The Cornell Prison Education Program is the coordinating unit for several college credentials that are conferred within prison walls.
Certificate in Liberal Arts (Cornell University) – Initiated in 2016, adopted by the Faculty Senate of the College of Arts & Sciences in 2017, the Certificate in Liberal Arts was launched in order to introduce the study of the Liberal Arts in prison in the same fashion that it would be introduced on campus. Students who apply to the program go through a rigorous, faculty-led selection process. Admitted students must complete Certificate requirements within two years. Students complete six Cornell faculty-taught courses across the breadth of the liberal arts, including an independent study project, culminating in the conferral of the Certificate in Liberal Arts.
As of 2021, a total of 23 individuals have completed the Certificate in Liberal Arts.
Associate in Arts degree (SUNY Cayuga Community College) – Initiated in 2010, the SUNY Associate in Arts degree is coordinated by the Cornell Prison Education Program. This was the culmination of a decade of Cornell-led efforts to bring college courses inside the walls of Auburn Correctional Facility, after college-in-prison programs were decimated in the 1990s. Today the program is offered in three correctional facilities, and liberal arts courses are provided by instructors from Cornell University as well as partnering colleges throughout the region. Successful students in this program earn an Associate in Arts (AA) – Liberal Arts and Sciences degree with a concentration in Humanities and Social Sciences.
The AA has been conferred to more than 125 successful students since 2012.
Associate in Arts degree (SUNY Corning Community College) – Initiated in 2019, this SUNY Associate in Arts degree is also coordinated by the Cornell Prison Education Program. This degree program is offered at the Elmira Correctional Facility, and courses are provided by instructors from Cornell University as well as Ithaca College. Successful students in this program earn an Associate in Arts (AA) – Liberal Arts and Sciences degree with a concentration in Humanities and Social Sciences. We anticipate that the first cohort of graduates will complete this degree during 2022-23.