An Associate’s degree is a 60-credit college-level diploma that gives the student access to either a technical career or to a Bachelor’s degree program by enabling the student to complete general education requirements. Subsequently, it also provides the student with special training in a specific area of choice.
Employment in job categories typically requiring an Associate’s degree is expected to rise by approximately 15% between 2008 and 2018 (BLS). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), more than 1 million job openings are expected for registered nurses “seeking employment in the occupation for the first time” during that same period.
The Internet now allows respected colleges, universities, and other certified organizations, to offer an increasingly broad and popular range of Associate’s programs online. Studying online allows the student the flexibility to adapt an academic schedule to personal time constraints such as a full-time job and raising a family. The student who chooses an online Associate’s degree may attend any college or university regardless of how far it is located, and has access to programs that might otherwise not be offered by local educational institutions.
Despite these undeniable advantages, an online Associate’s degree is not for everyone. In order to increase the chances of success, the student must be highly motivated and organized. Much of the course load consists of reading and written assignments. Therefore, the student must feel comfortable working with little supervision and with specific deadlines. The nature of the course load also requires a high level of written fluency in English.
Associate’s degrees are divided into two main categories: transfer degrees and professional/occupational degrees. Transfer degrees are designed to provide some necessary pre-requisite courses to ease the student’s access to a Bachelor’s degree program.
These are the most common transfer degrees:
- Associate of Arts degree (AA): This degree is often undertaken by students who want to transfer to a four-year Bachelor’s degree. Two of the most common majors are Social Sciences and Humanities. The AA can also be awarded as a terminal degree.
- Associate of Science degree (AS): The AS is undertaken by terminal and transfer students alike. The three most common specializations are Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Technology.
- Associate of Fine Arts degree (AFA): This degree is given to students in Music, Theater, Art, and Creative Writing. However, the AFA does not satisfy general education requirements.
- Associate of Arts in Teaching degree (AAT): The AAT awards full credits to students who wish to transfer to a Bachelor’s degree program. If the degree is completed with a specialization in Paraprofessional Education, the student may work as a teacher’s aide while completing a Bachelor’s degree.
Professional/Occupational degrees are designed to provide the students with the skills to access entry-level positions in the labor market. These positions often do not require a Bachelor’s level education. The main difference between the transfer and the professional degrees is that credits earned in the course of the latter are not always transferable to a Bachelor’s degree program. Instead, they focus on training competent employees who are ready to “hit the ground running” on the labor market.
These are the most common professional degrees:
- Associate in Applied Science (AAS): This degree foregoes part of the general education requirements to focus on concentration courses in the student’s chosen area of specialization.
- Associate in Industrial Technology (AIT): The AIT is undertaken by students who wish to specialize in Computers, Electronics, Radio and Television Broadcast, or Engineering. This degree also provides enough preparation to access a four-year Bachelor’s degree program.
- Associate in Business Administration (ABA): The ABA is mostly taken by students who wish to enter the labor market upon graduation, although it also provides enough preparation to access a four-year Bachelor’s degree program.
- Associate in Occupational Studies (AOS): Unlike the above degrees, the AOS does not include required course work in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The following are some of the best colleges for online Associate’s degrees: