Do I really need a bachelors degree to get a good job, or could I get an associates instead?

Answer 1

Associates (Community College Level) vs. Bachelors (Four Year College or University)

Community College Level

An Associate degree (two year community college) 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. Evidently it would take longer as a part-time student. Within the United States, the associates typically falls into three main categories; Associates of Arts (AA), Associates of Science (AS), and Associates of Applied Science (AAS). An associates of arts (AA), and associates in science (AS) degrees are typically designed for transfer to a four year college or university. Therefore, these degrees have a strong liberal arts emphasis and include a good balance of humanities, social science, and written communication along with the exact sciences especially in higher level math. They also have the foundational course work needed as prerequisites for the higher level courses at the four year institution. The AAS was typically designed as a terminal degree giving the student all the expertise needed to enter the workforce after completion of the degree. However, today, many AAS degree are transferable, but the student should meet with the transfer counselor for appropriate direction when it comes to the AAS degrees. Depending on the program of study and state mandates, the associates can take anywhere from 60 to 64 credits to complete. Some programs of study (usually within the health related fields) may take a bit more in credits.

Four Year College or University Level

The bachelors degree (four year college or university) is designed as a four year program of study provided the student takes the degree as prescribed by the college or university. Again, part-time students will take longer to complete the degree. How long it would take depends on the credit load taken per semester. Basically, within the United States there are two common categories; Bachelors of Arts (BA), and Bachelors of Science (BS). It depends on the institution and department within the school as to which focus they prefer.

The BA has a broader scope, with a strong emphasis on the humanities, theoretical and general knowledge in a recognized discipline, interdisciplinary field, or of a professional study.

The BS is more of a focused approach with a science base to include a balance of liberal arts, technological knowledge, math and computer oriented skills, and practical skills needed for a particular discipline within the field.

The number of credits required depends on the program of study. In general, the bachelors can take between 120 and 128 credits to complete. Some programs of study may take more. For example, architecture. The following are some differences between community colleges, and four year colleges and universities.

Community College

Many individuals start at the community college level for a variety of reasons to include:

• Community colleges are less expensive to start out with. You can cut the cost of a four year degree almost in half by starting at a community college first, and then transferring to four year college or university to finish up the last two years.
• There are typically smaller classroom sizes at the community college with a better professor to student ratio, which means more individualized attention.
• Some students do not meet the entrance requirements of the four year college or university, thus they start at the community college first, then transfer later.
• The community colleges are typically more family oriented, with a strong sense of community.
• Some students like to be close to home, thus they start at their home county community college.

Four Year Colleges and Universities

• Four year institutions are usually larger, with a number of activities not offered at the community college level. For example, fraternities, and sororities, College Football, etc.
• Some colleges may have top name lecturers, within large lecture halls which are preferred by many students.
• Some individuals like the four year institutions environment (the university atmosphere).
• There are students who can major in special program curriculums not offered by the community college.

In the end, it is a matter of preference. Do you like being a big fish in a little pond, or a little fish in a big pond? Whichever you choose, you must be happy with your school, its offerings, the services provided, and environment. If you're not happy, you will not fair as well.

Answer 2

Personally, I would not back up into another associate degree, unless the change in career goal was very specific. In other words, if my associates degree was in business, and now I wanted to pursue a career as a registered nurse, then that might be an option. It all depends on the career choice and which avenue of approach will best satisfy your needs, wants, and desires. It would be appropriate in this case to discuss this with a good career adviser at a college or university. Still, once again I personally would not back up into another associates degree unless the intent was very career specific.

Answer 3

First, with a bachelor's degree, I do not understand why you would want to backup to an associates in business. If the associates was specific, such as an associates in applied science in the technologies, allied health fields, then I could understand it, but not for business. If you are interested in business, then you could pursue it at The Bachelor's level. How many credits would be applied from your bachelor's degree will depend on what that degree was in. If the courses at the community college are less expensive you could inquire about how many you could take for transfer purposes. You might want to look into a master's degree in business, which would make a whole lot more sense. You could take the prerequisite coursework at the undergraduate level then enter the specific program at the master's level. It doesn't matter what your undergraduate work was in. My bachelor's degree is in psychology, but my master's degree is a business degree in organizational management. An associate in business is just not going to mean that much.

Answer 4

The short answer is no.

The longer, and more accurate, answer is: an associate's degree never "counts toward" a bachelor's degree, but some or all of the courses taken for the associate's degree might count toward a bachelor's degree.

If you get the bachelor's degree from the same college you got the associate's degree from, it's almost certain that all of them will count, though they may only count as electives.

If you switch schools, the new school may accept some, none, or all of the previous credits; the details depend on the particular schools and courses involved.

The best thing to do if you think you might continue on to the bachelor's degree is to work with your major department in selecting courses that will apply directly to the bachelor's degree (and to work with the other college as well, if you think you might switch schools). For example, you might choose to take a more advanced course than is actually required for the associate's degree, because that course is part of the bachelor's degree program.

Answer 5

It depends on the field you intend to enter. Some fields require a Bachelor's, or even Master's, degree, while others an Associate's is more than fine. You should research what other people in your field say about the required education.

Before you jump into a Bachelor's program, consider what you really want to do for a career. There's an idea that everyone get's that you need to go to a 4-year college to get anywhere in the world. But there are many great careers you can get with an Associate's degree, and you can start working after 2 years with a lot less debt.