technical certificates provide job-readiness skills as well, and these are available in business management technology, administrative office technology, medical office technology, and paralegal technology. Students can purchase books and supplies online through Northwest’s bookstore and access services remotely, such as library resources, advising, tech support, the math lab, and the writing center.

Predominantly Black Copiah-Lincoln Community College (CLCC) in rural Wesson offers 34 online associate degree programs. Approximately one-quarter of CLCC students enroll in distance-only education. Fields of study include arts/humanities, social science, health science, education, business, and career-technical programs. Notable majors include criminal justice, psychology, pre-law, nursing, and health-care data technology. It takes full-time students approximately two years to complete these online degree programs. As a public community college, CLCC accepts all applicants, and 36% of students graduate with degrees.

CLCC’s online learners use Canvas to access coursework and instruction. CLCC has a 20:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Other CLCC campuses include Simpson County Center and Natchez. CLCC is affordable, with a $3,500 average annual cost that’s less than half of the average. Full-time, first-year students may be eligible for academic scholarships if they maintain full-time status and a 3.0 GPA per term. They are also based on ACT composite scores.