Online Associate Degree Programs and Certificate Courses

Nowadays a lot of youth is taking up Associate's degree programs to enter the job market at a early age to start earning, or professionals who are opting for it to revamp their careers; though they have attained their bachelor's degree a few years back. These individuals have a lot of queries including:

• What is an associate degree program?
• What are the general associate degree credit hour requirements?
• How many classes are required for an associate's degree?
• What are the benefits of an Associate of applied science degree program?
• What is the difference between associate of arts (A.A.) and associate of science (A.S.)?
• Why there is a difference in online associates degrees in education & teaching and accredited early childhood education associate degrees?
• What is an associate of occupational studies?
• Is it beneficial to go for an Associate's degree in business administration or associates in forestry technology?
• Can I make a stable career in healthcare field with the help of an associate degree in healthcare management?
• I have an inclination towards numbers, is associate degree in engineering technology the right choice for me..?

For answers to all your queries - you need the best online schools for associates and certificate courses which can assist you with your educational requirements. We at SchoolandUniversity.com have made a positive effort to resolve some of them.

Associate degree program

Associate degree is a type of undergraduate degree. It is a two year degree program, covering fundamental and foundation syllabus. It requires and individual to attend and complete the 2 year college degree program. On an average twenty classes are required to be accomplished in order to get rewarded with an associate's degree, from where the students have the chance to initiate either a career or carry on with further studies and attain a bachelor's degree.

A lot of accredited online associate's degree programs with a broad variety of two year associate's degrees are available, whereas many four-year colleges provide associate's degrees in addition to bachelor's degrees. There are a lot of top online colleges and universities with associate degrees followed with lots of optimistic motivators which compel one to seek an associate's degree. The most palpable is the skill to enhance your probability of discovering a good-paying job through this entry level job qualification.

Is an individual eligible to get an associate's degree if one has a bachelor's degree?

The answer is "YES". One can surely attain an associate's degree or a college diploma while you already hold a bachelors degree; though you may not be eligible for any federal financial aid.

Illustration:

Mark Anthony lost his job recently. He has already attained a bachelors degree in liberal arts a few years ago and now wants to pursue career as a heating and air professional through a degree in HVAC technology from a confined technical college. Mark will have the privilege to shift the much needed credits from his already attained bachelor's degree and pursue the balance classes to meet the prerequisites for an associate degree program.

Is an individual eligible to get a bachelor degree without an associate's degree?
The answer is "YES". A bachelor's degree happens to be a 4 year college degree; whereas an associate's degree is a 2 year college degree from any community college. The one and only major prerequisites for any of the aforesaid degree is a High School Diploma

Is an individual eligible directly for a master's degree from an Associate's degree?
The answer is "NO". Individuals must mandatorily possess a Bachelor's degree in order to get admission or attain a Master's degree.

Associate Occupational Studies Degree – What is it?
Individuals seeking employment promptly post graduation pursue - Associate in Occupational Studies degree program. A career oriented program to enhance the skills for individuals to enter the workforce at entry level positions. This degree program does not need any liberal arts syllabus.

Few types of Associate Degrees

The term Associate's degree is in fact used to describe a variety of explicit degrees.

• Associate of applied arts (AAA)
• Associate of arts (AA)
• Associate of arts in teaching (AAT)
• Associate of forestry (AF)
• Associate of occupational studies (AOS)
• Associate of science (AS)

Transfer

Second and the most prominent benefit of looking for an associate's degree is that almost, if not all, of your credits might more often be transferred over to a college which offers four-year degrees. This clearly indicates that one might take the associate's degree from a community college and may initiate working towards a bachelor's degree at any university.

Cost

Any individual who has an associate's degree from a community college, after transferring it to a university might prove the huge difference in the tuition fees. Associate's degree from a four-year university is very less expensive as compared to taking up a bachelor's degree. It is therefore a very smart and economical move to opt for a associate's degree.

Spotlight

One more aspect that an associate's degree helps an individual with is of focusing on the selected field of proficiency. A few associate's degrees such as the AA and AS might be with a broader aspect; few more such as Political science, Forestry, nursing and fine arts give the privilege to students to utilize most of the teaching/coaching time to focus exclusively on matter associated to his future career. This is not in sync with a four-year program where one may have to utilize the first two years in learning about anything and not the essentials of the selected career path.

Pace

The pace with which an associate's degree might get an individual in a job one desires is rapid as compared to a four-year degree. As a substitute of the waiting process all the way of college for four years by the time one starts earning money, one might easily get through an associate's program in may be two years to end up with a successful search leading to employment where other students would have just initiated their actual syllabus. The tenure may differ for individuals who might attend schools during the summer.

