An associate's degree is a degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges and some bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities in Canada and the United States upon completion of a course of study equivalent to the first two years in a four-year college or university. It is the lowest in the hierarchy of academic degrees offered in these countries. Common abbreviations are AA (Associate of Arts), AS (Associate of Science) and AAS (Associate of Applied Science). This article is about academic degrees. ... // North America In Canada and the United States, a community college, sometimes called a junior college, is an educational institution providing post-secondary education and lower-level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas, and associates degrees. ... A Junior College is two-year post-secondary school whose main purpose is to provide a method of obtaining academic, vocational and professional education. ... A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts three or four years. ... A college (Latin collegium) can be the name of any group of colleagues; originally it meant a group of people living together under a common set of rules (con-, together + leg-, law). As a consequence members of colleges were originally styled fellows and still are in some places. ... A professor giving a lecture at the Helsinki University of Technology A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... You all suck, except the man at the top. ...

In 2000, Hong Kong introduced associate's degrees, as an equivalence to higher diplomas. These programmes are provided through affliated colleges at universities. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Graduate Diploma or Higher Diploma in Ireland is a postgraduate award taken after a Bachelors degree. ...

In 2004, Australia added "associate degree" to the Australian Qualifications Framework. This title was given to more academically focused advanced diploma courses. However, very few courses yet use the new title. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Australian Qualifications Network is the primary heirachy of educational qualifications in Australia. ...

It is equivalent to the UK's foundation degree. The Foundation Degree is a vocational qualification introduced by the UK government in September 2001. ...

Associate's Degree

Generalized categories or types of Associate's Degrees

It is possible to break the Associate's Degree into three general categories.

An Associate of Arts degree is often awarded for programs that are terminal or intended for transfer to a four year college, usually with a major in the social sciences or humanities. It is also awarded to General Studies students, those who decline to select an area of concentration.

The Associate of Science degree is similarly awarded to terminal students or to potential transferees to a four years college, but the areas of concentration are usually in mathematics, natural sciences, or technology.

The Associate of Applied Science degree is awarded to students who are permitted to relax some of the general education requirements in order to study more course work in their program area. Typically, this kind of degree is for students who intend to enter the work force upon graduation.

Time requirements

The associate degree is most often awarded to students completing postsecondary programs requiring at least one but no more than two years of full-time study. More often, a lesser diploma, called a Certificate, is awarded for only a one year program. It is not unusual for students to study more than two years to complete the requirements for an associate's degree. A certificate is an official document affirming some fact. ...

Names of Associate's Degrees

Wittstruck (1975) notes that the associate degree goes by several different names formally:

Data on associate degrees are frequently disaggregated by curriculum: vocational or nonvocational. The Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) counts nonvocational degrees under the category "Arts and Sciences or General Programs"; vocational degrees are counted under six headings: Nursing is a discipline focused on assisting individuals, families and communities in attaining, re-attaining and maintaining optimal health and functioning. ...

• business and commerce technologies
• data processing technologies
• health services/paramedical technologies
• mechanical/engineering technologies
• natural science technologies
• public service-related technologies

Data processing is any computer process that converts data into information. ... Licensure and Qualifications for the Practice of Engineering The Engineers Ring The origin of then Engineers Ring Engineering Disasters and Learning from Failure American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) ASEE engineering profile (2003) PDF EngineersEdge GlobalSpec Categories: Architecture and engineering occupations | Engineering ...

Annual number awarded

The number of associate degrees awarded rose rapidly in the 1970s. In 1981–1982, 434,515 associate degrees were awarded, representing a 25% increase over the number of associate degrees awarded during 1973–1974. All of the increase is accounted for by growth in the number of vocational degrees awarded. Between 1973–1974 and 1981–1982, percent changes in the number of associate degrees awarded were as follows: This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

• data processing technologies (225%)
• mechanical and engineering technologies (86%)
• business and commerce technologies (39%)
• health services and paramedical technologies (31%)
• natural sciences technologies (30%)
• arts and sciences or general programs (-4.5%)
• public service-related technologies (-7%)

In terms of absolute numbers, 158,000 nonvocational and 276,493 vocational associate degrees were awarded in 1981–1982. Of the vocational degrees awarded:

• 35% were in business and commerce technologies,
• 22% were in health services and paramedical technologies;
• 21% were in mechanical and engineering technologies;
• 9% were in public service-related technologies;
• 8% were in data processing technologies, and
• 5% were in natural science technologies.

