Associates Degree

An associates degree is a two-year degree for college work as awarded by community colleges and online programs. This degree is typically granted in a career-specific field, such as engineering technology, culinary arts, or nursing.

Most colleges, especially public universities, fully accept transfer credits from two-year programs into their four-year programs. For this approach a student goes two years to a community college, and then transfers into the junior year of a four-year college in order to obtain a full college degree. This can save a student many thousands of dollars by avoiding two-years' worth of tuition at the four-year institution.

Some private colleges, such as Patrick Henry College, grant the equivalent of only about one-year's worth of credit for an associate degree. Other private colleges, such as Thomas Aquinas College, do not grant any credit for an associate degree.

Associates degree programs typically award full credit for achievement on CLEP exams, which reduces the cost further for students.

It typically requires 60-hours worth of credit to obtain an associate degree, which is the equivalent of five three-hour courses for 4 semesters. If the student takes classes in the intervening summer, then that can reduce the workload during the school year. Many students work while obtaining an associate degree, which can lengthen the process.