I Want Have a Description for My Associate of Arts

If you're ready to start a new career or want to advance in your current field, gaining a broad-based education through an Associate of Arts program could help you reach your goals. Just what is an Associate of Arts caste, and what can y'all do with i?

An Associate of Arts (AA) degree is 1 of the about mutual types of two-yr degree programs. It offers a strong foundation of general education courses in subjects like writing, humanities and social science and also provides key career skills.

"The AA degree prepares students with skills that 21st-century employers seek in job candidates, like communication, critical thinking, quantitative reasoning and technological literacy," said Calliope Pappadakis, a general education instructor at Southern New Hampshire Academy (SNHU).

Earning an AA degree can give you the boost you lot demand to start an heady career across many fields, including social services, business organisation, retail and more. If you're ready to kickstart your career, an Acquaintance of Arts degree could help you reach your goals.

AA degree programs are designed for students who have accomplished a high schoolhouse diploma or equivalent and desire to advance in their current careers, offset new careers or lay a foundation for their future education.

Because associate degrees are typically two-year programs, they tin can help yous get the knowledge and skills you need to start your career faster than a bachelor's degree program.

While an acquaintance degree is more affordable than a available's caste, cost can vary by university and a student'due south transfer credits. While a ii-yr program is more accessible financial assist is available for students working towards an associate degree.

"The AA degree might be a better selection for someone who is not ready to commit to the iv-year caste, fifty-fifty if they are considering it in their long-term goals," said Pappadakis. "The AA degree helps yous get your foot in the door, both professionally and educationally."

How Many Credit Hours for an AA Degree?

Associate caste programs typically require threescore total credits. Since an undergraduate course is usually worth three credits, a 60-credit degree program translates into twenty courses. These courses are traditionally completed over the span of two years.

Then, what is an Associate of Arts caste program really going to take to complete? The actual number of courses required and the time it takes to finish an AA degree can vary significantly from student to student.

Considering more students are balancing piece of work and family unit obligations with their educational activity, a growing number of online acquaintance caste programs offering more than flexibility to earn a caste at your ain stride.

If yous're working total-time while pursuing your degree, it may accept you longer than two years to consummate the plan. While not typically required for AA caste programs, gaining real-world learning experience through internships may also add additional credit hours to your degree.

But while some students may have longer than two years to consummate an AA program, others tin earn their caste even faster. Because general education courses make upwards a big portion of the Associate of Arts program, students with past educational feel tin often apply transfer credits toward their program requirements. Some degree programs may even offer credit for professional person experience, said Pappadakis.

What Can You Study in an AA Caste Program?

A broad multifariousness of Acquaintance of Arts degree programs are available to help you reach your personal career goals. Two examples of AA degree programs include liberal arts and digital photography.

AA in Liberal Arts

In a liberal arts associate degree programme, you tin go the general education and career skills you need to seek entry-level jobs in business organisation, social services, administration or management positions. You'll get an introduction to arts and civilization and begin to improve understand your place in the world around you lot.

This wide-based degree program can assist you gain valuable writing, computational and technical skills equally y'all explore a variety of subject field areas, including:

• Humanities and history
• Social and behavioral sciences
• Technology and math

Y'all tin also gain important disquisitional thinking and trouble-solving skills equally you learn to analyze bug from all angles, inquiry solutions and communicate your findings to a variety of audiences.

AA in Digital Photography

With a digital photography acquaintance degree, you can combine the benefits of a liberal arts educational activity with essential technical and artistic photography skills.

Along with full general education courses in writing, advice and social sciences, you tin explore design theory, learn how to utilize light and color and gain fundamental mail service-production editing skills to process digital images.

Other topics of study may include:

• History of photography
• Media communication
• Visual literacy

If you dream of running your ain photography studio, an Associate of Arts degree can besides provide you with business organization noesis to help you get your career as a professional photographer upward and running subsequently graduation.

No matter what yous choose to study in an AA degree program, you'll have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of topics and gain valuable skills through general education courses.

Associate of Arts caste programs also typically include several elective courses. This means you can tailor your degree to your particular interests and career goals and graduate with the noesis and skills you need to seek your dream job.

Which is Better, an AA or an Every bit Caste?

If yous're considering an AA caste, you lot may be wondering nearly other associate degrees and if some are better than others.

There are two primary types of acquaintance degrees available: an Associate of Arts (AA) and an Acquaintance of Science (Equally).

An AA degree typically focuses on liberal arts education, including social sciences, humanities, design and more. Developing career skills is a focus of AA degree programs, and students can go on to many entry-level positions in human being services, communications and administrative roles.

An AS degree is also a ii-year program. While there is still a focus on liberal arts subjects through full general educational activity courses, degree-specific courses typically focus on business organisation, technology or practical sciences, depending on the specific programme.

Deciding which type of acquaintance degree is right for y'all is less virtually one program existence amend than the other and more than well-nigh how they each prepare you lot to reach your personal and professional goals, said Pappadakis.

"The AA and Every bit are both valuable degrees every bit they strengthen students' real-world skills and prepare students for both personal and professional success," she said. "Both degrees offer students the opportunity to gain skills that are valuable in today's workforce, and both set up students for a new career or job advancement."

It's of import to explore the types of jobs y'all can get with an acquaintance degree and how they align with your professional goals to decide which program is correct for you.

What is an Associate of Arts Degree Used For?

