How long does it take to get an associates degree

Find Your College. Top 20 Online Communications Degree Programs. Jobs That Pay K. Best Online Accounting Degree Programs. Everything you need to know about the Associate's Degree. Associates Degree in Accounting online and traditional Students interested in pursuing a career in accounting can study towards either an Associate of Science A.

Associates degree in psychology online and traditional Associates degrees in Psychology can be earned as either an Associate of Arts A. IT associates degree online and traditional The Associates of Science in Information Technology will teach students career-oriented skills like software development, website design, data management, and troubleshooting.

What degree is 2 years of college? There are two 2-year college degrees: Associate of Arts A. What is an AA Degree? Associates , Degrees. You might also like. Associates Degrees.

Read More. Take the next step toward your future with online learning. Top Ten. Regional vs. Top 15 Community Colleges in California. Subscribe to our Newsletter. Connect With Us. Online colleges often deliver accelerated courses.

The same content gets condensed into a faster format to reduce study time. Studying year-round without summer or winter breaks speeds things up. Transferring in previous college-level credits from AP or IB classes helps. These are 34 equivalency tests that prove proficiency in a subject to skip taking the entire class.

Online colleges give adults options for gaining work and life experience credits through portfolios too. Certain applied trades, such as an engineering technician and air traffic controller, may take three years.

When curricula include hands-on applied learning like internships and apprenticeships, the time to graduation is naturally longer. However, life sometimes gets in the way. Students may need gap years to take care of family or work obligations.

Individuals might struggle to afford tuition without working full-time. Retaking failed or missed classes adds to the degree timeline. Technical certificates are short-term training programs that develop mastery in a certain niche.

These non-degree credentials are acceptable for dental assistants, court reporters, HVAC installers, barbers, truck drivers, and more. Technical certificates provide the equivalent of on-the-job training to edge ahead of high school grads.

Getting a technical certificate requires as little as 12 credits or one semester. Certificate programs rarely entail more than 30 credits, so the completion time is around 12 months.

Certain community colleges also award vocational diplomas. Diplomas are slightly more intensive than certificates at around credits. Vocational diplomas could take up to 18 months. Both non-degree tracks have transferrable credits at accredited colleges. AGS majors have free reign to select their coursework at whim. Associate of General Studies programs can be as short as 12 months with previous credits and accelerated online courses.

Gaining a multitude of skills and knowledge can aid any career. Not all online associate programs can support a one-year graduation date, however. Professional, non-academic degrees, such as culinary arts, graphic design and some healthcare degrees may take longer than one year to complete. Moreover, some online associate degrees may take longer than two years to complete. Math, English, and science courses are required for graduation.

Each subject requires a certain amount of credit courses per degree. For example, an associate degree will require 3 to 6 credits or 1 to 2 classes for graduation. Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees require the core course curriculum in English, history, math, natural science and liberal arts. Most of the top online associate degrees are applied science degrees that prepare students to directly enter the workforce. These associate programs provide hands-on training and experiential learning through courses such as healthcare management, occupational health and safety, accounting, software development, human resources, human services, early childhood education and applied health science.

The types of courses offered depend on the degree, and the number of vocational associate degrees available online is always growing. It might be a basic math course, computer science courses or English if the person has experience from their current job. Testing out of classes can reduce the amount of time it takes to complete an online associate degree.

Depending on how many credits a student has earned prior to high school graduation, the time it takes to complete an associate degree can be significantly reduced. Students can take advantage of college placement testing and credits offered for courses already taken.

Most universities offer several options for testing out of core courses, which make up the majority of the curriculum of an online associate degree. In addition to placement tests, students can often enroll in college courses while still in high school. These earned credits can shave off entire semesters from an online associate program, turning a one-year degree into a month degree. In most cases, universities will work with students to find the best solution for a reduced course load.

With more and more colleges offering a growing number of vocational associate degrees, the list of the best online options keeps getting bigger. In order to receive an associate degree, you must earn at least 60 credits, which typically can be fulfilled by completing 20, 3-credit courses. While many traditional American higher education institutions follow academic years that are divided into 2 equal semesters of 15 or 16 weeks, others are divided into quarters.

And still others, including online universities, may offer up to 6 terms annually. The semester format of the institution you ultimately choose can greatly increase or decrease the number of classes you are able to take each year—thus shortening or lengthening the time it will take for you to earn your 60 credits. For example, universities that offer online courses might also offer you a greater number of opportunities to earn credits throughout the academic year.

It's no longer unusual to pursue your associate degree online. In fact, the number of students who have taken online courses has grown over the past 14 consecutive years. Many online programs also accept transfer college credits from other on-campus or online institutions. This is particularly helpful if you had to pause your education years ago.