Online Associate Degrees

Associate degrees generally take two years to complete and combine general education requirements with specific, career-focused skills. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies associate degrees into two types--occupational degrees, which prepare students for a specific career, and transfer degrees, which count towards the completion of a bachelor's degree.

Students who choose occupational associate degrees can receive targeted training in a specific career field. Coursework focuses on how principles are applied in the professional world and tend to be hands-on in nature, the BLS reports. After completing an occupational or applied associate degree, students should be ready to move directly into the workforce.

Transfer associate degrees are two-year degrees designed to transfer credits toward a four-year bachelor's degree at a college or university. Community colleges, which most commonly offer associate degrees, had average tuition of $2,400 for full-time students in 2007-2008 the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports. Public four-year colleges charged more than twice that at $7,100. Earning an associate degree before transferring to a four-year college to complete a bachelor's degree can result in significant cost savings for students.

Transfer associate degrees generally include staple elements of a liberal arts curriculum such as English, science, math and writing. Students can earn an associate degree in a broad field such as liberal arts or general studies before going on to specialize at the bachelor's degree level, or they can select a specific major such as history or business.

According to a 2008 report by the NCES, more than half of community college students are part-time students--a statistic that has held true since the early 1970s. The NCES reports that in 2006, 62 percent of students at two-year colleges were enrolled part time compared to 27 percent of students at public four-year colleges. The NCES also reports that students at community colleges tend to be older than students at four-year colleges. In 2003-2004, 35 percent of community college students were over the age of 30 compared to only 13 percent at public four-year colleges.

These statistics indicate that community college students are more likely than their peers at four-year institutions to be balancing work and family while attending school. The flexibility of online associate degrees can help students juggle these obligations, allowing them to attend classes when it's convenient for them and keep working while in school.

Many occupational associate degree programs, such as nursing or engineering technician programs, emphasize hands-on skills. Students earning online associate degrees can fulfill these requirements by taking a portion of their classes at a local campus or arranging an internship with a local employer. Many schools offering online associate degrees have internship programs already in place.

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce projects great demand for what it terms "middle skill" jobs, or jobs that require an associate degree or occupational certificate, by 2018. Middle skill jobs, which include occupations such as paralegal, dental hygienist, electrician and police officer, are some of the fastest-growing jobs in the nation.

The following jobs require an associate degree for employment and are listed along with their 2009 mean annual salary and 2008 to 2018 job outlook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Registered nurse: $66,530, 22 percent job growth
• Dental hygienist: $67,860, 36 percent job growth
• Computer support specialists: $47,360, 14 percent job growth
• Paralegal: $50,080, 28 percent job growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010, associate degree holders had a median weekly wage of $767 compared to $626 for those with a high school diploma. Associate degree holders were also less likely to be unemployed--they had an unemployment rate of 7 percent compared to 10.3 percent for those with only a high school diploma.

Many of today's growing careers require the kind of skills students can gain in an associate degree program. In a wide range of industries and occupations, the targeted career training and cost savings of an associate degree program can help students find their place in a changing job market.