Located where the high plains meet the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs offers a combination of big city life with close access to many outdoor activities. A number of colleges and universities in Colorado Springs offer higher education opportunities for students interested in just about any subject or degree plan.
Pikes Peak Community College
Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC) offers lower division courses with many scheduling options to support a wide range of associates degree plans or to prepare students for transfer to a four-year college. Campuses are located on the North and South sides of the city, downtown, and in nearby Falcon.
For many students, attending PPCC is the most affordable and convenient way to get started on a college education. The community college works closely with the University of Colorado system to make sure the majority of their offerings are transferable.
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado operates several major campuses across the state, with its flagship campus located in Boulder. The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), established in 1965, offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It is a popular choice for students transferring from PPCC.
Degree plans in education, engineering, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, english, music and many other fields are available. The major schools offer master's degrees in many areas and doctoral degrees in engineering, educational leadership and policy, nursing, and psychology. Most classes take place during the day, so scheduling is not as flexible as it is at some other institutions.
Colorado College
Colorado College (CC) is a small private liberal arts school located adjacent to downtown Colorado Springs. Established in 1847, it is one of the oldest and most respected colleges in the West. The college focuses on undergraduate education and offers no graduate degrees. Colorado College strives to provide a balance of offerings in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, and features a block scheduling plan with intensive in-depth exposure in subjects.
One feature that sets CC apart from the other Colorado Springs colleges is its hockey team. The CC Tigers compete at the national level and are often in the hunt for the college hockey championship.
Colorado State University
Colorado State University at Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) is about a one-hour drive South of Colorado Springs. This is well within reach of most Springs residents. The university also offers classes at a facility located near the Citadel Mall and at Peterson Air Force Base and Fort Carson.
CSU Pueblo offers both night and day classes designed to be convenient for military personnel and part-time students who have full time jobs. The CSU Office of Continuing Education offers the upper division courses needed to complete a bachelors degree in liberal studies (elementary education), social science, social work, sociology, and sociology with emphasis in criminology. Some lower division courses are offered as well as master's programs in education and business administration.
Colorado Technical University
Colorado Technical University (CTU) is a for-profit university that has campuses in Colorado, Kansas and South Dakota. The Colorado Springs campus offers degree programs in business & management, criminal justice & public administration, engineering & computer science, and information systems & technology.
Both bachelors and master's programs are offered with a focus on providing technically relevant training for professional development and career advancement. Master's and Ph.D. programs in computer science and several management disciplinesare offered through CTU's Institute for Advanced studies at the Colorado Springs Campus.
University of Phoenix
Primarily known as an online college, the University of Phoenix has a physical facility in Colorado Springs to provide a traditional classroom experience for courses in communication, criminal justice, education, business, human services, nursing, psychology and technology.
The University of Phoenix offers undergraduate and graduate degree plans, but no doctorate degrees are offered through the Southern Colorado Campus at Colorado Springs. Courses are taken one-at-a-time to allow students, who are almost always going to school part-time and working full time, to focus all their effort on success in that subject.
Regis University
Regis University is a private Jesuit Catholic College with a main campus in Denver and a secondary campus in Colorado Springs. Regis offers a full slate of undergraduate degrees of which around 10 are supported in Colorado Springs, in addition to masters programs in business administration, computer information systems, and management.
Online Colleges
It is possible to take online classes from colleges and universities from all over the country (the world even). Even so, many of the local traditional universities in Colorado Springs have online programs of their own or in cooperation with other institutions. All of the schools mentioned above offer at least some college credit courses with partial or complete online components.
In addition to these institutions offering traditional paths to a college education, Colorado Springs also has a variety of trade schools and technical training colleges to choose from. No matter what a person's goals may be, they are sure to find an education program to meet their needs in the Pike's Peak region.
Philip McIntosh - The author holds a B.Sc. in Botany and Chemistry and an M.A in Biology and he has thirty + years of experience in science and industry.
Join the Conversation