History of HCC
The origins of Honolulu Community College date to 1920 when it was established as the Territorial Trade School in Palama. Subsequently it became part of McKinley High School and was later reestablished as Honolulu Vocational School.
In 1955, it was renamed the Honolulu Technical School, and in 1965, it became part of the University of Hawaii as a result of the Community College Act of 1964, legislation which provided for a system of comprehensive community colleges.
In 1966, the Board of Regents approved the name Honolulu Community College and authorized it to grant Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees. The College is one of eight units in the UH Community College system.
Between 1966 and 1976 Honolulu Community College experienced very rapid growth and evolved into a fully comprehensive community college. The College offers liberal arts instruction leading to the two-year Associate in Arts degree with transfer of credits to junior class standing at four-year institutions of the State.
Honolulu Community College currently offers the Associate in Science, the Associate in Applied Science, and the Associate in Technical Studies degrees as well as shorter certificate programs in more than twenty technical-occupational areas, integrated with a strong general education “core’’ to provide an educated citizenry for the workforce of the State of Hawaii.
The Main Campus of Honolulu Community College, a short distance from the heart of downtown Honolulu, occupies over twenty acres on Dillingham Boulevard in the Kalihi-Palama area. The College also has facilities near Honolulu International Airport for the Aeronautics Maintenance and Commercial Aviation programs, automotive and heavy equipment shops on Kokea Street, and the Marine Education and Training Center at Sand Island.