What is an Associate Degree?

An associate degree is a two-year degree, meaning that for most people, it takes two years of full-time study to earn this degree. When you have your associate degree, you will have completed your freshman and sophomore years of college.

To earn an associate degree, you will need to complete 60 semester credits of study (or 90 quarter credits). This equals about twenty college courses. Most associate degrees are awarded by private career colleges or by public community colleges.

However, an increasing number of four-year colleges are giving students the option of earning an associate degree en route, after they complete the first two years of their four-year bachelor’s degree. These programs are often called 2+2 programs.

Associate degrees have been popular for the last twenty years. Increasingly, people are turning to associate degrees as a quicker, less expensive route to career change than the traditional bachelor’s or four-year degree.

The associate degree takes half as long, and therefore generally costs half as much, as a traditional four-year bachelor’s degree.

TIP: Many well-paying technical and trade careers, such as electronics, surveying, nursing, logistics, computer programming, medical records, technical writing and healthcare technology accept associate degrees for career entry and advancement. You may never need a bachelor’s degree for many of today’s hottest careers.


When to Seek an Associate Degree

When You ….

• Already have some college, but less than 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits, and would like to add to your old credits quickly to earn a formal degree.
• Already have about 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits of previous college and would like to find a college to quickly consolidate these credits into an associate degree
• Know that your chosen career requires an associate degree
• Have no college experience but are certain you want to earn a full-fledged degree as quickly and cost effectively as possible

TIP: You’ll find no shortage of online colleges willing to offer you an associate degree. In fact, in 2009 about half of all degrees available online are associate degrees. Because there is so much demand for associate degrees, for-profit colleges have begun to compete with public community colleges for students. For-profit colleges advertise online much more heavily than their non-profit, public college peers. Compare costs carefully: GetEducated.com’s surveys reveal that for-profit associate degrees can cost, on average, two to three times more than their public school counterparts.


Show Me an Online Associate Degree

Every college will have its own degree plan that includes both required courses—courses that you must take—and elective courses, which are courses that you can elect or choose to take to earn an associate degree.

If you decide to major in a specific area, such as management or psychology, then your associate degree will include a requirement that you take a certain cluster of courses in your major area.

Your associate degree will also include required courses in general critical thinking or what is called the liberal arts. The liberal arts include courses in things such as English, humanities and arts, the social sciences, and science and math.

Below is the sample curriculum (plan of required study) for an associate degree in accounting, with an emphasis on computer information systems, from Baker College Online.

Different colleges will require slightly different programs of study. Compare degree requirements at different schools carefully when selecting the best online associate degree for your situation.


Baker College Online








Associate Degree in Accounting/Computer Information Systems
Total credits required: 105 (using a quarter-hour credit system)


Curriculum

MAJOR CORE - 41 HOURS
Introduction to Taxation (4 credits)
Managerial Accounting I (4 credits)
Managerial Accounting II (4 credits)
Computerized Accounting (4 credits)
Accounting Seminar I (4 credits)
Intermediate Database Management (4 credits)
Visual BASIC (4 credits)
Intermediate Spreadsheets (4 credits)
Introduction to Programming (4 credits)
Work Experience Project (4 credits)
Professional Career Strategies (1 credit)

BUSINESS CORE - 32 HOURS
Principles of Accounting I (4 credits)
Principles of Accounting II (4 credits)
Principles of Macroeconomics (4 credits)
Principles of Microeconomics (4 credits)
Personal Finance (4 credits)
Business Law (4 credits)
Introduction to Business (4 credits)
Principles of Marketing (4 credits)

GENERAL EDUCATION CORE - 32 HOURS
Composition I (4 credits)
Composition II (4 credits)
Word Processing (2 credits)
Electronic Spreadsheets (2 credits)
Introduction to Database Applications (2 credits)
Introduction to Windows (2 credits)
Introductory Algebra (4 credits)
Oral Communication (4 credits)
Workplace Communication (4 credits)

SELECT ONE COURSE FROM THE FOLLOWING:
Human Relations (4 credits)
General Psychology (4 credits)


Get Educated now about Online Associate Degrees

For a list of online schools offering associate degrees, visit the GetEducated.com database:

Find online Associate Degrees now. >>

Resources

What is an Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma?
What is a Master's Degree?
What is a Doctorate Degree?

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