The first thing you should take into consideration when looking into an online associate degree program is to verify the value of the credentials held by any associate-degree-granting program. If you have any plans to apply your associate degree as a professional credential, you need to ensure that a U.S.-based institution awarding that degree holds accreditation from an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. government. For institutions located outside the United States, you should ensure that the degree-conferring institution holds comparable credentials from a credentialing organization within the country where the institution has its headquarters. You should avoid institutions known as "diploma mills" or "degree mills." Such institutions lack authentic credentials, and degrees provided by a diploma mill institution have no actual value.
Some institutions that offer online associate degree programs may have some prerequisites for program entry. In most cases, associate degree programs will require a high school diploma or an equivalency certification such as having passed the GED test. Because an associate degree qualifies as the lowest-level post-high school degree available, most online programs will not require additional prerequisites.
You can find associate degrees offered online in a wide range of subject areas, each with several subcategories of specific degrees. Some of the categories of associate degree subject areas include sociology and social services, religion and spirituality, criminology and criminal justice, engineering, computers, e-commerce, business, health care, education, cosmetology, health care, music, English, industrial technology, legal studies, theater, web design, library science and tourism. In addition to these specialized areas of study, you can also find broader-based online associate degree programs for obtaining degrees such as liberal arts or general studies associate-level degrees.
Many traditional brick-and-mortar two-year and four-year colleges offer online associate degrees for some academic disciplines. With traditional institutions, you will find both public and private colleges. You can also enroll in an online associate degree program in a private, for-profit institution that has obtained accreditation credentials at the associate degree curriculum level, such as University of Phoenix, one of the better known examples in this category. Additionally, some vocational and trade institutions, such as the Cleveland Institute of Technology, offer online associate degree programs.