Meaning & use
associate's or associate degree
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A two-year college degree, usually awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, or some universities.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an associate's degree' or 'two associate degrees'.
Patterns
- earn an associate's degree
- an associate degree in something
- get an associate's degree
She earned an associate's degree in nursing from the local community college.
Many students start with an associate degree before transferring to a four-year university.
He decided to get an associate's degree in computer science to start his career quickly.
Word forms
| plural | associate's degrees |
|---|---|
| plural (without apostrophe) | associate degrees |
Common combinations
- earn an associate's degree
- It took her two years to earn an associate's degree in business.
- associate degree in [subject]
- He has an associate degree in graphic design.
- two-year associate degree
- The program offers a two-year associate degree in culinary arts.
- transfer an associate degree
- Some universities allow you to transfer an associate degree into a bachelor's program.
Synonyms and how they differ
- two-year degree
- A general term for any degree that takes two years; 'associate's degree' is the specific name for this type of degree.
- community college degree
- Refers to a degree from a community college, which is often an associate's degree, but not always.
Word family
- associate noun
- A person who works with another, or a degree title.
- bachelor's degree noun
- A four-year college degree, often following an associate's degree.
- master's degree noun
- A graduate degree that follows a bachelor's degree.
Commonly confused: associate's or associate degree or bachelor's degree?
associate's or associate degree vs bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree usually takes four years, while an associate's degree takes about two.
Practice
Which sentence uses the term correctly?
Choose one answer.
An associate's degree is typically a two-year degree from a community college, so option 1 is correct. Option 0 is wrong because four years is usually for a bachelor's degree. Option 2 is wrong because an associate's degree is not a graduate degree. Option 3 is wrong because six years is too long for an associate's degree.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “associate's or associate degree”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.