What is an associate degree?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Caballero Lacaye, Jul 7, 2001.

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  1. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member

    Dear readers,

    Greetings!

    Lately, I have been reading some messages mentioning that the basic degrees available in the United States are the bachelor degrees, the master degrees, and the dotorate degrees. This is wrong because the associate degrees are being omitted. To know more about them, please check out the following page from Mott Community College:
    http://edtech.mcc.edu/~massoud/coll-faq.htm#aa

    There are still some common misconceptions relating to the associate degrees:

    1) All associate degrees are general in nature and cover general education exclusively: Wrong. The only one considered as such is the Associate of General Studies (or Associate of Arts in General Studies/Associate of Science in General Studies).

    2) All associate degrees are technical or are at a technical level: Wrong. The only ones that belong to this category are the Associate in Applied Science and sometimes the Associate of Science.

    3) All associate are designed for transferring and, therefore, they are not degrees: Wrong. The only ones that are designed for transferring are the Associate of Arts and sometimes the Associate of Science. Some of them like many Associate of Applied Science degrees are even terminal degrees, particularly when structured around paraprofessional sciences. Finally, associate degrees are degrees because they are at the postsecondary level beyond the first year.

    4) Associate degrees are not designed to help you to find a job: Wrong. In fact, some associate degrees like an Associate of Applied Science prepare you for a specific occupational goal.

    5) Associate degrees are comprised of 60-64 semester hours: Wrong. Some associate degrees, particularly in engineering fields, have 70-72 semester hours.

    6) I can only transfer two years (60-64 credits) or two years and a semester (70-72 credits) worth of classes from an associate: Wrong. In some instances, you can transfer up to 90 credits from an associate. For example, Charter Oak State College accepts up to 90 credits from an associate degree.

    7) Only community colleges, junior colleges, or two-year institutions offer associate degrees: Wrong. Many four-year colleges offer associate degrees. Not only that, but many comprehensive universities also offer associate degrees.

    I hope this is of help. If you have any other questions about the associate degrees, please let me know. I have compiled some interesting information about them, and maybe I will compile a comprehensive database also.

    By the way, it is worth mentioning that 2001 marks the centennial of community colleges in the United States; in 1901, Joliet Junior College in Illinois was founded, the first "community college" in the nation.

    My best regards,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  2. hworth

    hworth Member

    Excellent information. The only comments I would add are:

    #5 "Associate degrees are comprised of 60-64 semester hours: Wrong. Some associate degrees, particularly in engineering fields, have 70-72 semester hours."

    And some are even longer. I have scene an AAS in Radiology (to train X-ray technicians) which was 84 semester hours.

    #6 "I can only transfer two years (60-64 credits) or two years and a semester (70-72 credits) worth of classes from an associate: Wrong. In some instances, you can transfer up to 90 credits from an associate. For example, Charter Oak State College accepts up to 90 credits from an associate degree."

    This is changing quickly. In many states the new rules are that any courses that are taken as part of an associates degree (i.e., before the degree is granted) can be transferred into a bachelors program. My institution now accepts a maximum of 98 hours from 2-year schools as long as the hours were all earned before the associates degree was awarded.

    Hworth
     
  3. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Hello, Hworth!

    Greetings!

    I can only say that your information is no less excellent; thank you for sharing it with us.

    It is interesting to know about the associate degree of 84 hours. This can be translated into two years and eight months.

    I didn't know about transferring in 98 credits from an associate. I know the 80 something transferring in (Excelsior) and the 90 transferring in (Charter Oak). Could you please tell me which state, or more specifically, which university allows 98 credits from an associate? Is your institution a distance education institution?

    Thank you for your time and attention.

    Cordially yours,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  4. vewdew

    vewdew New Member

    And as a holder of said degree, I'd like to point out that they are "almost" as worthless as tits on a boar hog. They will at least get your foot in the door somewhere, but don't expect it to take you much further.

    In other words, don't be a deadbeat like me and stop at 85 hours. [​IMG]

    Daniel Alexander, CD
    A.A.S., SAU Tech
     
  5. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    Most associate degrees are awarded by community colleges in the U.S. Of interest is that many community college are now partnering with larger 4-yr. institutions to award bachelor degrees. For instance, in Raleigh, NC, Wake Technical Community College has a partnership with Old Dominion.

    John
     
  6. hworth

    hworth Member

    Hello -

    I work at an institution in Missouri. Missouri community colleges have recently advocated for and are beginning to receive 'degree transfer' - i.e., everything taken as part of the associates degree is transferred into the bachelors. At my institution that means a maximum of 98 hours, because 30 hours of residency hours are required. When the community colleges were making their case to the state Higher Ed Board, they presented a lot of evidence that these type of transfer guidelines were being introduced and/or already in place in other states. (Unfortunately, I don't have the specifics.)

    While my institution does have online graduate programs (MA, MBA, MAT) and a few online undergraduate courses, we do not have an online undergraduate program.

    My institution is Webster University. I usually do not include the name, because I am not on this forum as a respresentative of the university.

    Hworth

     
  7. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Hello, Daniel!

    Thank you for your posting.

    Take into account, though, that sometimes you can earn a bachelor with multiple associates, albeit a Bachelor of General Studies. Then again, you might find that this bachelor is useless, too, unless you are planning to go to Graduate School.

    Best wishes,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  8. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Hello, John!

    Just out of interest, John, you know who the largest provider of associates is? Nothing less than our very own Excelsior College, conferring almost as double as the next entry which I think is a two-year institution (I can double check that if you want to).

