Associate's degree

An associate's degree is a degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges and some bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities in Canada and the United States upon completion of a course of study equivalent to the first two years in a four-year college or university. It is the lowest in the hierarchy of academic degrees offered in these countries. Common abbreviations are AA (Associate of Arts), AS (Associate of Science) and AAS (Associate of Applied Science).

Problems

Koltai (1984) presents a comprehensive analysis of the current status of the associate degree. He reports several issues that need to be addressed as community college educators plan associate degree programs for the future. These issues include:

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• the relatively low prestige of the degree in higher education
• college-by-college variation in subject area and unit requirements
• the fact that many colleges and universities prefer their own transfer requirements rather than accepting the associate degree as qualifying students for transfer
• the need to keep up with high technology in vocational associate degree programs
• the desirability of competency-based programs that certify the learning outcomes of associate degree programs
• the need for more honor sections to attract and retain gifted students
• the types of courses for terminal two year programs are not adequate (or not transferable) for a four year college

In light of these issues, Koltai recommends that colleges establish testing and placement procedures for entering students, specify competency standards for degree graduates, improve the pre-service and in-service professional development of community college faculty, and establish associate degree committees to work with faculty, students, four-year institutions and businesses in improving counseling, job-placement, and transfer. In response, many community colleges have made arrangements with four-year institutions (usually those nearby or that offer advanced training in a specialized field) whereby the associates degree and the related hours will normally meet the "core" requirements for the first two years towards a bachelor's degree.

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