Best Online Associate Degrees of 2023

Foothill College, which is based in California, is our Intelligent Pick because of its affordability, accessibility, and the variety of programs offered to students who are seeking to complete an online associate degree.

Students can choose from associate degrees in popular fields like business administration, computer science, interactive design, and more. For individuals who live in California, many programs are specifically designed to make it easier for them to eventually transfer to four-year state universities in California.

The Online Learning Office at Foothill College provides a wealth of resources to help online students succeed, including orientation sessions and online tutorials, free access to software like Microsoft 365, and 24/7 tutoring services.

Copiah-Lincoln Community College offers 33 online associate degree programs, including several in the education field.

Students can begin their journey to becoming an educator by earning an associate degree in areas like elementary education, secondary education, and coaching. Secondary education concentrations include English, science, and social science. Outside the classroom, students can further their professional development by joining the school's chapter of Future Teachers of America.

As an accredited university, Copiah-Lincoln Community College makes it easy for students to transfer their credits to four-year universities to complete their degrees. The education programs at Copiah-Lincoln have partnerships with several other online universities, including Delta State University and Mississippi State University.

Most associate degree programs focus on a specific field. However, not all students want a one-size-fits-all degree.

Enter the Individualized Studies Associate of Science degree at Alexandria Technical & Community College. As the name implies, this 60-credit associate degree program is highly customizable. With the guidance of faculty and advisors, students build a personalized curriculum that integrates coursework from the school's array of offerings in areas like business, cyber security, liberal arts and sciences, English, and more.

Once students complete their associate degrees, they can transfer the credits from their coursework to a four-year institution to earn a bachelor's degree or they can enter the workforce with an arsenal of transferable skills and knowledge.

Many of the associate degree programs offered by Southwest Wisconsin Technical College focus on in-demand areas of business, including accounting, management, nonprofit leadership, and supply chain management.

These programs are ideal for working professionals. Students can get credit for documented work experience, accelerating their path to an associate degree. Classes and plans of study are flexible and offered in both eight- and 16-week terms, making it easier for currently employed students to fit classes into their lives.

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College supports remote students with a variety of resources, including online mental health counseling, financial resources management, and online tutors and advisors.

Thomas Edison State University was founded specifically to serve adult learners and continues that tradition with its 13 online associate degree programs.

Most of the associate degree programs offered by Thomas Edison State University are in technology-related fields of study, although they also offer a general Associate of Arts degree.

Adult learners can earn credit toward their degrees through evaluation of their prior life, work, or military experience. The school also allows students to earn credit-by-exam as an alternative to completing coursework in a classroom setting.

There are a variety of options for completing coursework, including synchronous online classes, asynchronous on-demand coursework, and independent study.

Although students can enter the workforce and increase their earning potential with an associate degree, many use such coursework as a stepping stone toward a bachelor's degree. Therefore, it's important to choose a program that makes it easy to transfer credits to a four-year college.

Santa Fe College, based in Florida, offers several "transfer track" associate degrees specifically designed to help students transition to bachelor's degree programs. Thanks to articulation agreements, Santa Fe College grads are automatically guaranteed admission to one of Florida's 12 public universities.

Transfer track programs at Santa Fe College include popular fields of study like accounting, business administration, computer science, and more.

It's common for students to use an associate degree to earn general education credits that can then be applied to a bachelor's degree.

Western Texas College's core curriculum for its Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees largely fulfills general education requirements with a mixture of coursework in English, mathematics, history, and science. Students can choose from a variety of classes that are taught by experienced, supportive faculty.

Completing general education courses with an online associate degree from Western Texas College gives students a solid foundation for further studies in their specific areas of interest at four-year colleges and universities.

Students who know they want an associate degree but aren't quite sure which area of study they want to focus on may want to explore Central Texas College. This institution offers a wide variety of online associate degrees that prepare students for career advancement and further study.

For those who want to focus on skills that will help them enter the workforce immediately upon graduation, there are programs for medical coding and billing, legal assistant roles, and hospitality management.

Meanwhile, students who plan to earn a bachelor's degree can get started on completing requirements with programs in teaching education, kinesiology, and computer science.

Information technology is a fast-growing industry. Fox Valley Technical College can help students prepare for jobs in this field with one of its four online associate degrees in IT.

Students can concentrate on areas like cyber security, network systems administration, web development, and computer support specialist.

Fox Valley's IT associate degree programs are flexible, providing multiple start terms, full- and part-time plans of study, and daytime and evening classes. Although many jobs in this field are available to students with an associate degree, those who want to transfer to a four-year school and earn a bachelor's degree can easily do so thanks to Fox Valley's regional accreditation status.

Bismarck State College is North Dakota's only polytechnic institution, which means it specializes in programs and workforce development for those engaged in engineering, technology, applied science, and the natural sciences. Nationally, only 3% of colleges or universities are deemed polytechnic. Bismarck State offers the most online associate degree programs of any school on this list with 16. Focuses of these online associate degrees include business administration, cybersecurity, nuclear power technology, and webpage development. The school also offers several online undergraduate programs and bachelor's degrees. At Bismarck State, 44% of its students are enrolled in online degree or certification programs.