AA degrees provide a strong foundation of career skills that employers are looking for across many industries. Earning an associate degree could aid boost your lifetime earnings and employment prospects.

"The AA degree is a stepping stone for students looking to grow in a career where their current employer requires some postsecondary education," said Pappadakis.

Through the broad-based teaching of an AA program, you tin can develop skills such as:

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Decision making
• Problem-solving

While the specific jobs you can go with an AA caste will vary depending on your particular area of report, these skills can help you stand out to employers and become a rewarding job beyond many industries.

What Jobs Tin You Become With an Acquaintance of Arts Degree?

According to information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), possible jobs for AA caste holders include:

• Authoritative assistant: Manage concern operations and keep an function running smoothly by assisting with paperwork, scheduling meetings and being the office'southward first point of contact. In 2020, administrative assistants earned a median annual bacon of $twoscore,990, according to BLS data.
• Customer service representative: Assist customers online, over the phone or in person past answering questions and responding to complaints about a business organisation and its products or services. According to BLS, the median wage for customer service representatives in 2020 was $17.23 per hour – an annual wage of about $35,830 for total-time employees.
• Food service managing director: Oversee the daily operations of a bar, restaurant, hotel or cafeteria. If you've worked in the service industry before, management positions tin can help you lot advance your career. Food service managers earned a median annual wage of $56,590 in 2020, co-ordinate to BLS data.
• I nformation clerk: Perform clerical tasks such as preparing routine reports, bills, claims, payments or orders for an organization. Manage records for a business and provide data to company employees and customers. According to BLS, information clerks earned a median almanac salary of $36,920 in 2020.
• Photographer: Use your technical expertise and creativity to produce, edit and preserve images that tell a story or record an consequence. Jobs are available in aeriform photography, commercial photography, portrait photography, event photography and other types of photography. According to BLS data, photographers earned a median wage of $19.85 per hr – or well-nigh $41,288 annually for full-fourth dimension workers.
• Preschool teacher: Educate and care for children in preschools, daycare centers and other similar settings. Teach language, motor and social skills and provide for children'southward health and rubber. In 2020, preschool teachers earned a median salary of $31,930. [Note: some states may require licensure or other credentials for preschool teachers.]
• Social and human service assistant: Provide services to individuals and families, assistance social workers and other homo service professionals and connect clients with community services. In 2020, social and human service administration earned a median annual wage of $35,960, according to BLS data.

Is an Associate of Arts Caste Worth It?

In many fields, an associate degree is plenty to become started in entry-level positions. If you already have professional feel in your called field, earning an AA degree may as well be enough to pursue higher-level leadership positions and accelerate your career.

"More and more employers are requiring some course of postsecondary education, and in many cases, a two-twelvemonth caste is sufficient and offers graduates an opportunity to advance in t

According to the BLS, associate degree holders earned near 20% more per week in 2020 than workers with only a high school diploma. Associate degree holders also experienced lower unemployment rates, at 7.i% for associate caste holders compared to ix% for high school graduates without any college experience.heir career or launch into a new one," said Pappadakis.

Jobs for acquaintance caste holders are also growing. According to BLS data, jobs requiring at least an associate degree are expected to ascension x.5% from 2020-2030.

An AA degree can also set you upwardly for success in a 4-yr bachelor's degree program, which can help yous advance your didactics and career even farther.

"The AA degree can serve every bit a meaningful milestone to someone who is because a bachelor'south degree, as it is the equivalent to the offset two years of the four-year degree," said Pappadakis.

What Bachelor's Degree Can I Get With an Acquaintance in Arts?

An AA degree is a great first stride toward almost any bachelor's degree. Because a big portion of the AA degree consists of general educational activity courses, you'll likely exist able to transfer those credits to a bachelor's degree programme.

"Students tin can transfer quite hands into bachelor's programs should they determine to in the future," said Pappadakis.

Depending on the available's program you're seeking, yous may demand to accept some prerequisite classes before officially showtime to piece of work toward your degree. Merely in about cases, you'll be able to start your bachelor's degree with your general education courses already completed. This means y'all can get started on your program courses faster and graduate with your 4-year caste sooner.

And if you stop upwards pausing your educational activity earlier completing the four-year degree, you'll still have your Associate of Arts credential to support your career. According to BLS data, people with an associate caste have better earning and professional potential than workers who take taken some college courses without completing whatsoever degree.

Why Earn an Associate of Arts Degree?

Now that y'all've explored the ins and outs of an AA caste, you lot may yet be wondering if this educational path is correct for yous. So, what is an Associate of Arts degree actually good for?

Co-ordinate to Pappadakis, there are many directly career benefits for students.

"Many jobs today require an acquaintance degree, then for someone looking to bring together the workforce, the AA degree can increase their marketability and job candidacy," said Pappadakis.

Perhaps you don't need a four-year degree to advance your career in your chosen field. Or perchance you're just non sure what your calling is and aren't set to commit to a four-year caste.

No matter your reasons for pursuing a two-year degree programme, an AA caste is a credential that can open up many doors.

"Students gain skills that are in high demand today, like communication, intercultural knowledge and skills that are function of lifelong learning and empower students to have control of their ain learning and explore the globe with marvel and reflection," said Pappadakis.

Read more than about why an acquaintance degree might be the right selection for y'all.

Danielle Gagnon is a freelance writer focused on higher didactics. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Source: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/what-is-an-associate-of-arts-degree

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