

What is an Associate’s Degree?Īn associate’s degree can be a quick and more cost-effective path to a better-paying career. The following looks at some of the details involved in earning either an AA or an AS. We encourage you to read the DegreeQuery report on the Highest Paying Associates Degree, which elaborates on the best paying jobs. Presuming this is possible, the more advanced degree translates to about $1 million more money over a lifetime of steady employment.


If individuals with an undergraduate degree quickly surpass associate degree holders by $25,000 in annual pay, then the bachelor’s degree may be better over time. Fifteen percent have between $30,000 and $49,999 debt. Therefore, is it worth the additional cost and time to complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree? Statistics furnished by the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities states that 42% of students attending four-year public institutions graduate with no debt. However, many require a bachelor’s degree for example, web developers and digital designers earn an average salary of $77,200, according to the BLS. Occupations in computer user support offer well-paying jobs for those with an associate’s degree. Those with a bachelor’s had a median weekly pay of about $1,150 or $59,800 a year, and associate degree holders had an average gross income of roughly $850 per week per the BLS (2020). Graduates with a master’s degree earned an average of $1,350 per week. Some of these are growing faster than average. There are fifteen jobs in the $60,000 to $79,999 income group, such as dental hygienists, medical sonographers, nuclear medicine technologists, avionics technicians, occupational therapists, and engineering technicians. What is the Salary Potential for an Associate’s Degree?Īccording to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS 2020), occupations with the lowest income range ($30,000 – $39,999) were forest and veterinary technicians, preschool teachers, and dietetic counselors. The number of bachelor’s degrees earned is about 1.8 million for the former and roughly 2 million for 2021-22. For the current 2021-22 academic year, the figure is 983,000, according to Statista. Regardless, interest in the associate degree has remained steady over the past decade, with 1.2 million conferred in the 2011-12 school year. Therefore, despite the information to the contrary, some of which we address below – the two degrees are probably interchangeable. But you wouldn’t label that as differentiating art from a science associate’s degree. Similar to WVU, the coursework has English, mathematics, macroeconomics, accounting (financial and managerial), business law, communication, management, and business management.Ĭomparing WVU and SNHU, the classes are almost identical, except for a greater emphasis on management skills at the latter. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) offers an online Associate of Science in Business Administration with 60 credits taking two years of study. The curriculum includes math, English, accounting, macroeconomics, sociology, global studies, psychology, computer applications, and business. West Virginia University (WVU) Online has an Associate of Arts in Business Administration that consists of 20 courses or 60 credit hours. What falls into the arts at one institution might be a science at another.

However, these are general statements because schools often use the terms interchangeably. Those interested in the sciences, math, healthcare, and computer science might look at the associate of science programs. Individuals pursuing a position in the arts, psychology, philosophy, marketing, or accounting are more likely to choose an associate of arts. Specific job opportunities vary according to the chosen major in an AA or AS, and both provide the groundwork to advance to a bachelor’s program. You may also wonder, what are the advantages and disadvantages of earning an associate of arts degree (AA) versus an associate of science degree (AS)? One may not be better than the other, as it’s a matter of what suits your educational and employment plans.
