What Classes Are Required for an Aa in Arts
If you're ready to offset a new career or want to advance in your current field, gaining a broad-based instruction through an Associate of Arts programme could help y'all reach your goals. But what is an Associate of Arts degree, and what tin y'all do with ane?
An Associate of Arts (AA) degree is one of the most common types of two-yr caste programs. Information technology offers a strong foundation of full general educational activity courses in subjects like writing, humanities and social science and besides provides cardinal career skills.
"The AA caste prepares students with skills that 21st-century employers seek in job candidates, similar communication, critical thinking, quantitative reasoning and technological literacy," said Calliope Pappadakis, a general pedagogy teacher at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).
Earning an AA caste can give you the boost y'all demand to commencement an exciting career across many fields, including social services, business, retail and more. If yous'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 achieved a loftier school diploma or equivalent and desire to advance in their current careers, start new careers or lay a foundation for their future pedagogy.
Because associate degrees are typically ii-year programs, they can assist you get the noesis and skills you need to kickoff your career faster than a available'south caste programme.
While an associate degree is more than affordable than a bachelor'due south caste, cost can vary past university and a student's transfer credits. While a two-yr program is more accessible financial aid is available for students working towards an associate degree.
"The AA degree might be a ameliorate selection for someone who is not ready to commit to the four-year degree, even if they are considering it in their long-term goals," said Pappadakis. "The AA degree helps y'all get your pes in the door, both professionally and educationally."
How Many Credit Hours for an AA Degree?
So, what is an Acquaintance of Arts degree program really going to accept to complete? The actual number of courses required and the time information technology takes to terminate an AA degree can vary significantly from student to student.
Considering more students are balancing work and family obligations with their education, a growing number of online acquaintance degree programs offering more flexibility to earn a degree at your own pace.
If you're working full-time while pursuing your degree, it may take you longer than 2 years to complete the programme. While not typically required for AA degree programs, gaining real-world learning experience through internships may also add additional credit hours to your degree.
Merely while some students may take longer than two years to complete an AA program, others can earn their degree even faster. Because general teaching courses brand upwardly a large portion of the Associate of Arts program, students with by educational experience can oft apply transfer credits toward their program requirements. Some degree programs may even offer credit for professional experience, said Pappadakis.
What Can You lot Study in an AA Degree Plan?
A wide diverseness of Associate of Arts degree programs are bachelor 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 program, you can get the full general education and career skills you need to seek entry-level jobs in business, social services, administration or management positions. Y'all'll get an introduction to arts and culture and begin to better understand your identify in the earth around you.
This wide-based degree programme tin can help y'all gain valuable writing, computational and technical skills as yous explore a variety of subject areas, including:
- Humanities and history
- Social and behavioral sciences
- Technology and math
You tin also gain of import critical thinking and problem-solving skills as yous learn to clarify problems from all angles, research solutions and communicate your findings to a variety of audiences.
AA in Digital Photography
Along with full general education courses in writing, communication and social sciences, you can explore pattern theory, learn how to employ light and color and proceeds key post-production editing skills to process digital images.
Other topics of study may include:
- History of photography
- Media advice
- Visual literacy
If you lot dream of running your own photography studio, an Associate of Arts degree can also provide you with business noesis to help y'all become your career as a professional person photographer up and running after graduation.
No matter what you choose to study in an AA caste program, you'll have the opportunity to explore a broad variety of topics and gain valuable skills through general instruction courses.
Associate of Arts degree 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 knowledge and skills y'all demand to seek your dream job.
Which is Better, an AA or an AS Degree?
If you're considering an AA caste, you lot may be wondering virtually other acquaintance degrees and if some are improve than others.
There are two principal types of associate degrees available: an Associate of Arts (AA) and an Acquaintance of Scientific discipline (Every bit).
An AA degree typically focuses on liberal arts education, including social sciences, humanities, design and more. Developing career skills is a focus of AA caste programs, and students can become on to many entry-level positions in human services, communications and administrative roles.
An AS degree is besides a two-year program. While there is nevertheless a focus on liberal arts subjects through general instruction courses, caste-specific courses typically focus on concern, technology or practical sciences, depending on the specific program.
Deciding which type of associate caste is correct for you is less about one program existence amend than the other and more about how they each prepare y'all to reach your personal and professional goals, said Pappadakis.
"The AA and AS are both valuable degrees as they strengthen students' real-world skills and set up students for both personal and professional success," she said. "Both degrees offer students the opportunity to proceeds skills that are valuable in today'southward workforce, and both prepare students for a new career or job advocacy."
Information technology'southward important to explore the types of jobs yous tin can get with an acquaintance degree and how they align with your professional goals to make up one's mind which program is right for you.
What is an Associate of Arts Caste Used For?
