Associate Degree

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Associate Degree is the name given to the degree from a US or Canadian community college (mostly state) or junior college (mostly private). This degree is achieved after typically two years of study . Some four-year colleges also award this degree. In this case, these are mostly so-called 2 + 2 programs in which the students receive an associate degree after two years of study and a bachelor's degree after another two years . The associate degree is considered an academic degree in the USA , but is not recognized as a university degree in other countries, especially in Europe .

Recently, Hong Kong , Australia and the Netherlands have also introduced associate degrees.

The "Associate Degree" in the USA

Types of "Associate Degrees"

The American associate degree can be divided into three categories.

The Associate of Applied Science Degree is awarded in more application-oriented courses. Some colleges also award degrees in the form of associate of / in ... with details of the field of study. The subjects offered are often based on the requirements of the local economy. Compared to Associate of Arts / Science Degrees , such courses require fewer general courses, but more academic performance in the respective major. Such application-oriented courses lead to employment ( job-related terminal program ).

The possible fields of study can be assigned to the following six main areas:

  • business and commerce technologies (commercial area)
  • data processing technologies (IT area)
  • health services / paramedical technologies (medical sector)
  • mechanical / engineering technologies (technical area)
  • natural science technologies (scientific-technical area)
  • public service-related technologies (administrative area)

The Associate of Arts Degree is a degree of study programs in the fields of Social Sciences ( Social Sciences ), Humanities ( Humanities ) and General Studies awarded. On the one hand, these programs can be so-called terminal degrees . These lead the graduates into employment. However, the study achievements of such a terminal degree will not or only partially be credited towards a later Bachelor’s degree . On the other hand, there are so-called transfer programs . Such programs enable graduates to continue their studies in a bachelor's degree at a four-year college . This is ensured through cooperation agreements between the community / junior colleges and individual four-year colleges or universities. Since the tuition fees at community colleges are usually much lower than at other American universities, these programs are very popular with students from socially disadvantaged families to save tuition fees .

The Associate of Science degree is the degree in the subjects of Mathematics ( Mathematics ), Natural Sciences ( Natural Sciences ) and Technology ( Technology ). There are also terminal programs and transfer programs in these subjects .

List of possible qualifications

Associate degrees can have a number of different formal degrees. In general, they follow the format: Associate of / in [name of specialization] or Associate of Applied [name of specialization] . This results in z. B. the following certificate: Associate Engineer in Information and Computer Systems .

Here are some examples including their abbreviations:

  • AA - Associate of Arts
  • AAA - Associate of Applied Arts
  • AAB - Associate of Applied Business
  • AAS - Associate of Applied Science or Associate of Arts and Sciences
  • AAT - Associate of Arts in Teaching
  • ABA - Associate of Business Administration
  • ABS - Associate of Baccalaureate Studies
  • ADN - Associate Degree in Nursing
  • AE - Associate of Engineering or Associate in Electronics Engineering Technology
  • AES - Associate of Engineering Science
  • AET - Associate in Engineering Technology
  • AF - Associate of Forestry
  • AFA - Associate of Fine Arts
  • AGS - Associate of General Studies
  • AIT - Associate of Industrial Technology
  • AN - Associate of Science in Nursing
  • AOS - Associate of Occupational Studies
  • APE - Associate of Pre-Engineering
  • APS - Associate of Political Science or Associate of Public Service
  • AS - Associate of Science
  • ASPT-APT - Associate in Physical Therapy
  • AT - Associate of Technology

This list shows the most common names, but does not claim to be complete. It should also be noted that these terms are by no means standardized. For example, a course at one college can lead to an Associate of Science degree and a course of identical content at another college can lead to an Associate of Applied Science degree . This is also due to the fact that some US states have determined the degrees (and in some cases also content) for certain professionally-oriented courses at community colleges ; but this stipulation only ever applies within the respective federal state and can therefore differ from state to state.

Normal period

The standard period of study for the associate degree is usually two years in full-time study , rarely three years (e.g. nursing) after graduating from high school . It is not uncommon for students to take more than two years to achieve this degree. This is due to both the widespread part-time studies and the fact that community colleges usually have a so-called open admission policy . This means that students who do not have a high school diploma can also enroll . However, they must then first acquire the knowledge they lack about bridging courses. This extends the study time accordingly.

