Research schools that offer the two-year associate's degree. Most likely these will be community colleges or junior colleges.
Apply for the school that meets your needs best. Most schools will require high school transcripts, letters of recommendation and an application fee. Some schools offer an open-enrollment policy that allows students who have a high school diploma or GED to attend classes without going through the formal admission process.
Determine your field of study. You can obtain an associate's degree in a specific field of study, such as math or medical sonography, or you can obtain a general degree in liberal arts studies. A general degree field like liberal arts is for undecided students who plan on transferring to a four-year college after completing an associate's degree.
Complete your general education requirements. Most schools will require you to complete courses in math, science, English composition, history, humanities, psychology and communications. At the community college level, this will comprise the bulk of your studies. Your first year will likely be spent taking courses to fulfill general education requirements.
Complete courses required for your degree field. A typical associate's degree will require approximately 30 to 33 credit hours in general education and another 30 to 33 in your specialized field of study.