You graduate high
school and look forward to continuing your education at a college or
university. Your first sixty credits
help you earn an associates degree. This degree can help you get a better job
or transfer to a better university. If you need to work or raise a family, but
still want to work towards an associates degree, enroll in an online associates
degree program. With a little research, you can find associates degree programs
that are easily transferable to other schools.
Community
colleges are popular for students who want to get their associates degree
before working or attending a large school. Community colleges are also cheaper
than larger schools. Community colleges offer distance education for associate
degrees and certificates. Certain career development schools also offer
associates degrees and certificates online. Depending on your future goals,
this option is becoming more popular for students who wish to obtain a degree.
Associate degree
programs are available online from an abundant number of schools. Associate
degrees do not usually require too much field experience, so they are easier to
offer online than degrees that require more in depth field experience. You can
get an associate of arts degree or an associate of science degree online. The
AA gives you credits worthy of transferring and the AS gives you a degree
worthy of taking into the workforce. Online programs for both degrees include:
criminal justice, education, accounting, psychology, sociology, business,
automotive technology, computer technology and more.
Once you have
done a little research and decided on your major, contact the schools you are
interested in to find out if they offer your degree online. You can also
research schools online to find schools out of your general area that may offer
your major. Just make sure that any school you choose is accredited by an
agency recognized by the Department of Education. You will have trouble
transferring college credit from any online associates degree from an unaccredited
school. Once you find a school, the application process is the same as if you
were registering at the regular school. You will need to send in test scores
and high school transcripts.
Once you are
registered, begin enrolling in classes. Most classes will still require that
you buy the same textbook that campus classes are using. Your professor will
most likely assign reading sections from the textbook along with any work
assignments. The great thing is that the due date will not be two days away.
Online classes offer much more scheduling freedom than on campus classes.
If you are taking
distance education classes at a local community college, you might consider
taking a few night classes on campus along with your distance education
classes. Once you have completed sixty
or more credits, your school will grant you the associates degree. Most schools
will allow online degree graduates to get their diploma with the other
graduates at the graduation ceremony. If you work diligently, you can earn an
online associates degree in two years or less.