What is an associate's degree?
Associate’s Degree n : a two-year undergraduate degree. Students either apply this degree and the credits earned towards a bachelor’s degree or jump straight into the workforce.
Associate’s degrees are the first level in the degree hierarchy. However, they are not required and many students skip associate’s degrees and head straight for earning a bachelor’s degree.
Why an associate’s degree?
Students pursuing the affordable associate’s degree tend to be simultaneously working on a career so time and cost are essential factors in choosing what type of degree to pursue. While earning an associate’s degree, they can enjoy greater class schedule flexibility, the ability to better juggle multiple obligations such as education and work, and the option to advance their careers two years earlier.
Popularity of associate’s degrees
In a decade, the number of associate’s degrees and vocational certificates increased by 25 percent, according to a report by the National Center for Educational Statistics. In the 2006-2007 school year, students earned 728,114 associate’s degrees, the the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in April 2010.
Commonly pursued are:
- associate’s degrees in nursing
- associate’s degrees in business
- associate’s degrees in liberal arts
- associate’s degrees in science
Filed under: Education Dictionary
Tags: definition, degrees
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