Community colleges and specialty "for profit" colleges offer the most two year programs available in South Carolina. Community colleges, such as Clinton Junior College and Forrest Community College, offer general Associate's Degrees that can be earned in two years, and often transfer to four year schools to take care of any general education requirements. Many "for profit" colleges, such as ITT Tech or Phoenix Online, offer specialty associate's degrees in nursing, criminal justice or technical computer skills.
An Associate's Degree in nursing is the minimum education level needed to become certified as a nurse. Two year nursing programs sometimes are offered by 4 year schools and universities, but they also remain a popular choice among students attending specialty two year colleges. Several dozen colleges throughout South Carolina offer an Associate's Degree in nursing. Many of these programs are nationally accredited, while some also claim regional accreditation.
Associate's Degree programs offered in criminal justice by various two year colleges in South Carolina are some of the most common two year degrees available to students. As of 2010, four year colleges in the state generally did not offer this program. Technical schools and for profit two year colleges are the best locations to look for students who want to attend one of these programs, which normally are only nationally accredited and not regionally.
When it comes to two year colleges in South Carolina, the biggest potential issue is accreditation. Two types of major accreditation exist: national and regional. National accreditation is the minimum required, and almost all two year colleges will be nationally accredited. However, these credits often will not transfer to other schools as the national level also is the "minimum" level. Regional accreditation is what sets public and private four year colleges apart from many two year programs, and virtually all "for profit" colleges, like ITT Tech. Most two year programs will be nationally accredited, but not regional.