If you are working on your associate degree as a full-time student (usually defined as a student taking 12 to 16 credits per semester), you should be able to complete your degree program in about two years, or four semesters. An associate degree typically consists of 60 credits.
Bachelor's degrees traditionally take four years to complete as a full-time student, though five or six years is becoming more prevalent, according to CNN Money. A bachelor's degree typically encompasses 120 credits.
An associate degree can be vocationally focused. Occupational associate degrees are designed to train students for a specific career, and students can be considered qualified to seek employment immediately upon graduation. General education requirements for these degrees will be few, if any--students won't have to take humanities classes if they intend to work in a technical field.
Another option that is becoming increasingly popular is to get an associate degree in science, liberal arts, or general studies before transferring into a bachelor's program at a university. Four out of 10 first-time college students begin their academic careers this way, reports the College Board. These degrees are designed to fulfill the general education requirements of bachelor's degree programs, but they don't provide any of the upper-level, major-specific classes--the student will have to take these at their chosen four-year school.
A bachelor's degree program usually requires a number of general education requirements--core classes in the arts, humanities, and sciences, and frequently public speaking and health classes as well--that are mandatory for all students, regardless of their major. In addition, bachelor's degree programs include upper division classes designed specifically for each major or field of study.
Bachelor's degree classes are not necessarily more difficult than associate degree classes. An introductory psychology class offered in a community college classroom is probably similar to an intro psych class held at a prestigious university--it really depends on the professor.
However, associate degree programs do not include upper level classes. Community colleges offer classes at the 100 and 200 level only. Universities offer--and require--classes at the 300 and 400 level, and you can expect these to be more difficult and to involve significantly more research and writing.
An occupationally focused associate degree prepares graduates for direct entry into the workforce. A common misconception is that associate degrees are not worth as much monetarily as bachelor's degrees--but some highly technical jobs require only an associate of applied science degree and provide higher salaries than many "bachelor's degree only" jobs. An associate degree in liberal arts or general studies, however, is not really designed to prepare graduates for employment.
A bachelor's degree is in many cases more versatile than an occupational associate degree. Certain bachelor's degrees are exclusively focused on one career, for example a bachelor's in athletic training. But baccalaureate-level graduates in some majors can find work in a variety of jobs within their field, or sometimes even across several fields.
The tuition spent to earn an associate degree will be significantly less than the tuition paid for a bachelor's degree, according to the College Board.