An associate’s degree is a two-year program that prepare students for employment or advanced study. Some students obtain their associate’s degree and enter the workforce immediately while other continue their education and apply to a bachelor’s degree program.

Associate degrees are usually 60 credit hours worth of classes. The learning experience is divided into three major parts: your major classes, any electives, and general education courses.

Your major classes are those classes that specifically relate to what degree you’re going for. So, if you’re going for graphic design, let’s say, your major classes will be Graphic Design 101, Digital Design, 3-D Design, Color Theory, Photoshop, and other core classes.

Electives are classes you take to get to your 60 hours, but you’ve got some wiggle room here. You can take Art History, or Web Design. Your electives are generally going to be focused on your major, but you have the freedom to pick what you want to learn about.

Your general education classes are classes that everyone has to take. Classes like psychology, algebra, history, and English are usually included in general education. This is what helps your education become so “well rounded”.

So, what areas can you get your associate’s degree in? Well, there are more than a few to choose from. Here are a few to give you an idea of what your options are: Accounting, Web Design, Nursing, Electronics, E-Commerce, Computer Animation, Early Childhood Education, Marketing, Criminal Justice, Paralegal Studies, Management, Computer Science, and Psychology.

And trust us, this is only the tip of the iceburg!

The nice thing about associate degrees is that you can choose to go to a brick and mortar school, or you can get your degree online. There are hundreds of online universities that offer online associate degrees, and many students come away from their experience satisfied. Now that more and more online universities are seeking third party accreditation (to ensure they keep the same high-standards as their brick and mortar counterparts), you can rest easy knowing that even though you’re pursuing your associate’s degree online, you’re still receiving a top-notch education.