Columbia College was established in Manassas, Virginia on October 17, 1999 to meet the region’s need to support the growing industry and business. The College offered certificate programs, certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) in Computer Basic, Culinary Arts, Dental Laboratory Technology, English as a Second Language (ESL), Massage Therapy, and Nurse Aide.
The College moved to its current location in Fairfax, Virginia September 2004 and was certified to operate associate degree programs in Business Administration, Computer Science, Cosmetology, Dental Laboratory Technology, Teaching English for Early Childhood, and Technical and Business English in 2005 by the SCHEV.
Columbia College was nationally accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE) for the certificate programs in February 2007 and the associate degree programs in September 2008, with the addition of Cosmetology and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
Additional campuses were opened, one in Silver Spring, Maryland in February 2006 and the other in Centreville, Virginia April 2008 to accommodate individuals who resided in those areas. ESL and Massage Therapy certificate programs at these campuses were certified to operate by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and SCHEV, respectively and later accredited by COE as well.
In May 2009, the College was approved to participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (Title IV), which aim to help students’ finance for their education. In September 2009, Columbia College opened a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test center sponsored by Educational Testing Service (ETS), and in 2010, an information technology specialist test center sponsored by Prometric.
Columbia College was nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) to award associate’s degree and certificates in 2014.
2014年,哥倫比亞學院通過美國國家獨立院校認證委員會(ACICS) 授權頒發副學士學位和證書。
Over the years, Columbia College has developed and expanded its program offering to a diverse population of students and curriculum revisions along with, the addition of new facilities and equipment to better serve our students.