An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting two years. It is considered to be greater level of education than a high school diploma or GED but less than a bachelor's degree.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Australia
In 2004, Australia added "associate degree" to the Australian Qualifications Framework. This title was given to courses more academically focused than advanced diploma courses, and typically designed to articulate to bachelor's degree courses.
How Many Credits Is A Associates Degree Video
Canada
In the province of Ontario, a college is an educational institution which awards a one year certificate, two year diploma or a three year advanced diploma in technical or career programs. Universities offer 3 or 4-year bachelor's degrees, and at times partner with colleges to offer joint diploma-degree programs. For example, the University of Toronto Scarborough and Centennial College offer a joint Diploma-Degree program in paramedicine. Students are eligible to enter these programs once they have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) program at a high school, focusing their studies on college preparation. Students who wish to attend university must study a different stream of academics while obtaining their OSSD.
In the province of Quebec, an associate degree is roughly equivalent to a college diploma, which is delivered by a college-level institution. Students can take two different paths to obtain a college diploma. One way consists of completing a pre-university program, which normally has a duration of two years and prepares the applicant for university-level studies. The other way consists of completing a technical or career program in a college. Normally, courses of this nature have a duration of three years and enable the student to enter the work force directly after obtaining their diploma.
Associate degrees are offered at some universities and colleges in British Columbia.
Europe
Qualifications on the short cycle of the Bologna Process/level 5 on the European Qualifications Framework sit between secondary education and bachelor's degree level and are thus approximately equivalent to the an associate degree. Such qualifications include the Foundation degree (FdA, FdSc, FdEng) and Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) in the United Kingdom, and the Higher Certificate in the Republic of Ireland
In the Netherlands, there were four pilots between 2005 and 2011 to assess the added value of the associate degree. In 2011 the associate degree has been added to the Dutch system of higher education as a means to close the gap with the vocational education system.
France
The two-year General Academic Studies Degree has been offered since 1973.
The Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie (DUT) and the Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS) are two-year programs offered in IUT (University Institutes of Technology) and lycées respectively.
United Kingdom
The title of Associate in Physical Science (later Associate in Science) was used by the University of Durham College of Physical Sciences (now Newcastle University) from the 1870s. It required (in 1884) passes in three of mathematics, physics, chemistry and geology, and allowed students to go on to take the examination for the Bachelor of Science. As a university-level qualification lying below the bachelor's degree, this is considered to be the world's first Associate degree in the modern sense, having been first awarded in 1873, 25 years prior to their introduction into the U.S. by the University of Chicago.
The title of Associate in Arts, sometimes referred to as the degree of Associate in Arts, predates the Durham degree, having been introduced by the University of Oxford in 1857. It, however, was an examination for "those who are not members of the university" and who were under the age of 18, as such it was at the level of a high school qualification rather than a modern Associate degree. Examinations were held in english, languages, mathematics, science, drawing and music, with the title being conferred on those who students who passed any two (as long as the two were not drawing and music).
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, associate degrees, first introduced into the territory in 2000 with the aim to increase the number of students with post-secondary qualifications, are generally regarded as an inferior substitute to bachelor's degrees. The quality of teaching and graduates have been under doubt since it was introduced. Many degree-awarding and non-degree-awarding institutions start to offer associate degree courses following the government's encouragement; some of them are accused of over-admission for profits. Students who do not do well enough for university admission in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), the public examination sat by the territory's students in the final year of their secondary education, enroll in associate degree courses with the hope to obtain a place for government-funded bachelor's degree courses. As the number of university graduates continues to increase, more and more associate degree holders are finding it difficult to get employed and receive the salaries that were advertised by the government or the institutions. Although the recognition of associate degrees gradually improved in recent years, it was generally regarded as one of the worst flaws of the Hong Kong education system.
United States
In the United States, associate degrees are usually earned in two years or more and can be attained at community colleges, technical colleges, vocational schools, and some colleges. A student who completes a two-year program can earn an Associate of Arts/Associate in Arts (A.A.) or an Associate of Science/Associate in Science (A.S.) degree. A.A. degrees are usually earned in the Liberal Arts and Sciences such as humanities and social science fields; A.S. degrees are awarded to those studying in applied scientific and technical fields and professional fields of study .
Students who complete a two-year technical or vocational program can earn an Associate of Applied Science/Associate in Applied Science This type of program is designed for persons seeking direct employment upon completion. AA and AS programs are primarily designed for transfer into a bachelor's degree program.
Courses taken (and earned credits) under an A.A., A.S., or A.A.S. degree may be applied toward a bachelor's degree via articulation agreements, depending on the courses taken, applicable state laws/regulations, and the transfer requirements of the university.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
EmoticonEmoticon