From experience, Is getting an A.S. before I get my B.S. a waste of time(im going for a doctorate afterwards)?

Question

I already know about the A.A. so I dont need any guidance on that, but I wanted to know if those two years (A.S.)are worth it or not.

Answer 1

My sister had the same question when she was taking classes at community college. She planned to get an accelerated BS at Redlands and wasn't sure if she should take a couple of extra classes to get her Associates Degree. I reminded her that our mother had not finished college when she got married. Since you never know what the future will bring, I think it is best, since you are so close to getting the Associates when you are working toward your Bachelors, to get it just in case your education gets interrupted. It would be a shame to be only a couple of classes from having a degree, which could translate into more income, until your education could be resumed. Also, probably best to go for Masters before PhD, as each step helps increase your income in whatever field you choose.

Answer 2

I would say it really depends on the state you live in and the college you want to attend. In general (as you probably know), the Associates Degree is essentially the first two years of a four-year program. It's all the general liberal arts stuff. So it's not like you go to a two-year program, then have four more years on top of that.

All programs are going to have a "core" curriculum of general liberal arts classes that you need. In Texas, where I live and work at a community college, if you have an A.A. or A.S., you are considered "core complete" which means that you have met the core requirements for any public school in Texas. So I generally recommend that students do finish their Associates. This prevents any surprises, such as finding out that the classes you took at the community college aren't on the list of classes the college offers for their core, so they don't count and you have to take another humanities class or something.

But you need to look at the requirements for your program at the university and compare the list of classes required for the associates. If there are several courses required for the associates that the university doesn't require, you might not want to complete the Associates.

I would probably sit down with an academic advisor at either the community college or the university and compare the requirements for each to make a decision. In general, I recommend getting the Associates (whether it's A.A. or A.S.) but not in every case. And whether to get an A.A. or A.S. depends on the 4-year degree you're eventually going for -- is it a B.A. or B.S.? And make it match.

Answer 3

PhD is the culmination of an Academic career, a terminal degree. For a PhD, you typically need a B.A. and one or more M.A., unless your performance as an undergraduate is phenomenal.

There is no particular need for an A.S. After all, no course completed within an Associate's Degree will count as upper-level during a traditional Bachelor's programme. You will simply be considered as having completed pre-requisites and common education requirements.

Most students that receive an A.A. or A.S. with the intention of entering a traditional College/University do it for financial reasons (it is, after all, a cheaper way to go).

Answer 4

The two year degrees are only worth it of you are going to stop your education at that point. If you are planning on getting full blown B.S. then you should not worry about it at all. A two year degree in Criminal Justice, for instance, is a good stepping stone for police officers (but unnecessary to be hired in many places.)

Getting a 4 year degree gives you a good foot in the door and a taste for what you are planning to do, but all it proves to an employer is that you are trainable.

The Master's Degree is a fairly serious commitment, and is very intense in terms of what needs to be done and read for each class. I have seen the effects of attending Master's level classes and it is not pretty, even if the person is already doing the work in question for a living.

Skip the 2 year degree - you will be happy later on.

Answer 5

I think it depends what the field is for your degree.
Without knowing that, I would not advise it. You should probably talk with an advisor at your college. Since you want to go on for a PhD, I would go for the B.S. first.

Many years ago I earned an AAS. Most of the classes I took did not transfer. (I went on for a BA in Education, then a MA in History, then a MLS) That was in the 70s (for the AAS). So, times may have changed maybe colleges are accepting more transferable classes! (more bang for your buck!)

That's why I suggest that you speak with a counselor before making a decision like this.

It's good that you are thinking ahead and planning. Good luck to you.

Answer 6

i went with an associate of science degree with a business emphasis, then got my bacholers of business degree. I was way ahead of a lot of the other business majors because I had already taken so many of my business electives. For example, I already took managerial accounting, financial accounting, business laws 1 and 2, intro to business, intro to information systems, micro and macro economics, business calculus, and statistics.......makes it easy to get your 4 year degree.