    My best regards,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  9. Gary Bonus

    Gary Bonus New Member

    Dan, you may have found yours useless in your situation, but my son-in-law found his to be quite useful. Some sort of program for graphic design, which resulted in an AAS from a community college. Fortunately, he interned at Ford Motor, which hires such interns. He was hired, has been there for 10 years now, making over 75 grand as some sort of graphic design engineer. Although he is quite happy and busy with a couple of small kids, Ford encourages him to continue his education (with mucho tuition aid), and he will probably eventually get a bachelors and move up higher. He certainly left me in the dust with my liberal arts degree! Hope your situation turns around.

    Gary
     
  10. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Dear Hworth,

    Thank you very much for your information.

    The end result is then similar to transferring to Charter Oak State College. At Charter Oak, you need to complete your last 30 credits while being enrolled with them. Since a student needs 120 credits to graduate, you can only transfer a maximum of 90 credits, then.

    All the very best,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  11. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Dear Gary,

    I am indeed very happy to know that you son-in-law has been very sucessful with his associate. This group deals very little with associate degrees, and I am one of the very few (the only one?) that is enthusiastic about them, that supports them, and that is a big fan of them. Having said that, I wouldn't ming finding a way to re-write my information on paper form.

    At any rate, the vice-president of one of the largest banks here in South Florida is only a holder of an associate degree, and he has been very successful with such a degree as we can clearly see.

    Wishing you the best,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  12. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Karlos, I too like the Associate's degree, which is probably a bit sentimental since an A.S. was the first degree I ever earned. I also think it is a lot cheaper in some cases to earn the Associate's degree plus however many extra credits your intended 4-year school will allow at the 2-year school, and then transfer them to a Bachelor's program (that's what I did, I only did 30 credits at my 4-year school).

    I've seen in a lot of places that a Bachelor's degree is now what a HS diploma was 30 years ago. I actually think that the Associate's degree is what a HS diploma was, and the Bachelor's is now what an Associate's degree was. Totally subjective, of course.

    Bruce
     
  13. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Hello, Karlos. Thanks for starting this topic. I am very fond of community colleges and feel that they don't get the respect that they deserve.

    I've taken courses at a variety of institutions and I have to say that some of the very best courses I have ever taken were at community colleges. Truly superior teaching, and that often from people with masters degrees instead of doctorates.

    And I've taken some courses at more prestigious schools from better known scholars who couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag. They may have been great at research and at advising graduate students, but in a classroom they were a disaster. I learned next to nothing.

    So when I read the periodic remarks here that one can't compare the quality of instruction at "top tier" universities and at "jucos", I remember those experiences.
     
  14. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    A community college near my home, Canada College in Redwood City, has recently created a program in cooperation with San Francisco State University to do the same thing. They are starting a teacher credential program this year, and will be rolling out up to ten university majors at bachelors level and above, including CS, theater arts and electrical engineering.
    http://canadacollege.net/universitycenter/index.html

    A student takes the first two years as a Canada College student, then the final two years on the same campus as an SF State student. The students have to apply to SF State as transfer students in the normal manner, and are free to take courses on the main campus if they wish.

    I think that this is great. It is a very cost effective way of addressing the need for more state universities by better utilizing existing but underutilized physical plant. And it has the added benefit of bringing in-demand programs to sites closer to students' homes.
     
  15. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Hello, Bruce!

    I am glad to hear from you again.

    Ideally, in spite of the fact that some or more classes from an associate could resemble some or more classes from high school, classes from an associate ought to include more research and, by extension, more out-of-classroom activities. This is one of the basic differences between college classes and high shool classes.

    Whether research and out-of-classroom activities are actually put into practice by some colleges is not what I am discussing here. I am just saying what college classes are supposed to be in a post-secondary environment.

    Fraternally,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  16. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Dear Bill,

    Thank you very much for your interest in this topic.

    Yes, I agree with everything you said. However, I think that the fact that some associates are now taught at 4-year and comprehensive universities will benefit the overall perception of them.

    Your topic made me remember another misconception of associates:

    8) It is not possible to write a thesis at a junior institution: Wrong. After finishing your classes, it is indeed possible to write a thesis (or mini-thesis) at some two-year institutions.

    I hope this helps.

    Kindest regards,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  17. vewdew

    vewdew New Member

    There are always exceptions to the rule, as I am an example of (or at least I like to think so [​IMG]). I am in the top 10% of my field according to national salary surveys (which I keep a very greedy eye on). I don't really need for my situation to turn around, but you never know when I may find myself looking for another job, in which case a B.S. would be a huge advantage over my about half my competition. I would probably suggest that your son-in-law got to where he is as a result of exceptional talent and not his A.A.S. I think it would be unfair to suggest that an A.A.S. would actually take you anywhere far (like $75k/year) in general. As I said before, it will get your foot in the door as it did your son-in-law and myself, but after that it's entirely up to you. There are also the people that would have made money hand over foot with or without the degree. However, I certainly know that I would have excelled much farther and faster with a B.S. Something that I constantly regret not finishing. But I am looking into that situation now!

    Best regards,

    Daniel Alexander
     
  18. vewdew

    vewdew New Member

    Why is it that we never see the grammatical errors until AFTER we hit the send/submit button?
     
  19. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Hey, Daniel!

    It might be true in his case, but certainly not in all cases. Some applications specifically state, "Any degree accepted". And an associate is certainly a degree. Still other applications state, "Associate in X required".

    Best wishes,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  20. tcnixon

    tcnixon Active Member

    And these relationships can take many shapes. In the university program where I teach, we provide simulcast of certain courses for a community college which is 50 miles away. Granted the course number is quite limited, but a student at the cc can earn a degree in liberal studies (as a precursor to a teaching credential) or a degree in business (after completing the first 60 units within the cc itself). They would never have to step foot on the university campus, but the degree is issued by the university.


    Tom Nixon
     

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