Founded on September 21, 1964, the school has campuses in Douglas and Sierra Vista, and centers in Benson, Fort Huachuca, and Willcox.

The college was voted on by the citizens of Cochise County in 1961 and a 1962 bond election resulted in the construction of the Douglas Campus.

[4][5] The college also holds Federal Aviation Administration certification for its professional pilot and aviation maintenance programs and Arizona Department of Health Services/Emergency Medical Services certification for its paramedicine and emergency medical technology programs.

The libraries maintain a collection of over 60,000 books and media items, including DVDs and audiobooks, to support Cochise College curriculum and lifelong learning.

The Cochise College Online Library provides access to more than 8,700 magazines and scholarly journals, eBook collections containing over 100,000 titles, and 20,000 plus streaming videos.

Like the standard IFTs, the tower was manufactured by Elbit Systems of America, the U.S. subsidiary of the Israeli military technology company.