How fast can I earn my associate's degree online?

Answer 1

Of course you can get an associate degree entirely online. Make sure to choose an accredited college so you can be sure you're getting credible education.

It's good to compare different colleges first to see their tuition and course offering before you commit to one so check out several of them.

Answer 2

Yes you can there are many fine accredited online colleges and universities in which to get an associates degree. See the related link I attached to this answer that site lists many online schools which are accredited.

Answer 3

typically an online Associate's Degree is 2 years. there are many Associate's Degrees that are in high demand and offer great careers...especially in Health Care. read more info in the link below.

Answer 4

If I were you I would check out University of Phoenix. It gives a large variety of interests for you to choose from so you'll be able to switch around and figure out what you're interested in. You can learn anytime and anywhere.

Answer 5

Yes, and no. First and foremost -- and this is important -- one may not take an online exam, on a website, and earn a degree. If you're looking at one of those, then you're looking at the website of a worthless diploma mill or degree mill. Stay away from it! Run! Run far. Run fast. Don't look back! And so if you're looking at an online test to get an entire degree, then the answer is positively "no."

Believe it or not, though, it is actually technically possible to do it completely legitimately, and through an accredited school...

...if you get your associates degree from a school that will allow it (and I'm only aware of two or three of them in the entire United States), to get the entire degree via standardized testing such as CLEP or DSST/Dantes. The two schools where that may be done are...

* Thomas Edison State College (TESC), in New Jersey

* Charter Oak State College (COSC), in Connecticut

...both of which are regionally-accredited, just the same as any other reputable two- or four-year college or university in the United States. And so the completely-tested-out-of associates degree earned from either school is just as credible and legitimate as any other associates degree.

Excelsior College, in New York (also regionally-accredited) will also allow completely-tested-out-of associates degrees, but it has stopped accepting certain kinds of standardized tests, and so may require that at least some of what it accepts be its own standardized tests. Both COSC and TESC also accept at least some of Excelsior's own standardized tests in lieu of CLEP and/or DANTES exams.

And, actually, all three schools will also allow completely-tested-out-of four-year Bachelors Degrees; but the problem with testing out of a bachelors degree is that CLEP/DANTES exams will only cover the lower-division (freshman and sophomore level) courses; and so one must step-up to much harder GRE "subject" exams, and other higher-leve exams, in order to test-out of the upper-division (junior and senior year) courses. Testing-out of a bachelors degree, then, is decidedly more difficult than testing-out of an associates degree. All three schools, though, will allow either, though.

Your question, though, is about testing-out of an associates degree; and all three schools can easily help you with that. Most of the exams would be either CLEP or DANTES (DSST) exams.

Most schools, though, won't allow an entire degree to be tested-out of. Most schools severely limit the amount of CLEP/DANTES exam credit that they will allow on their college transcripts. Some schools allow as little as six semester credit hours (just two out of an associate degree's 20 courses) via CLEP/DANTES exams; some none at all. Others allow up to a year's worth -- 30 semester credit hours -- but no more. So unless you go with TESC, COSC or Excelsior, you'll likely not be allowed to test completely out of an entire associates degree... or bachelors, either.

Consult the official "catalog" of the college from which you intend to get your associates degree to learn the school's rules, regulations, policies and procedures, including degree and course requirements, and such things as whether CLEP/DANTES credits are allowed, and in what quantities. Speaking with an academic advisor or admissions officer, or someone in the registrar's office, can also help... but sometimes they don't really know the answers. That's why I always recommend that one just looks it up in the catalog for himself/herself. The catalog is the college's "bible" and the official guide in all matters. So go to the college's website and either order a printed-on-paper-and-bound paperback catalog, or downlod the PDF file version, and research it.

If you insist on testing-out of an entire associates degree, then you'll almost certainly be limited to TESC, COSC or Excelsior. Personally, I recommend COSC. It's the most reasonable, creative and affordable of the three.

You'll need to test out of 60 semester credit hours worth of coursework... some 20 courses; the exam for each of which courses will cost around a hundred dollars, give or take. Plus there will be the cost of study guides, and practice exams: Never take a CLEP or DANTES exam without well preparing. Then, on top of all that, COSC charges various fees to put it all together, then there are registration and graduation fees. The whole thing will cost much less than taking the 20 courses, but it will still cost no small amount of money even to just test-out via CLEP/DANTES.

In the "sources and related links" section, below, are links to some of the things you'll need to know and understand.

Answer 6

The associates degree is designed as a two year program of study as a full-time student provided the student takes the degree as prescribed by the college, and provided the student does not require prerequisite coursework as a result of basic skills testing. There are some programs of study that may take a bit longer depending on the number of credits required. Usually these are programs within the health related fields. In addition, for students who require developmental course work as a result of basic skills testing, it would take longer. How much longer would depend on the extent of the developmental courses they are required to take. Evidently, those individuals who attend college on a part-time based would also extend their time in school. How much longer would depend on the credit load carried each semester. Typically, an associates degree takes between 60 and 64 credits to complete depending on the specific school, program of study, and state mandates.