Tuesday, September 27, 2011

An Associate's Degree Might Be A Good and Flexible Option For Some Students

An associate's degree is a great option for the person who has a busy work schedule or otherwise not enough resources to obtain a bachelor's degree. This degree is flexible and affordable and will benefit the person who chooses to take steps to earn an associate's degree.

There are two types of associate's degrees someone can choose to earn. An occupational degree prepares a person to enter directly into the work world. A transfer degree will give a student the ability to transfer credits to another school in order continue their education, so if a student decides that later they would like to advance their degree, they can use what they've already earned during their associate's degree to meet that goal.

Employment rates are higher for someone who has earned their associate's degree than for someone who has a high school diploma. An associate's degree will make you more qualified to perform a job and therefor give you more job security.

An associate's degree is also more affordable than heading right into a bachelor's degree, so it is a great option for someone without the money to fund a bachelor's degree at the time but still with a desire to eventually earn one. It is more affordable because credits are less expensive for that type of degree. Also, since this degree is typically earned at a local college, students will save money on the commute and room and board because they will be able to live nearby.

Two years is the average amount of time it takes to complete, however, it can be stretched out over a longer period of time if the student does not have the ability to dedicate this much time to the degree at this time. The amount of courses required for this degree is usually about twenty, which translates into sixty credit hours.

Job security is not the only benefit. Someone holding an associate's degree is likely to earn about $500,000 more in their lifetime than someone who has a high school diploma. A higher starting salary is often awarded to the person holding any type of degree at the beginning of a job.

The application materials required when going to earn this degree are pretty straight forward. Applicants will want to have an official copy of their transcripts from high school sent to the college they are applying to. Also, many schools will ask for a personal statement explaining what you want to do and why you want to do it, as well as your standardized test, or SAT, scores.

Earning an associates degree online is a very accessible way for someone to enhance the quality of their life and career. Colleges understand that not everyone can be a full time student, so they make the class schedule flexible for students who need to take night classes as well as offering affordable prices to people entering into a degree program. Job security and income could also increase.

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