Statistical data on associate degrees awarded

The number of associate degrees awarded rose rapidly in the United States in the 1970s. In the academic year 1981 - 1982 434.515 were associate degrees awarded. This represents an increase of 25% compared to the academic year 1973 - 1974 . The increase can only be explained by the number of professionally oriented associate degrees . The percentage increase in this period based on the main study areas was:

  • 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 absolute terms, 158,000 transfer degrees and 276,493 professional associate degrees were awarded in 1981–1982 . Of the professional qualifications:

  • 35% in the field of business and commerce technologies
  • 22% in the area of health services and paramedical technologies
  • 21% in the field of mechanical and engineering technologies
  • 9% in the area of public service-related technologies
  • 8% in the area of data processing technologies and
  • 5% in the field of natural science technologies

Since the academic year 1976 - 1977 of 50% are associate degrees in the United States awarded to women. Most of these degrees were in the fields of health services , business and commerce technologies, and public service-related technologies . In the academic year 1981–1982, the professional qualifications achieved by women were distributed among the respective fields of study as follows:

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

Of the transfer degrees in the 1981–1982 academic year, 54% were awarded to women (compared with 43% in 1971–1972).

The associate degree in Australia, Hong Kong and the Netherlands

Australia

In 2004 , the Australian Government (from the Department of Education, Science and Technology ) added the Associate Degree to the Australian Qualifications Framework (the official listing of qualifications in the Australian education system). This new degree is considered an alternative to academically oriented advanced diploma courses . So it most closely corresponds to the transfer degrees in the US education system. To date, however, there are only a very small number of these new degrees.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, was established in 2000 the completion of associate degree introduced. This replaced the old Higher Diploma , a two-year, job-oriented degree. This degree is awarded by so-called affliated colleges in cooperation with universities. It is possible to continue studying in a bachelor's degree at the respective university.

Netherlands

From 2005 to 2011 the associate degree was tested in a pilot project. Since September 2013, the associate degree has been part of higher education and is recognized as an academic title (HBO-graad). After completing the associate degree, you can enter the bachelor's degree in the respective subject area and obtain a bachelor's degree after another two years (4-year bachelor's degree).

Recognition in Germany

In Germany, associate degrees are not recognized as a university degree. If such a degree has a certain prescribed range of subjects, it can be recognized as equivalent to the German general higher education entrance qualification and thus enable access to study at a German university. This mostly applies to the Associate of Science and Associate of Arts degrees , which include a combination of subjects that lead to a transfer program . Professionally oriented associate degrees , on the other hand, are often viewed as equivalent to a corresponding professional qualification in the dual system or as a qualification from a technical school ( job-related terminal program ).

literature

  • Associate Degrees: A Look At The 70's., National Center For Educational Statistics Bulletin . Washington, DC : National Center for Education Statistics, 1981. (English).
  • Bragg, AK Fall 1979 Transfer Study. Report 3: Second Year Persistence And Achievement . Springfield: Illinois Community College Board, 1982. (English).
  • Koltai, L. Redefining The Associate Degree . Washington, DC: American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, 1984. (English).
  • SUNY Community College Graduates: Their Futures . Analysis Paper No. 822. Albany : State University of New York, Office for Community Colleges, 1982. (English).
  • Wittstruck, JR Requirements For Certificates, Diplomas And Associate Degrees: A Survey Of The States . Denver , CO : State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, 1985.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Printout from the ANABIN database of the Central Office for Foreign Education. (JPG) Country: USA, Degree type: Associate of Arts / of Science u. a. (No longer available online.) Kultusministerkonferenz - Central Office for Foreign Education, archived from the original on March 18, 2018 ; accessed on May 25, 2017 (German): “The training can only be assigned to the German secondary school sector. It can have a vocational or general educational character. [...] Description of the course - 2 years of study in the job-related terminal or science-propaedeutic transfer program [...] Equivalence class - conditionally comparable [...] Corresponding German degree type - "Fachschule" [...] Der Associate degree [...] can, depending on the orientation, be equivalent to a German vocational qualification or, if a prescribed range of subjects is fulfilled, the Abitur. "
  2. ^ Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree. CollegeAtlas.org, June 24, 2014, archived from the original October 10, 2016 ; accessed on May 26, 2017 (English).
  3. ^ Associate Degrees (AA, AS, AAS, AAA). CollegeAtlas.org, August 9, 2017, archived from the original October 5, 2017 ; accessed on November 23, 2017 (English).
  4. ^ Courses and qualifications, Higher education, Australia. (No longer available online.) Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), archived from the original on March 10, 2011 ; accessed on February 21, 2011 .
  5. ↑ Information sheet for the recognition of the equivalence of educational certificates from the educational system of the United States of America with the certificate of the German higher education entrance qualification. (PDF, 378 kB) (No longer available online.) Düsseldorf District Government, Department 48, Certificate Recognition Office, November 15, 2010, archived from the original on December 7, 2010 ; accessed on May 26, 2017 (German).