An associate degree refers to the two year degree awarded by the community colleges, colleges and universities. An associate degree is equivalent to 60 college credits which, in turn, means two years of coursework. A student can earn an associate degree on successful completion of the general education courses, core courses and the college major.

The Graduate can always transfer his earned credits to a Bachelor’s degree program after he/she earns an associate degree from an accredited school. The three main associate degrees are Associate of Arts degree, Associate of Applied Science degree and Associate of Science degree. The fields in which the Associate degrees can be earned are business, IT, health services, early childhood education and engineering. Nowadays there are several other fields in which a candidate can earn an Associate degree.

There are many reasons for which a candidate can opt for an Associate degree. Some students purposely go for an associate degree as they are not interested in the four – year bachelor’s degree. The latter is much more traditional and of longer duration than the associate degree. There are still others who wish to save some money by attending a junior college or community college for the first two years and earning an associate degree.

After two years they can take a transfer to a more expensive college for the final two years and earn the bachelor’s degree. There is still another group of students who just want to spruce up their grades before taking the all important transfer to a four – year College.

The main advantage of an associate degree is that you get access to higher education without burdening yourself with a lot of debt. It is not impossible to find a job in a particular career field with a decent enough salary. This degree is not rare as most cities have accredited community colleges.

However, when choosing a college ensure that it does not have any bad reputation and it is a legitimate college. There are lots of advertisements in the newspaper which might just confuse you and tempt you to take a wrong decision. Just remember that 2 – year colleges are meant to be fun but also requires a lot of hard work and dedication from the students to secure the best grades.