Associate’s Degrees from Accredited Online Colleges
In the U.S. diploma system, an associate’s degree is awarded for online or on-campus work equivalent to the first two years of a four-year bachelor’s program. People tend to pursue associate’s degrees for two main purposes:
- Some earn an associate’s degree in order to gain entrance to a four-year school. This strategy is used by students who performed poorly in high school but now wish to prove their readiness for college-level academics. These students might refer to the associate’s degree as a “transfer degree” because they will use it to transfer to another school.
Some examples of popular associate’s degrees or transfer degrees are the Associate of Arts (AA), the Associate of Fine Arts (AFA), and the Associate of General Studies (AGS).
- Other people earn an associate’s degree in order to enter the workforce right away. Their associate’s degrees are considered professional degrees: they require all the training that’s needed to enter a profession.
One popular professional degree is the RN, or Registered Nurse. People can also gain entry-level work in carpentry, education, veterinary science, and many other fields with an associate’s degree.
Online schools offer associate’s degrees in dozens of areas. In addition to offering greater convenience than traditional schools, online colleges and universities sometimes offer accelerated programs. This means that an associate’s degree can be earned online in just one year instead of two.
The schools listed below offer accredited associate’s degrees through distance learning. While some are especially focused on electronics, fashion, or another career field, most offer online associate’s degrees in a wide variety of disciplines.
City University of Seattle Online
Cleveland Institute of Electronics
Colorado Technical University Online
Fashion Institute of Technology
New England Institute of Technology
Santa Barbara Business College
Southern New Hampshire University
