Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) is rolling out a slate of new certificate and associate degree programs spanning the skilled trades, health care, business and social services. The expansion is designed to give students faster routes into the workforce as well as clearer paths to transfer into four-year degree programs. Applications for the new offerings, which take effect for Spring 2027 and Fall 2027, are open now.
Short-term certificates target in-demand fields
Several of the new credentials are certificate programs, typically about 30 academic credits and completable in as little as two semesters. These include Business Administration, Child Advocacy, Group Home Management and Practical Nursing, each aimed at preparing students for specific entry-level roles or further academic study. The Business Administration certificate, for example, is built to connect with RCSJ's 3+1 program, a pathway that can lower the overall cost of earning a bachelor's degree.
New trades certificates at the Gloucester Campus
RCSJ is also launching five specialist trades certificates at its Gloucester Campus: Carpentry, Electrical, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Plumbing, and Welding and Fabrication. Each program combines hands-on training with technical instruction intended to prepare graduates for residential, commercial or manufacturing-sector jobs. College officials describe these fields as among the fastest-growing in the regional skilled-trades labor market, though no specific job-placement figures were provided.
Associate degrees expand transfer and career options
On the associate degree side, which generally requires a minimum of 60 credits over roughly two years, RCSJ is introducing programs in Alcohol and Drug Counseling, Finance, Healthcare Social Services, Photonics at the Cumberland Campus, Social Service with an Aging Option also at Cumberland, and Social Studies Education/Political Science at the Gloucester Campus. These degrees are structured either to prepare graduates for direct employment or to transfer into related bachelor's degree programs, including teacher education and political science tracks.
What prospective students should know
Because certificate and associate programs differ in credit load, cost and career outcomes, prospective students are encouraged to review program-specific requirements before enrolling. The college points interested applicants to its website, www.rcsj.edu, for full details on admissions, course sequencing and transfer agreements. As with any academic decision, students should weigh program length, licensure requirements in fields such as nursing and addiction counseling, and alignment with local labor-market demand.