Best Online Community Colleges in Tennessee

There are currently two online degree options at Motlow State Community College: an Associate of Arts and an Associate of Science. Both of these degrees require completion of 60 credit hours and cover a wide variety of fields instead of emphasizing a narrow range of skills associated with a certain profession. Courses included in the curriculum for both degrees include English Composition, Introduction to Anthropology, Survey of World Civilization, Introduction to Biology, and Mathematics for General Studies.

Roane State Community College offers four online options to distance learners: two certificates and two Associate of Applied Science degrees. Students can earn certificates in the fields of Healthcare Documentation Spreadsheet, which prepares students for jobs as healthcare documentation specialists, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which provides students with skills to understand patterns and trends using geographic data. The two Associate of Applied Science degrees offered online at RSCC are in Early Childhood Education and Health Information Management. The Early Childhood program prepares students for careers dealing with children during crucial periods of brain development, while the Health Information Management program provides students with useful skills for managing health records, conducting research and analyzing data.

Northeast State Community College offers many degrees that students can earn remotely, including certificates, Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees. Students can pursue a certificate program in Accounting, Web Page Authoring, and Office Technology, and earn an Associate of Applied Science in a diverse array of fields, including Business, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, and Web Technology. Associate of Arts – University Parallel and Associate of Science – University Parallel degrees are also offered for those who would like a broad base of knowledge before transferring to a four-year school.

Volunteer State Community College offers a wide assortment of online degrees. This includes an Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education, which trains students to function in work environments that involve young children, and an Associate of Arts in Foreign Language, which offers beginner and intermediate classes in Spanish and French. VSCC also offers Associate of Science degrees in fields such as Pre-Law, a two-year program for those who plan to go on to earn a bachelor's degree in the field of political science or law, and technical certificates in fields such as Fire Science Technology.

Chattanooga State Community College offers four Associate of Applied Science degrees online. The Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science is a 60-hour degree for students who want to enter the fire science field or further develop their skills. The Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Management, which requires 66 credits, prepares students who have already earned an associate degree to meet entry-level competencies for Registered Health Information Technicians. The Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education is a 61-credit program that prepares students for jobs in various early childhood settings. Lastly, the Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice is designed for students who want to enter or advance their career in criminal justice. The program requires 60 credit hours.

Dyersburg State Community College offers a generous number of online degrees, and most of them are Associate of Applied Science degrees. Distance learners can pursue an Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Management, which gives students a wide variety of skills needed for a successful career in the field, Professional Studies with an emphasis on information tech, and Web Technology with a concentration in web development. Dyersburg also offers one online certificate: a technical certificate in Web Page Authoring.

Nashville State Community College has three online offerings, all of which are 60-credit associate degrees. The Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science degrees focus on providing students with a broad base of knowledge rather than a particular set of skills, and the curricula include everything from communication and history to the sciences and mathematics. The Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice addresses the educational needs of students who want to enter into, or advance a criminal justice career. Courses for this program include Criminal Law, Criminology, Drug Identification and Effects and Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation.