Hostos Community College offers Associate in Arts (A.A.), and Associate in Science (A.S.) degree programs that prepare students for transfers to four-year colleges upon graduation from Hostos. Also offered are Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree programs that prepare students for specific careers and one certificate program: Word Processing. In the health sciences, requirements for certification and licensure impose additional restrictions on the time required to complete the programs.

Candidates for the A.A. degree study the arts and sciences. These include the Behavioral and Social Sciences, English, Mathematics, Africana Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Modern Languages, Philosophy, and Visual and Performing Arts.

Candidates for the A.S. degree follow programs that closely parallel the A.A. degree program, but provide greater concentration in the areas of Mathematics or Science. Candidates for the A.S. degree may also study Business Administration. In addition, there is no modern language requirement for the A.S. degree.

Candidates for the A.A.S. degree follow programs in which there is concentration in the applied field. The professional fields in which programs are offered include Business and Accounting, Dental Hygiene, Early Childhood Education, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nursing, Public Administration, Radiologic Technology, Secretarial Science, Gerontology, Microcomputers, and Public Interest Paralegal Studies.

In keeping with the regulations of the Commissioner of Education of the State of New York, a minimum of 34 credits of the total required in any of the degree programs must be completed at Hostos Community College.