Graduations are held once a year in-person in August.
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Career Online High School FAQs
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General Questions
A high school diploma means you took and passed all the required classes in a high school setting.
The GED credential is a high school equivalency diploma. It shows you passed four high school equivalency tests, demonstrating you have the same knowledge as a traditional high school graduate.
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No. Career Online High School is not a GED program. Successful graduates will earn a high school diploma and a career certification through this accredited online high school.
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Career Online High School (COHS) provides you with all the coursework you need to qualify for a child care certification. You will need to find a local agency in San José to fulfill the hands-on training hours required.
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Yes. Students who complete the prerequisite course and pass the interview will be placed on a waiting list for a scholarship. We wait until there is a large enough group to form a cohort. They will complete homework assignments and attend a virtual orientation. More scholarships may be available if space is available.
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Career Online High School is a FREE program offered by the San Jose Public Library.
The library awards scholarships valued at $1,500 for enrollment. Students do not receive this money. The scholarship covers the cost of enrolling in the program. They are given to adults who want to earn an accredited high school diploma and a career certificate.
If you request a transcript from one or more of your prior schools in the U.S., there will probably be a fee of around $15 that you are responsible to pay.
If you want to transfer classes from other countries, you will have to pay the cost of having your foreign transcript evaluated.
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Each student will be different.
It depends on:
- Whether you have high school credits
- How many credits transfer
- How much time you spend on the Career Online High School Program each week
Some students can earn their high school diploma in as little as 5 months.
You only have 18 months maximum to complete the program. The average is 12 months to complete the program.
This program is self-paced. The more time you spend each week on your coursework, the sooner you will finish. Students need to spend at least 40 hours per month and complete two or more semesters each month.
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Career Online High School applicants will be required to successfully pass an online readiness survey and prerequisite course to participate in the program. They will also need to pass a personal interview. Additionally, prospective students will need to complete a mandatory orientation to move to the next step. Prospective students will need to pass probation in order to keep the scholarship. Enrollment is limited and the demand is high. Successful students are self-motivated, can work independently, can troubleshoot technology problems, and prioritize studying while logging in daily.
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Adults (19 and over) who:
- Live in San José
- Completed at least the 8th grade
- Have a current San Jose Public library card in good standing
- Are comfortable reading, writing, and speaking in English
- Comfortable using technology or at least be familiar with how to use it.
- Want to earn a high school diploma can apply to Career Online High School.
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Career Online High School (COHS) is a FREE online high school diploma and career certification program available through the San José Public Library.
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No. Career Online High School (COHS) consists of a high school diploma and a Career Certificate.
Related Pages: COHS Student FAQs, Career Online High School
Career Online High School (COHS) starts new cohorts of prospective students several times a year. Students in each cohort have completed the steps to qualify for a free scholarship.
Related Pages: COHS Student FAQs, Career Online High School
Only academic semesters will transfer. A maximum of 14 credits (English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Health, and Personal Fitness) can be transferred.
COHS representative will analyze your transcripts and apply credits for any coursework you completed that fulfills the credit transfer requirements.
There may be a fee that you must pay to send your transcript directly from your high school in the U. S. to COHS to be evaluated. A processing fee of around $10 is required to send the transcript from your previous school to COHS.
The COHS evaluation is free if you went to school in the U. S. If you went to school outside the U. S., you will need to pay to have your foreign school transcript evaluated and then sent to COHS.
If you successfully passed some of the GED subject tests, you can request that your records are sent to COHS to be evaluated after you pass the COHS probation period.
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Students will be given up to 18 months to complete the program, which consists of 36 semesters (18 credits).
Students accepted into the program can transfer up to 14 credits of Math, Social Studies, Science, English, Health, and Personal Fitness from their former school(s) if they went to school in the U. S.
Students who went to school in other countries will have to either take all the coursework or have their school transcript evaluated at their own cost.
Depending on how many credits the student transfers, the program can be completed in as few as 5 months, but the average is 12 months.
You will need to complete at least 2 semesters per month to fulfill minimum program requirements and graduate on time, but it is recommended that students complete 3 or more semesters each month.
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Courses are available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with internet access.
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To give you the tools you need to find a job, Career Online High School will teach you to create essential documents, such as your resume and a cover letter.
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Students may earn a career certificate in one of the following ten areas:
- Child Care
- Commercial Driving
- Food and Hospitality
- General Career Preparation
- Home Care Professional
- Hospitality and Leisure
- Manufacturing
- Office Management
- Retail Customer Service
- Security Professional
Students and community members can learn more about the Career Certificates.
If computer access is a problem, we will help you identify a library where you will be able to complete your work. Please contact the San José Public Library to discuss your options. Students are required to complete at least 10 hours of coursework per week. You may be able to check out a laptop from the San Jose Public Library. Please visit our technology access page to check on availability.
Students must check to confirm that a computer meets the system requirements here, opens a new window: Read all of the technology requirements and click on Technology System Check, opens a new window link.
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No. The English coursework may require novels, which you check out at the San José Public Library.
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Yes. Career Online High School is accredited (or licensed) by Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC. Cognia is the national commission that confers the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) accreditation seal.
Yes. The San José Public Library (SJPL) is committed to helping people meet their education and job preparation needs. We offer job search programs and computer assistance at library branches.
SJPL Works is based on the third floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Staff can help with everything from searching for a job to starting a small business.
You can also use online learning programs through the San José Public Library's website to study more and brush up on your basic skills.
For adults who need to practice speaking and listening in English, we recommend the Library's Conversation Clubs.
Related Pages: SJPL Works
Students who have been successful in the program study every day. They make getting their high school diploma a priority, even when they are busy. They commit to having time management and organizational skills, so they can complete their coursework. They communicate regularly with San José Public Library staff and with their COHS academic coach. They ask for help when needed. They are self-motivated and comfortable working independently. Most of all, they are determined and able to finish something they start.
COHS students at the San José Public Library have been extremely successful. They have a 70% graduation rate. More than 155 students have graduated since the program began in February 2016.
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The prerequisite is a required semester of coursework you need to take and pass before you can start Career Online High School (COHS). If you pass with a 70% or higher, you can go on to the next step in the qualification process. If you do not pass the prerequisite, you are not eligible to continue qualifying for the program.
The prerequisite course introduces a chosen career field and helps determine if it is the right fit. It involves 20 hours of study. It includes 14 lessons with quizzes and a semester test. Passing the course is a requirement to move on to the personal interview in the qualification process. If the program is not suitable, library staff can suggest other ways to earn a high school diploma.