Colorado Technical University (CTU) provides an interesting and ambitious alternative vision of the American career institute. Founded in 1965 in the dusty, un-academic Colorado piedmont, it's evolved in just over four decades from a technical education facility to a 6-campus mini-university offering degrees at all levels, from Professional Certificates to Associate's degrees to PhDs in Computer Science. It even has an Institute for Advanced Studies. To be sure, its roots as a career school are still apparent in the courses that it teaches and it makes no secret of its for-profit status, or of the fact that most enrolled students work full-time jobs while going to CTU. But the breadth of its course offerings and its flexible and innovative delivery of practical, career-oriented education, especially through its DegreeNOW program, have made it an interesting player in the field. It is important to be aware, though, that not all six of its campuses offer the same educational programs. CTU has a couple of online affiliates: Stonecliffe College Online and Colorado Tech Online. All, including CTU itself, are owned by the Career Education Corporation.

Points of Distinction

• Campuses: in Colorado -- Colorado Springs (main), Pueblo and Denver (2); in South Dakota -- Sioux Falls; in Missouri – N. Kansas City
• DegreeNOW program allows students to juggle night, weekend and online studies and tailor their schooling to suit their private and professional lives
• Programs levels from certificate to PhD

Course Topics

CTU has six different branches and the programs they offer aren't always identical, though they frequently do overlap. Programs are available in the areas of design, business/management, computers/information technology, criminal justice, health care, and visual communications. A subset of these programs are available online and some programs are available online and some are offered only at specific locales. The university offers Professional Certificates as well as associate's and bachelor's of science degrees, and various master's degree and Ph.D. programs.

CTU Admissions

CTU requires a high school diploma, or GED, and an interview with an admissions representative. In some cases it may require undergraduate applicants to take a computerized placement test known as an Accuplacer exam, but, on the whole, its admissions process is geared to getting students in, not to keeping them out.

CTU Faculty

All have advanced degrees but combine their academic education with experience in the work force and a long-standing, practical familiarity with the subjects that they teach.

Student Life

Most of CTU's curriculum is geared toward enhancing the career opportunities that are available to working professionals. Students, often employed either full- or part-time, commute to campus, and student life is limited for the most part to classroom interaction.

(Note:Not all programs are necessarily available at all locations.)

Accounting

• Accounting
• Insurance General

Computer Networking

• Computer and Information Systems Security

Criminal Justice

• Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration

Engineering Design

• Computer Software Engineering
• Electrical Electronics and Communications Engineering General
• Systems Engineering General

Finance

• Finance General

Graphic Design

• Graphic Design

History

• General Studies

Information Technology

• Computer Science General
• Information Technology

Management and Administration

• Business Administration and Management General
• Finance General
• Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration General
• Insurance General
• Operations Management and Supervision

Marketing

• Marketing/Marketing Management General

Medical Assisting and Nursing

• Medical/Clinical Assistant
• Nurse/Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant
• Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN ASN BSN MSN)

Medical and Dental Administration

• Health/Health Care Administration/Management
• Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder
• Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller

Medical and Pharmaceutical

• Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer
• Surgical Technology/Technologist

Multimedia and Web Design

• Web Page Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design

Visual Arts

• Graphic Design
• Illustration