A.A. vs A.S. – Difference and Comparison

What is A.A.?

Associates of Arts is abbreviated as AA. The AA is the ideal route to transfer to a university and pursue a four-year bachelor’s degree in various topics. Furthermore, for learners who may not pick a school or a specialization during the phase transition, the AA acquire and apply the knowledge the most flexibility.

The AA diploma is a 2 curriculum that can prepare students for careers in arts, math, literature, history, psychiatry, and biology. This associate’s degree is seen as a stepping stone approaching undergraduate courses.

The associate of arts program contains all core and optional topics. The basic topics that’ll be concentrated on during the first year are known as core classes. The program can be offered on-site, through correspondence courses, or online, with the electives always taken in the 2nd year.

As a participant in the course, one can learn a variety of talents. Writing and interpersonal abilities, the capacity to work in teams (group leadership), the implementation of learning ideas to the physical world, and investigation, analytical, and analytical thinking are only a few.

Furthermore, the curriculum is considered as less concentrated on a vocation than on core subjects that will equip students for a 4-year bachelor’s. This is also known as a Transfer degree. It takes 60 hours of classroom work until it can be given.

What is A.S.?

A 2-year Associate of Bachelor in science can also be used as a launching pad toward a bachelor of science. Both of these are comparable, although AS is much more career-oriented. The learner can combine basic and professional studies in this program.

As a result, it prepares students for a profession while also preparing them for a four-year education. Students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in science and mathematics should engage in the AS program (or higher).

Associate of Science degrees is used to describe associate advanced degrees, technology, mathematics, and perhaps other technical subjects.

The AS degree, however unlike AA, includes fewer optional classes and concentrates so much on subject areas. Individuals will get a broad grasp of physical and applied fields as an Associate of Research student, which will help you to develop overall investigation and reasoning skills.

The curriculum provides children with a wide life lesson by allowing them to specialize in classes and concentrate on relevant developments. The program also helps students to build abilities such as quantitative reasoning and measuring expertise.

A practical degree is another name for it. Students can begin functioning as experts in one of their many sectors of interest as soon as they complete the program. The AS majors are lawyer, remediation, business, and web design.

Difference Between A.S. and A.A.

  1. The major difference between both is that an A.A. degree is preferred when students want to pursue in Humanities field whereas A.S. is preferred when Science/ Math or technical field is concerned.
  2. Students had to choose a foreign language for credits in the case of A. Whereas students are free from it in the case of an A.S. degree.
  3. A.A. is a 2-year program whereas A.S. is a 4-year one.
  4. A.A. is leading to only Bachelor’s degree whereas learns can opt for many in the case of A.S.
  5. In the case of A.A., 5 credits in Social Science or Humanities is a must whereas, in the case of A.S., 5 credits in Science/Mathematics in A.S. is a must.

Comparison Between A.A. and A.S.

Parameters of ComparisonA.A.A.S.
Stands forAssociates of ArtsAssociate of Science
Duration2-years4-year
TypeThis leads to Bachelor’s degree
This leads to other specialized
courses
FieldHumanitiesPractical and Vocational
CategoryLiberal Arts DegreeSci. and Maths
Foreign LanguagesMust be taken for creditNot necessary
Credits5 credits either in Humanities or in Social Science5 credits in either Science or in Mathematics.

References

  1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10668926.2020.1741477
  2. https://search.proquest.com/openview/00b79390bdcd6bb4cb380b182bb96316/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750
  3. https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8B56J9S