The growing popularity of vocational degrees is not necessarily a sign of the diminution of the transfer function, because many occupational students transfer to senior institutions. Indeed, a study conducted by the State University of New York (SUNY) found that 29% of SUNY community college students receiving vocational associate degrees in 1980 transferred to a four-year institution. The State University of New York (acronym SUNY; usually pronounced SOO-nee) is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Illinois data also shed light on transfers with vocational associate degrees. Of the 3,871 students who transferred with an associate degree from an Illinois community college to an Illinois senior institution in Fall 1979, 19% (727) held the associate in applied science (AAS) degree. While the baccalaureate attainment rate for AAS transfers (19%) was lower than the baccalaureate attainment rate of those transfers with associate of arts or associate of science degrees (31%), it was higher than the attainment rate of those community college transfers who had earned no associate degree at all (11%). State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

Students who earn this degree

Since 1976–1977, over 50% of associate degrees have been earned by women. Though female students are beginning to enter occupational curricula in which women have been traditionally underrepresented, most women who obtain occupational associate degrees remain in health, office, and public service occupations. The 1981–1982 data reveal that women made up: 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

• 88% of the degree recipients in health services and paramedical technologies (compared to 89% in 1971–1972)
• 65% of the degree recipients in business and commerce technologies (compared to 47% in 1971–1972)
• 52% of the degree recipients in public service-related technologies (compared to 38.6% in 1971–1972)
• 50% of the degree recipients in data processing technologies (compared to 30% in 1971–1972)
• 41% of the degree recipients in natural science technologies (compared to 24% in 1971–1972)
• 9% of the degree recipients in mechanical and engineering technologies (compared to 2% in 1971–1972)

Of the nonvocational associate degrees awarded in 1981–1982, 54% were awarded to women (compared to 43% in 1971–1972).

Problems

Koltai (1984) presents a comprehensive analysis of the current status of the associate degree. He reports several issues that need to be addressed as community college educators plan associate degree programs for the future. These issues include:

• the relatively low prestige of the degree in higher education
• college-by-college variation in subject area and unit requirements
• the fact that many colleges and universities prefer their own transfer requirements rather than accepting the associate degree as qualifying students for transfer
• the need to keep up with high technology in vocational associate degree programs
• the desirability of competency-based programs that certify the learning outcomes of associate degree programs
• the need for more honor sections to attract and retain gifted students
• the types of courses for terminal two year programs are not adequate (or not transferable) for a four year college

In light of these issues, Koltai recommends that colleges establish testing and placement procedures for entering students, specify competency standards for degree graduates, improve the pre-service and in-service professional development of community college faculty, and establish associate degree committees to work with faculty, students, four-year institutions and businesses in improving counseling, job-placement, and transfer.

Bibliography

Associate Degrees: A Look At The 70's., National Center For Educational Statistics Bulletin. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics, 1981. ED 207 628. Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the... The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as part of the U.S. Department of Education, collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States; conducts studies on international comparisons of education statistics; and provides leadership in developing and promoting the use...

Bragg, A. K. Fall 1979 Transfer Study. Report 3: Second Year Persistence And Achievement. Springfield: Illinois Community College Board, 1982. ED 230 228.

Koltai, L. Redefining The Associate Degree. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, 1984. ED 242 378.

SUNY Community College Graduates: Their Futures. Analysis Paper No. 822. Albany: State University of New York, Office for Community Colleges, 1982. ED 223 282. New York State Capitol Building, completed in 1899 at a cost of $25 million was the most expensive government building of its time. ...

Wittstruck, J. R. Requirements For Certificates, Diplomas And Associate Degrees: A Survey Of The States. Denver, CO: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, 1985. This article refers to the state capital of Colorado. ... This is the article on the state. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Current Status of the Associate Degree
• Measuring Student Outcomes through the Associate Degree