{"id":5621,"date":"2021-11-24T06:00:36","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=5621"},"modified":"2022-12-07T10:54:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T16:54:00","slug":"associate-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/apostrophes\/associate-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Associate Degree<\/em> or Associate\u2019s Degree<\/em>?"},"content":{"rendered":"

American English is replete with style questions and details. One item that can remain elusive for those seeking consistency in their writing is the treatment of academic degrees. If you complete your education at a community college, have you earned an associate degree<\/em>\u2014or an associate\u2019s degree<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s discuss that further and arrive at direction you can use.<\/p>\n

Does Associate\u2019s Degree <\/em>Need an Apostrophe?<\/h2>\n

In many cases, you can use either associate\u2019s degree<\/em> or associate degree<\/em> as you choose. In daily formal writing, you will often be correct either way. If on the other hand you write where there are in-house style guidelines, follow what is established.<\/p>\n

You might also choose to maintain a particular stylebook\u2019s direction. The Chicago Manual of Style, <\/em>which is commonly used for more-formal publications such as books and academic journals, allows for either associate degree <\/em>or associate\u2019s degree<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press Stylebook, <\/em>which guides many mass-market publications such as newspapers and magazines, recommends associate degree <\/em>(no apostrophe).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Should I Capitalize Associate<\/em> (Associate\u2019s<\/em>) Degree<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

Note that neither we nor the two stylebooks use capital letters when referring to the degree in general. However, we would capitalize Associate <\/em>(no apostrophe) if we are identifying a specific type of associate\u2019s degree, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Associate of Applied Business (AAB)<\/td>\nAssociate of Engineering (AE\/AEng)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Associate of Applied Science (AAS)<\/td>\nAssociate of Science in Nursing (ASN)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Associate of Applied Technology (AAT)<\/td>\nAssociate of Occupational Studies (AOS)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Associate of Arts (AA)<\/td>\nAssociate of Science (AS)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Associate of Business Administration (ABA)<\/td>\nAssociate of Technology (AT)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nmakani recently earned an associate<\/u> (or associate\u2019s<\/u>) degree.<\/p>\n

Nmakani recently earned an Associate of Science<\/u> degree.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We would capitalize associate degree<\/em> or associate\u2019s degree<\/em> if it appears in a title or headline or at the start of a sentence.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJobs That Pay Well With an Associate\u2019s Degree\u201d (article title)<\/p>\n

Provo UT Man Turns Associate Degree into Success (newspaper headline)<\/p>\n

Associate degrees are a great way to save on a college education. (sentence)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What Is an Associate (Associate\u2019s)<\/em> Degree?<\/h2>\n

An\u00a0associate degree\u00a0is an\u00a0undergraduate degree<\/a>\u00a0awarded after a course of post-secondary study at a community college, vocational school, or technical college. It is a level of education and qualification above a high school diploma or GED and below a bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n

Many associate degrees are earned in sciences and the liberal arts, often in two years. One year of study will usually focus on college-level general education, and the second year will concentrate on the student\u2019s intended area of discipline.<\/p>\n

In the U.S., an associate degree may allow transfer into the third year of a bachelor\u2019s degree at a college or university depending on the institution\u2019s course and transfer requirements.<\/p>\n

An associate degree can be attractive to a student in that it completes about half the study of a four-year bachelor\u2019s degree for less than half of the expense or even one-fifth. The average annual cost of attending a U.S. private college in 2021 is around $50,000 per year. The average annual cost to attend a university for in-state residents is about $23,000. These amounts include tuition, fees, and room and board.<\/p>\n

By comparison, the average yearly cost to attend a community college is between $10,000 and $11,000.<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/h3>\n

Is It Bachelors Degree or Bachelor\u2019s Degree?<\/a>
\nIs It Masters Degree or Master\u2019s Degree?<\/a><\/p>\n

Ready for More Grammar?<\/h2>\n

This post is but one of many you can use to sharpen your skills in American English. Enhance your knowledge further by browsing our large archive of topics. We add new posts each week, so be sure to visit us often. If you have a thought or a question about the subject on this page, leave us a comment below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American English is replete with style questions and details. One item that can remain elusive for those seeking consistency in their writing is the treatment of academic degrees. If you complete your education at a community college, have you earned an associate degree\u2014or an associate\u2019s degree? Let\u2019s discuss that further and arrive at direction you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,21,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apostrophes","category-capitalization","category-possessives"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5621"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5621"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6354,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5621\/revisions\/6354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}