All technical colleges award associate's degrees upon completion of the program. An associate's degree usually involves 60 to 62 credit-hours of formal classroom education. A credit-hour is one hour of classroom time per week. Most classes are three or four credit hours long. Colleges operate under the semester or quarter system. To obtain 60 semester credit-hours, it usually takes about one and one-half to two years, taking 10 to 12 credit hours per semester.
Colleges have certain classes mandated as part of the curriculum. Early classes include English, algebra and introductory electrical classes. As you progress, physics, electrical design and troubleshooting classes are required.The final classes taken include programmable logic controllers (PLC) programming classes and advanced automation classes. The exact format varies slightly from college to college, but all have the common theme of building a knowledge base in electricity.
Any "good" college is accredited by accrediting agencies overseen by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Most are state accrediting committees, overseen by individual state governments. As a public service, the DOE freely distributes information on agencies, such as the New York State Board of Regents. Before enrolling in a college, make sure to find out what state and federal accreditations the college operates under.
All technical colleges have job placement assistance after graduation. While a college cannot guarantee you a job, they provide resources for you to investigate. Some of these include a posting of jobs offered by companies to college graduates. Other services include help with resume formatting and help with writing cover letters. Further services may include interview coaching and proper etiquette. Henry Ford Community College's Job Placement Office recommends proper etiquette on the Internet as well, since employers look at social network sites such as Facebook.