AA degrees provide a stiff foundation of career skills that employers are looking for beyond many industries. Earning an associate degree could help 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 didactics of an AA program, you can develop skills such as:
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Decision making
- Trouble-solving
While the specific jobs you lot tin can get with an AA degree will vary depending on your item area of report, these skills tin can help you stand up out to employers and become a rewarding task beyond many industries.
What Jobs Can You Get With an Associate of Arts Degree?
According to data from the U.S. Agency of Labor Statistics (BLS), possible jobs for AA degree holders include:
- Administrative assistant: Manage concern operations and go on an role running smoothly past assisting with paperwork, scheduling meetings and beingness the office's first point of contact. In 2020, authoritative assistants earned a median annual salary of $twoscore,990, according to BLS data.
- Customer service representative: Assist customers online, over the phone or in person by answering questions and responding to complaints about a business 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 nigh $35,830 for full-time employees.
- Food service managing director: Oversee the daily operations of a bar, eating house, hotel or cafeteria. If yous've worked in the service industry before, direction positions tin can help yous accelerate your career. Food service managers earned a median annual wage of $56,590 in 2020, according to BLS information.
- 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 information to company employees and customers. Co-ordinate to BLS, information clerks earned a median annual salary of $36,920 in 2020.
- Photographer: Use your technical expertise and inventiveness to produce, edit and preserve images that tell a story or tape an event. Jobs are available in aerial 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 60 minutes – or about $41,288 annually for full-fourth dimension workers.
- Preschool instructor: Brainwash and care for children in preschools, daycare centers and other similar settings. Teach language, motor and social skills and provide for children'due south wellness and prophylactic. In 2020, preschool teachers earned a median bacon of $31,930. [Note: some states may crave licensure or other credentials for preschool teachers.]
- Social and man service banana: Provide services to individuals and families, assist social workers and other human being service professionals and connect clients with community services. In 2020, social and human service assistants earned a median annual wage of $35,960, co-ordinate to BLS data.
Is an Associate of Arts Degree Worth It?
"More than and more employers are requiring some grade of postsecondary educational activity, and in many cases, a two-yr degree is sufficient and offers graduates an opportunity to advance in t
According to the BLS, associate degree holders earned about 20% more per week in 2020 than workers with merely a high school diploma. Associate degree holders likewise experienced lower unemployment rates, at 7.1% for associate degree holders compared to 9% for high school graduates without any college experience.heir career or launch into a new one," said Pappadakis.
Jobs for associate degree holders are also growing. According to BLS information, jobs requiring at to the lowest degree an associate degree are expected to ascent ten.5% from 2020-2030.
An AA degree can also set you up for success in a four-year available's caste programme, which tin can assist y'all advance your education and career fifty-fifty further.
"The AA degree tin can serve as a meaningful milestone to someone who is considering a bachelor'south degree, as information technology is the equivalent to the start two years of the 4-year degree," said Pappadakis.
What Bachelor's Caste Can I Become With an Associate in Arts?
An AA degree is a great first step toward nigh whatsoever bachelor'southward degree. Considering a large portion of the AA degree consists of general didactics courses, you'll probable be able to transfer those credits to a available's degree plan.
"Students can transfer quite easily into bachelor's programs should they make up one's mind to in the future," said Pappadakis.
Depending on the bachelor'due south program you're seeking, y'all may need to take some prerequisite classes before officially first to work toward your degree. But in most cases, you'll be able to start your bachelor's degree with your general education courses already completed. This means you can get started on your program courses faster and graduate with your four-year degree sooner.
And if y'all finish upward pausing your education before completing the four-year degree, you lot'll still accept your Associate of Arts credential to support your career. According to BLS data, people with an associate degree accept better earning and professional potential than workers who accept taken some college courses without completing any degree.
Why Earn an Associate of Arts Degree?
Now that you've explored the ins and outs of an AA degree, you may all the same be wondering if this educational path is right for y'all. So, what is an Acquaintance of Arts degree actually good for?
According to Pappadakis, there are many directly career benefits for students.
"Many jobs today crave an associate degree, so for someone looking to join the workforce, the AA degree can increase their marketability and job candidacy," said Pappadakis.
Peradventure yous don't demand a four-twelvemonth degree to advance your career in your chosen field. Or maybe you're but not sure what your calling is and aren't set up to commit to a 4-year degree.
No thing your reasons for pursuing a ii-year caste program, an AA caste is a credential that can open up many doors.
"Students proceeds skills that are in loftier demand today, like communication, intercultural knowledge and skills that are office of lifelong learning and empower students to take command of their own learning and explore the world with curiosity and reflection," said Pappadakis.
Read more than about why an associate caste might exist the right choice for you.
Danielle Gagnon is a freelance writer focused on higher didactics. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Source: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/what-is-an-associate-of-arts-degree
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