An Associate of Science degree can be a step toward a new career or a bachelor’s degree. Learn more about how these two-year programs can support your goals.
An Associate of Science (AS) degree is a two-year degree in a scientific or technical subject. In the United States, you can typically earn your Associate of Science degree from community colleges. While some students earn the degree to launch or support their career, others transfer into bachelor’s degree programs.
Explore what you can study in an Associate of Science degree program, what it takes to earn the degree, and what you can do with it after graduation.
Associate of Science degrees are available in a range of STEM, business, and computer science subjects. As opposed to a college major, which you declare as part of a four-year undergraduate degree, you won’t spend as much time studying your chosen subject in an associate degree program.
Instead, you can expect to complete a set of core requirements—which are likely to include math, English, social science, and humanities—before studying some electives in your preferred field.
An Associate of Science degree tends to be a flexible degree choice, allowing you to enter the workforce and pursue a variety of roles or transfer to a four-year bachelor’s degree and continue your education. Between 2023 and 2024, colleges in the US awarded over a million associate degrees [1].
Requirements vary by school and program, but you’ll typically need to complete 60 credits, which generally takes two years of full-time study. However, the curriculum can be flexible. Many community colleges allow you to accelerate your studies to one year or extend them to three.
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The options for AS degree majors are vast. You can keep your studies general, focusing on science, math, engineering, business, or computer science subjects, or you can specialize and choose subjects that relate directly to your preferred profession.
Examples of AS degree subjects include:
Paralegal studies
Nursing
Dental hygiene
Air traffic control
Policing
Digital media technology
Criminal justice
Cybersecurity
Live entertainment design and production
While both degrees take the same time to complete, the main difference between an Associate of Science and an Associate of Arts (AA) is their focus. AS courses tend to focus on STEM subjects, and AA courses tend to focus on liberal arts. Depending on your interests and needs, you can choose to pursue one or the other within your ideal time frame.
You’ll find many reasons to earn your AS degree. With an AS degree, you can study a subject you enjoy without the time and financial commitment that a bachelor’s degree requires. Since these degrees are also, for the most part, earned at community colleges, you may end up paying less for your education than if you attended a four-year college.
Some other benefits include:
When you earn your AS degree from an accredited school, your credits should transfer to a bachelor’s degree program. You’ll typically need to complete 120 credits for a bachelor’s degree, which means that you could be halfway through your bachelor’s degree by the time you enroll.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, positions requiring an associate degree are likely to grow 6.3 percent by 2033 [2].
Unemployment rates are highest for those members of the population with less than a high school diploma, at 5.6 percent, but for someone with an associate degree, this is only 2.7 percent [3]. This trend is projected to continue, with higher levels of education equating to lower levels of unemployment.
Community colleges typically offer part-time courses that can be more flexible, with options to study in the evenings and on weekends. This can be beneficial if you’re pursuing a degree while working or managing other life commitments.
Professionals with specialized knowledge are in high demand. Associate of Science degrees can be quite general; however, you can take specialized courses if you’re looking to enter a specific profession. You can access specialized associate degree jobs by taking electives such as epidemiology, integrative nursing, or digital marketing.
As with any qualification or certification, gaining an associate degree could increase your earning potential. The salary of someone who holds an associate degree in the United States is $1,058 per week on average, which is higher than someone with only a high school diploma, who earns an average of $899 [3].
Earning an AS degree can be the beginning of many career paths across health care, computer science, and communication, among others. Some popular choices include:
Pharmacy technician
Medical sonographer
Home health aid
Engineering technician
Dental hygienist
Paralegal and legal assistant
Web developer
Occupational therapy assistant
Radiologic technologist
Earning an Associate of Science degree can help you prepare for a wide variety of careers or allow you to advance to a bachelor’s degree program. You can develop important job-ready skills with a Professional Certificate on Coursera. Learn from industry leaders such as Google, IBM, Meta, and more.
If you’re curious how a degree could further expand your career opportunities, explore the range of bachelor’s degrees from top universities available on Coursera.
Yes, an associate degree is considered an undergraduate-level study. AS degrees bridge the gap between a high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree.
This depends on your career goals. A bachelor’s degree may qualify you for a broader range of jobs, but an associate degree may be adequate for some roles, allowing you to potentially save time and money. You may also choose to study for an associate degree and use the credits to continue your education with a bachelor’s degree.
National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_318.10.asp.” Accessed November 27, 2024.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupations that Need More Education for Entry are Projected to Grow Faster Than Average, https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/education-summary.htm.” Accessed November 27, 2024.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Education Pays, 2023, https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2024/data-on-display/education-pays.htm.” Accessed November 27, 2024.
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This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.
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