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Institutes and Centers
Anne Arundel Community College has seven Institutes and Centers that provide a variety of programs, resources, and educational opportunities for specialized subject areas. In addition, our Sarbanes Center for Public and Community Services helps students gain real world experience through internships, volunteer service, research, consulting and travel. Our Regional Higher Education Center/ University Consortium provides opportunities for earning bachlor’s and graduate degrees and certificates.
Schools of Study
Anne Arundel Community College has five Schools of Study with programs that lead to a variety of associates degrees, certificates and letters of recognition.
Institutes and Centers
AACC Regional Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Center
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is a national, regional and local initiative emphasizing the need to increase our competitiveness in these areas. 410-777-1948.
The Anne Arundel Community College Regional STEM Center is working with its partners to:
- Increase the number of STEM students and graduates in the pipeline through enhanced K-12 and baccalaureate articulation agreements;
- Increase the number of highly qualified secondary teachers in STEM;
- Prepare all segments of the STEM workforce (future workers, new workers, current workers, transitional workers and entrepreneurial workers).
STEM Engaged Learning
Established as a joint collaboration of the AACC Regional Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Center and the Sarbanes Center for Public and Community Service, STEM Engaged Learning supports all community-based engaged learning activities such as internships, service-learning and research. STEM Engaged Learning seeks to increase the number of internship and other engaged learning opportunities for students, strengthen and develop relationships with community partners and enhance student readiness for the STEM workforces. Students can connect activities in community-based settings to issues and concepts in courses, gain valuable experience and meet community needs. Website: www.aacc.edu/stemengagedlearning.
CyberCenter
The college established the CyberCenter as a resource to address information assurance and cybersecurity workforce development needs of local and regional businesses, industry, government agencies, nonprofits and other organizations. Training solutions can be customized to meet the needs of a specific employer’s workforce and are not limited to technology, but solutions address cybersecurity issues across the curriculum. Participants can earn credit degrees and certificates, as well as prepare to sit for industry-recognized certifications through credit and noncredit courses and training. In May 2013, AACC became the first college in the country designated as a National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence by the Defense Cyber Crime Center. Courses can be offered in a traditional classroom setting, online or in a hybrid format. In fall 2012, AACC expanded capacity by opening its Center for Cyber and Professional Training (CCPT) located at 7556 Teague Road, Suite 300, Hanover, MD. Website: www.aacc.edu/cybercenter. Phone: 410-777-1333.
Entrepreneurial Studies Institute
Existing or aspiring entrepreneurs receive training in the steps, background and skills it takes to start and operate their own business with credit and/or noncredit courses offered by the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute. Instruction includes writing a business plan, funding the business, financial and managerial accounting, sales and marketing, strategic planning, business law, ethics, business management, leadership, business communications and networking. Financial support to qualified students in the program is available from the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation Entrepreneurial Studies Scholarship. Website: www.aacc.edu/esi.
Environmental Center
Established in 1980, the center conducts research and educational activities concerning the quality of natural waterways in the county and how that quality is affected by human activities. Through applied research, the center identifies problems and devises solutions in such areas as fisheries, wetlands, water quality monitoring, shoreline stabilization, aquatic plant control and effluent treatment for both government and industry.
Diverse projects provide student employment and experiential learning opportunities, unique teaching resources and professional development activities for students, faculty and staff. The center also serves the community through advice and lectures on environmental topics. Website: www.aacc.edu/envcenter.
Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Institute
The Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Institute prepares learners for challenging careers in the criminal justice field and in a wide range of occupations in the field of homeland security management. Institute courses and curricula address constantly changing laws, policies and methodologies to allow students to build upon existing skills or to launch into new career paths. Among the offerings are a Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission-certified Police Academy, a Homeland Security Management degree, a Transportation and Border Security degree track, an Intelligence Analytics degree track and certificate and numerous other certificates, as well as partnerships with local and federal agencies and with private sector employers. Internship opportunities are available through programs. The institute also sponsors special public forums, and conferences and special events. Website: www.aacc.edu/homeland.
Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute
The Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute offers credit and noncredit programs to meet the needs of a dynamic and expanding hospitality industry, Maryland’s largest private employer. Among several degree and certificate options is the Culinary Arts degree option, accredited by the American Culinary Federation Foundation’s Accrediting Commission, and the Hospitality Business Management degree option, accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. The HCAT Institute has commercial training kitchens at its Glen Burnie facility and on the Arnold campus, but also operates classes in other locations. Programs include a competitive culinary team and internship opportunities, both here and abroad. Website: www.aacc.edu/hcat.
Legal Studies Institute
The Legal Studies Institute offers credit and noncredit programs and training for students interested in the law, legal professionals and the community. Programs include the American Bar Association-approved paralegal degree and certificate programs, including a paralegal certificate program for Maryland Judiciary employees statewide; a pre-law transfer degree program in law and jurisprudence; and an internship program providing experience in local, state and federal legal agencies, courts, and private sector employers and law firms in the Annapolis/Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region. The Institute also sponsors special public forums and conferences on timely legal issues and topics, such as the annual Paralegal Forum, annual Forum on the Judiciary and the Community Law Forum in partnership with the Anne Arundel Bar Association. For information on programs and internships, call the Legal Studies Institute at 410-777-7323 or visit our website: www.aacc.edu/legalstudies.
Sarbanes Center for Public and Community Service
The Sarbanes Center provides leadership and support for community-based learning and scholarly outreach. Collaborating with the community, the center designs and develops mutually beneficial opportunities to enhance student learning beyond the classroom; conducts professional consulting, training, and research; encourages civic participation; and contributes to the greater good. Students applying their classroom learning can intern through on-the-job work experiences related to a student’s major that include an employer mentor and a faculty advisor (The Internship Office); research through semi-annual survey experiences including survey design, public outreach, and results analysis (The Center for the Study of Local Issues ); travel in short-term faculty-led travel experiences to domestic and international locations (The Office of Travel Study and Global Engagement); and volunteer through service-learning in short-term community service experiences that enhance classroom learning combined with faculty-guided reflection (The Center for Learning through Service). Website: www.aacc.edu/getexperience.
Teacher Education and Child Care Institute (TEACH)
The Teacher Education and Child Care Institute (TEACH) addresses the community’s need for additional qualified teachers and child care providers. All college credit and noncredit courses that prepare students for careers in teaching and child care or provide professional development to those already in these fields are brought together in the TEACH Institute. The institute is able to provide programming for parents, who are children’s earliest teachers, as the Parenting Center is another component of TEACH. Experiential learning, continuing professional education and customized contract training are available to meet the needs of students and the community. Website: www.aacc.edu/teach.
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