Income

Last but not the least - the associate's degree is known for increasing one's income potential. Practical knowledge is gained while attending classes, which at times even the on-the-job training is deprived off. A few associate's programs do have on-the-job training as a part of the syllabus. The enhanced income potential acquired with an associate's degree as compared to a high school diploma is considerable. A research suggests that in few cases in a span of lifetime the difference in the income generated might reach to an extent of a million dollars. The figures might seem to be a bit uncertain; but a two-year associate's degree might earn you an improved income and the opportunity to advancement as compared to only a high school diploma.

How does it help

• Building up your career
  One can portray the motivation and enlighten about how rapidly you become skilled at new aspects and become accustomed to new environment; as quoted by Teacher World these qualities are absorbed and learned while one is in a college. A lot of employers consider college degrees, such as an associate's degree, to be a clue of an individual's motivation and maturity stage. Individuals can put across their awareness about technology and different business do's and don'ts to present their career skills which are evolving much faster as compared to the previous times, resulting in a appropriately required characteristic which nearly all the employers are looking for. Try and prove your worth as compared to others without an associate's degree.
  
• Use traits to attain success
  Benefits of an associate's degree such as open minded approach, more civilized and cultures attitude, rational behavior, consistent performance and less authoritative professionalism traits are supposedly to be used to make you stand out of the lot. All these characteristics help the making of an excellent employee. Coworkers and bosses are bound to respect you as everyone prefers and favors an open minded person instead of a close minded personality. Higher education also helps one to reduce narrow-mindedness, augment knowledge about the world around and also develops social status. Associate's degree also helps one to achieve enhanced office productivity and of course the amplified workforce suppleness, which in turn will help you scale up your success.
  
• Expect enhanced remuneration
  2 year associate degree programs that pay well are more than popular nowadays. High school graduates are likely to earn an average of $1.2 million; whereas the ones with an associate's degree might end up earning about $1.6 million. One must have an appropriate figure of remuneration in mind while negotiating each possible opportunity. A study about the salary for a college graduate as compared to a high school graduate might prove to be of great help.

Career opportunities

Degrees as "Associate of Arts" or "Associate of Science" are the once awarded in varied fields ranging from Drafting to general education and Culinary arts to nursing and hospitality, widely known as a two-year degree. However; a bachelor's degree happens to be a four-year syllabus (or two additional year syllabus after an associate's), and a master's degree is as we all know which needs an extra two years further than the bachelor's.

So coming back to the topic of job/career opportunities available; it purely depends on the field selected or your area of expertise. For example, the career opportunities for individuals are brighter for associate's degree in nursing as compared to associate's degree in psychology. One needs to ascertain the field to feel the heart throb of the job market.

www.schoolanduniversity.com has enlisted some of the suggestions for ready reference:

• To initiate the search or assess the job market, the division office or academic department of the college offering the degree; happens to be a sure shot destination. Here is where you can get the updated information on various job prospects their previous graduates and your seniors would have attained.
  
  
• Individuals interested in working in Education Service Cooperative, are likely to get prompt opportunities. Those inclined towards career with children in a Daycare, Preschool or Public Schools; here are the best available job spots, with an Associates of Arts Degree:
  
  
  1. Media Specialist
  2. Paraprofessional
  3. Teacher Assistant
  
  
• Associate's degrees also may assist you to get entry level jobs in:
  
  
  1. Police Work/Department
  2. Retail management
  3. Accounting/bookkeeping
  4. Business
  5. Paralegal work
  6. Nursing


• Nearly all the aforesaid careers demand the individual to go for a bachelor's degree whereas with an associate's degree one can gain minimum groundwork to initiate working and start earning. After attaining a bachelor's when one goes hunting for a job which pays him handsome salary, one is well equipped with the WORK EXPERIENCE to give you enough edge over other competitors including fresh bachelor's grads. Associate's degree helps individuals ready to take the world in their stride.


• Employment projections released for 2008-2018 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, where individuals can find some very interesting facts and findings. 2 of the important highlights WRT the associate degree holders:
  
  • Highest projected growth is for careers/employments that need an associate's degree.
  • Time and again the co relation between Job growth and education has been proved.
  
  
  • 17 out of the 30 occupations - which are projected to decline the most, are the ones which need on an average a short-term on-the-job training.
  • 14 out of the 30 rapid growing careers require a Bachelor's degree.