Last Updated on December 28, 2022
How Many Credits For An Associate’s Degree
An associate’s degree is a post-secondary (undergraduate) degree earned in as little as two (2) years. This can help students achieve academic and professional goals in fewer years than it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree.
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What is an associate’s degree?
You can earn an associate degree from community colleges, technical schools, vocational colleges, and some four-year colleges.
For the last 20 years, students opt for an associate’s degree as it can be completed quicker and can often be the less expensive route when compared to other traditional colleges.
An associate degree is often used as a building block toward a bachelor’s. Transfer credits from a two-year associate program can count toward general education, core, and elective classes for the four-year degree. Community colleges, which frequently charge lower tuition than four-year schools, may deliver these associate degrees online.
Associate programs can also qualify students for entry-level careers in fields like healthcare, education, and public service. Preschool teachers, for instance, only need an associate degree. In other fields, an associate degree can mean increased pay and career opportunities, even if the job does not require a degree. Plumbers, for instance, do not need a degree, but companies may prefer applicants with an associate. In 2018, associate graduates earned a median pay rate of $132 more per week than individuals with only a high school diploma.
How Many Credits are in an Associate’s Degree?
Generally, an associate’s level program is 60 semester credits of study (or 90 quarter credits). This equals about twenty college courses. Most are awarded by private career colleges or by public community colleges.
The number of years it takes to complete an associate’s program depends on the person pursuing the degree, but generally takes two years to complete.
Many associate degree programs in both online and traditional settings allow for flexible plans of study. Some people choose accelerated courses of study, while others with more responsibilities and schedule constraints may take one or two classes a semester.
The curriculum of an associate’s degree generally focuses on the foundational academic and technical knowledge needed to acquire entry-level work in a particular field. Transferable skills are emphasized for the purposes of vocational advancement.
Associate programs are often considered to be an academic stepping stone toward a bachelor’s degree. Others consider an associate’s degree to be a foundational qualification for improving employment prospects.
An increasing number of four-year colleges are giving students the option of earning an associate en route to a bachelor degree. This is particularly helpful to those students who are working or maintaining careers while pursuing their education.
Programs that offer a bachelor’s degree as an extension to the associate’s are often called 2+2 programs. After a student completes the first two years of their four-year bachelor’s degree, they have earned their associate’s degree. Always research how many credits for an associate degree compared with a bachelor’s degree. This can affect the transferability of an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s level program. Different schools have different degree requirements, so it’s important to make sure the program of study fits your education and career goals.
How Long Does it Take to Get an Associate Degree?
While an associate degree is often referred to as a 2-year college degree, that doesn’t mean it has to take you that long to graduate. By choosing a university that offers liberal transfer policies, flexible online options and shorter, more frequent semesters, you can greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to earn an associate degree. Alternatively, if you need to take fewer classes during the year because of competing work or personal obligations, schools that provide that option can help you earn an associate degree on a timeline that aligns best with your life.
Whether an online associate degree takes you more or less than 2 years to complete, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that earning this degree leads to higher earnings and lower unemployment. In 2019, individuals with associate degrees earned a median weekly salary of $887, compared to high school graduates who earned $746. Only 2.7% of associate degree holders were unemployed in 2019 compared to high school graduates, who had a 3.7% unemployment rate.
Steps to Turn Your Associate Degree into a Bachelor’s
1. Know what kind of associate degree you have.
Not all associate degrees are created equal. Transfer degrees, for example, are designed to transfer easily to institutions that offer bachelor’s degrees, while others are not. If you know what academic program you want to study for your bachelor’s degree, Grenier recommends tailoring your course of study to its necessary requirements.
“Get as many courses as possible out of the way [in your associate program] in order to progress quickly [in your bachelor’s program],” Grenier says. “Northeastern, for example, accepts almost all credits from any accredited community college.”
Planning for your bachelor’s degree isn’t always possible, however, particularly if you’ve already completed your associate degree. More important than the credits that transfer, Grenier says, are applied credits—and it’s necessary to understand the difference between those and regular credits.
Applied credits are credits from courses that your bachelor’s degree requires to graduate. If you received an associate degree in English but want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in information technology, for example, your credits will likely transfer, but they may not be applicable to new program’s required courses. In that case, you will still need to take additional credits in the new subject area.
2. Research your current university’s articulation agreements.
Many four-year colleges also offer two-year associate degrees. If you’d like to continue on at your current university, speak to an admissions counselor to determine whether your college offers a pathway forward to help you turn your associate degree into a bachelor’s degree. This will eliminate any uncertainty surrounding whether or not credits will transfer. If they don’t, or you’d prefer to earn your bachelor’s from a different university, Grenier suggests looking into your institution’s articulation agreements.
“Most community colleges have articulation agreements that set easy pathways for credits from one institution to the next,” he says. “Those articulation agreements are maintained by the college advising office, and community college students can check in on their own campus to see whether they have relationships with four-year colleges.”
Northeastern University, for example, partners with over 20 community colleges across the nation to help you make the most of your associate degree.
3. Work with your prospective university to determine which of your credits will transfer.
Universities have the final say over whether or not they will accept your institution’s transfer credits, which usually boils down to the institution’s accreditation and its rigor of studies, Grenier says.
To expedite your path to earning a bachelor’s degree, it’s important to find a university or college that will accept as many of your associate degree credits as possible. Bachelor’s programs may need the description of the course and course materials—such as the syllabus and list of textbooks—to make this determination. Some colleges also limit how long ago the course in question was completed. Check with the college’s or university’s admissions office for more insight on transferring credits.
What is an AA Degree in Early Childhood Education?
An Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education degree can prepare you to work in the field of childcare and help maintain a professional edge over the competition. ECE associate-level degrees develop you with the basics of child learning and development and the instructional strategies needed to help young children grow. This AA degree is 67 credits and can help prepare you to transfer to a bachelor-level program to further your ECE education.
Early Childhood Education is an Associate of Applied Science Degree program that will prepare individuals to pursue a career in early childhood education. Students will analyze theoretical principles of early childhood education and apply these principles in a variety of settings such as child care centers, family day care, infant/toddler care, preschool, four-year old kindergarten or kindergarten and/or nanny care. In order to provide a variety of student teaching experiences, the following format is typically offered: Students complete four practicum placements, each 108 hours. Students and faculty will work closely to develop a plan to ensure students have experience with infants/toddlers, preschool age children, children with differing abilities, and pre-K through 3rd grade students. Potential occupations include: Preschool, Early Childhood Education, Day Care Center Teacher, Child Care Director, Child Care Program Supervisor and Elementary Public School Teacher Aide.
Earning an associate degree is your first step in building a foundation for success in the world of childcare. You will focus on important topics in early childhood, such as: development, learning assessment, special learners, and instructional strategy. Upon completion of your associate degree online, you will be able to:
- Apply knowledge of child development, theoretical perspectives, and developmentally appropriate approaches to support the diverse learning needs of every child.
- Determine how assessment data is used to inform curriculum and instructional practices.
- Analyze the components of effective classroom management and high-quality learning environments that are healthy, safe, respectful, supportive, and culturally responsive.
- Describe strategies to promote effective family and community partnerships.
- Identify the professional standards and ethical behaviors necessary to maintain a commitment to professionalism and growth as an early childhood educator.
