What is the difference between 'AA' & 'AS?'?

Question

I know AA means Applied Arts, and AS means Applied Science, but what is the difference between the 2?

Marcy, I am not talking about 4th grade art where you make a picture out of construction paper for your mommy.

If you were old enough, you would automatically know that these refer to college degrees.

'Hope This Helps,' No, not too much info. It was actually more than I was looking for! I wish I had known some of that years ago... Thank you.

Answer 1

Okay - here we go...

As with MOST education issues, this depends on the state in which you live. But typically...

Both the AA and the AS are 2-year degrees (as opposed to the BA, and the BS, which are 4-year degrees.) These degrees are awarded by 2-year colleges (i.e. "community college" or "junior college.")

The AA degree is an academic program of study, and usually/often preparation for tranfer to a university. For example, Joe Smith would go to Valencia Community College (Orlando) for 2 years, get his AA, and then attend the University of Florida to study for his BA or BS. Coursework for an AA degree is similar to the last 2-years of high school - English, history, science, etc.

The AS degree is a technical/vocational program of study. Many AS degrees are "terminal" degrees - in other words, that's the end of the road; you don't transfer to the university to study more. An example might be a local community college offering an AS in computer networking. This degree will probably require a couple of English and math classes, but most of the coursework will be in the subject/career area. Joe Smith would attend the local community college for 2 years, get his AS degree in computer networking, then go to work for a local business as a computer network technician.

Sometimes people get an AA and and AS at the same time. This is possible at many community/junior colleges, but it requires disciplined course selection (and maybe a couple of extra classes.) The AA program will require electives. The AA/AS student will take the required AS classes as electives in his AA program, thus fulfilling both requirements.

A couple of important things to remember:

1) Use you college ADVISOR (in high school, these are "guidance counselors," but in college they are very different.) They will get you on the right path, and provide a list of classes that you need to take to fulfill your degree requirements.

2) There is a big difference between a PUBLIC college and a PRIVATE college. A private college might award any variety of AA and/or AS degrees. But - if you want to continue your education to 4 years (BA/BS), you need to make sure that the credits that you earn your first 2 years will transfer to the university level. For example, let's say that Joe goes to RealCool College - a private college, and earns the RealCool AA or AS degree in computer networking. After a couple of years of work, he decides that he wants a BS in computer science. But - he discovers that those RealCool College credits he earned are meaningless to the university, and he has to start all over again as a freshman!

If you are considering a private 2-year college, and then a university, make sure to ask the UNIVERSITY if they accept the credits from the 2 year college.

Okay - that was more info than you needed, but I Hope it Helps.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 2

AA:- A type of lava surface in which the surface was too stiff to flow well, and so broke up into fragments. It is characterised by broken material which can vary from simple lumps to very sharp prickly fragments. It grades to pahoehoe (qv).

AS:- An Autonomous System is an IP network controlled by one administrator on behalf of a single administrative entity (such as a university, a business enterprise, or a business division). Also referred to as a routing domain, an autonomous system is assigned a globally unique number called an Autonomous System Number

Answer 3

Actually it's Associate of Arts or Associate of Science.

Difference: The Arts folks have more liberal arts credits, the science folks have more science or technical credits.

Answer 4

so you don't know the difference between art and science??