Associate Degree in Western Canada and the U.S. is equal to two-year Associate Education in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and other European countries. This degree is chosen by people who are planning to work in middle and high management levels. The majority of U.S. employers and employees of state agencies and commercial organizations have this diploma. Lack of the Associate Degree makes the employment almost impossible.
Two-year schools, commonly called Community or Junior colleges, appropriate the Associate Degree after the successful completion of two-year program. There are two basic types of programs offered by these institutions. The first group of programs consists of completely academic programs. They prepare the students for the entering the four-year schools that set a bachelor’s degree. Others have a practical orientation and offer professional studying. The second type of educational institutions usually do not prepare for the entering the four-year colleges, although some credits can be counted. A very small number of two-year schools offer only the final two years of the programs that lead to a Bachelor’s Degree.
How many credits are needed for an associates degree?
The credits number for completing the Associate’s Degree depends on the state mandate and the concrete program of study. Usually this degree includes 60-64 semester hours or sometimes 95-105 quarter hours. However, some programs require 70 or even more hours. These programs are made for nursing, dental hygiene and respiratory therapy.
The Associates Degree requires the studying for two years and when the student choses, how many credits for an associates degree he needs, he may not prerequisite coursework for testing the basic skills. Some may take longer hours which depends on the required credits number. Usually these programs are connected to the health related fields. Also, it would take longer for students who need developmental coursework. So, it depends on the credit load in each semester. Usually the Associates Degree takes 60-64 credits for completing the specific program of study.
The American associate degree can be divided into several categories.
The Associate Degree of Arts is a degree of academic programs in the areas of Social Sciences Humanities and General Studies. Such programs help to continue the studying in a Bachelor’s Degree at a four-year college. This is ensured by the cooperation and credits agreements between the community / junior colleges and various four-year colleges or universities. Since the tuition fees at community colleges are much lower than in most other American universities, these programs help students from low-income families to save tuition fees.
The Associate Degree of Science is majored in Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology. In these subjects there are credits for both terminal programs and transfer programs. The possible fields of studying can be grouped into the following six main areas:
- commerce and business technologies (commercial area)
- data processing technologies (IT)
- health services / para-medical technologies (medical)
- engineering / mechanical technologies (technical area)
- natural science technologies (scientific-technical area)
- public service technologies (administrative area)
More and more students from all over the world tend to get Associate Degree at a high U.S. educational institution, the so-called local college, or a ‘community college’. Such schools are considered by U.S. and international students as the approaches to get more affordable higher education in the United States. Like many Americans, after graduating from school, international students find that these colleges offer excellent, modern and adequate programs, a simplified system of filing, easily transferred to the university system of assessments and tests, reasonable prices and comfortable accommodation and learning.
More than 40% of all students in the U.S., about 11 million study in community colleges and get the Associate Degree. After graduating student receives special technical or vocational education, which can be extended to a university bachelor’s degree: it is easy to pass all the studied subjects and enter a four-year university college for a second or even third year of study.
These 2-year vocational schools now constitute the fastest growing and largest sector of education in the United States. More than 1,200 colleges across the country are accredited by the same agencies as the 4-year universities and colleges.
Like all other schools in the U.S., 2-year colleges vary in price (about $ 6,000 per year), program, location, number of students, rating and technical base, etc. Most of them offer internship programs for the Associate Degree, have a close relations with universities and professional circles, industry and business in their region. They prepare students for academic success in the future or for immediate hiring. Most colleges are state, but some are also private. The choice depends on the desires and capabilities of a particular student.
This is an ideal solution for those who want to get a degree in the area of engineering, data processing, drafting, office work, aviation, interior design, photography, child development, health and health care, business, food technology, and so on. And the Associate Degree is great for those who want to continue their education and obtain a bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, etc. There is a variety of certification programs in social work, real estate sales, nursing, computer-aided design.
Many famous people today from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Gere, Tom Hanks to the Walt Disney and the senior officials of the American army began two-year vocational education in the ‘community’ colleges to get the Associate Degree.
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