Kankakee Community College

What is the history of Kankakee Community College?

Kankakee Community College is a public, two-year college established in 1966 to expand access to postsecondary education in the Kankakee area. Its role today still reflects that local purpose: it offers courses intended for transfer to four-year institutions alongside career-focused programs, certificates, and workforce training.

The college has expanded beyond its main Kankakee campus through extension locations and other ways to take classes. For prospective students, its history matters less as a claim of prestige than as an explanation of its structure: KCC serves a regional community college district and enrolls students with different goals, from earning an associate degree to learning a job-specific skill.

What are the faculties and departments at Kankakee Community College?

Kankakee Community College organizes academics around transfer education, career and technical study, and workforce development rather than separate undergraduate and graduate schools. Students can pursue associate degrees and certificates; KCC does not operate as a bachelor's-degree-granting university.

Associate in Arts and Associate in Science pathways are designed for students planning further study. Career-oriented options include health care, business, manufacturing, technology, and public-service fields. The distinction matters: an Associate in Applied Science or short certificate may emphasize employment preparation, while a transfer degree is generally built around coursework a receiving university may accept toward a bachelor's degree.

Students should use the current KCC catalog to check the exact credential, required courses, admission restrictions, and campus or online availability for a program. In fields such as nursing and other health professions, admission to the college does not by itself establish admission to a selective program.

What is the location of Kankakee Community College?

Kankakee Community College's main campus is at 100 College Drive in Kankakee, Illinois. It serves a largely regional student population, with extension instruction available elsewhere in its service area, including the Watseka area.

The main campus sits near the Kankakee River rather than in a dense downtown college district. Students traveling to class should plan around their specific course location and schedule; an extension-site class, clinical placement, or internship may require a different trip from a class on the main campus. Kankakee has regional road and rail connections, but commuting needs will vary substantially by where a student lives and when classes meet.

What is the mission and vision of Kankakee Community College?

Kankakee Community College describes its mission in terms of accessible learning, student achievement, and meeting community needs. Its educational priorities encompass transfer study, career preparation, continuing education, and partnerships with the surrounding region.

That stated mission helps explain the college's mix of programs for recent high school graduates and adults returning to education. It is an institutional statement of purpose, however, not a promise that every course will fit every student's schedule or that a particular credential will produce a particular job outcome. KCC is a public college, not a religiously affiliated institution.