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| Associate
Degree Online |
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An associate degree is an undergraduate degree that
usually requires sixty semester credit hours. It only takes two years of
full time education, unlike a four-year bachelor’s degree. Your diploma
upon completion indicates that you have a base in general education with
special trainings in a certain area. There are many associate degrees
available online which allows you to study anytime and anywhere that you
choose without having to give up your regular work.
Associate degrees have three parts, namely the general education
requirements, electives and major requirements. With an online associate
degree, you can study at your own pace. There are also accelerated
associate degree programs online that you can choose from. These online
classes require the same commitments just like on-campus associate
degrees. Nevertheless, what is so great about these online associate
degrees is that they can be completed entirely online and from the
comforts of your own home.
Junior, community and technical colleges award associate degrees, which
indicate that you have completed a program including core general
education and courses concentration in a certain area. An associate
online degree may be in occupational fields like liberal arts,
electrical engineering, humanities or English. Online associate degrees
in liberal arts or business are greatly accepted when you transfer into
bachelor’s programs at universities and colleges throughout the country.
More than ever before, a good education provides people with the
competitive edge they need to improve the overall quality of their
lives. A broader world perspective, increased self-confidence, and
access to more prosperous job opportunities are just some of the
advantages of continued education.
Luckily, education programs such as an online associate degree have
adapted over the years to accommodate the rapid pace of society and the
new access to information afforded to us by the Internet. The numerous
benefits of earning an online education have caused many people around
the world to seriously consider heading back to class, via the comfort
of their own home.
Many universities, business colleges, privately-run junior colleges, and
government-operated community colleges have recognized that academic
institutions need not be limited by their location or their students'
location. Over the last decade, many schools have seen the advantages of
not only accommodating people's busy lifestyles, but also of harnessing
the communication capabilities of the Internet to design more flexible
education programs that allow students to learn online.
People who are considering earning an online associate degree will first
want to find out what sort of job opportunities the degree can open up
for them. Some of many examples include a career as a registered nurse,
LPN, CNA, as well as other positions in the stable and lucrative
healthcare sector. Those interested in pursuing a career as a dental
hygienist can study dental hygiene, while those who want to get in on
the ground-floor of a booming technology company might consider pursuing
a degree in computer networking, computer programming or computer
science. Your choices can be endless, just make sure you make the right
choice for you.
The flexibility offered by distance education may appeal to different
people for any number of reasons, depending on their lifestyle. For
caregivers, parents of small children, and those with home-based
businesses, learning online allows them to maintain close contact on the
home front as well as save money that might otherwise be spent on
sitters or caretakers. Cost savings are also seen in the elimination of
commuting costs like gas, bridge tolls and transit fares.
Learning from the comfort of one's home also minimizes the distractions
typical of a classroom setting. With the current capabilities of
one-on-one video and voice chat with instructors, teachers can actually
increase the student's individualized attention. Last but not least,
higher education often opens up just as many if not more job
opportunities as bachelor's degrees, and typically at a much lower
tuition cost and in a shorter time period. Whereas bachelor's degrees
usually take three to four years to complete, an online associate degree
can be earned in two years.
Those considering taking advantage of the many benefits of earning an
associate degree online should first ensure they're up to certain
responsibilities that they may not otherwise have in a classroom
setting. At-home learners in particular need to stay motivated while
studying online, as the flexibility it provides can lead to
procrastination. Whereas students who attend courses in a classroom are
typically unable to make up missed sessions, students who study online
are often able to set their own sessions, which can easily result in an
out-of-control workload.
Students who study toward earning their degrees online also need to take
special measures for ensuring that distractions on the home-front are
kept to a minimum. Television, email, instant messaging, testing, and
people coming and going can pose distractions that might not otherwise
be accepted in a classroom setting. Relying on technology for obtaining
a degree also means having a high-speed Internet connection, stable
hardware, and backing up data on a regular basis. Be prepared and you
will succeed. |
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