Associate's Degree in Business Administration Versus a Bachelor's Degree

After high school, students will often consider whether they should pursue an associate's degree in business administration or a bachelor's degree. It used to be a decision that was based on the amount of money the person wanted to make in the future, but there's more to the decision today.

Earning an associate's degree can provide more benefits to the student than future earnings. In fact, earning a bachelor's degree isn't a guarantee of more income when the student finally starts working. According to a CNN Money report, some community college graduates make more than those who went to school for their bachelor's degree.

Time to Completion

This is one of the most basic and obvious benefits to earning an associate's degree. A student who pursues classes full-time can earn the degree in 2 years. This means the student will graduate and start earning income 2 years faster than the one who has to continue their education for another 2 years. A bachelor's degree program takes 4 years if the student attends full-time.

Cost of the Degree

Overall, an associate's degree in business administration costs less than a bachelor's degree. While the costs per credit will vary by college, the average cost of an associate's is much less. Along with the costs per credit, there are less courses required. Even if the classes were the same cost per credit for both programs, the bachelor's program is 2 years longer, which would double the costs.

Level of Coursework

When a student chooses to get a bachelor's degree, he or she will often spend the first 2 years in general coursework before they even get around to their field of study. With an associate's degree, the student will jump almost immediately into the vital courses needed for education in their chosen field. An associate's degree in business will quickly introduce topics like management theory and principles of accounting while a bachelor's degree will cover English and math first.

Less Debt

A student leaving school has an average of $33,000 in school debt they have to pay off when they leave. Most careers can't justify a five-figure loan debt for a student leaving college and embarking on their life. They could spend years repaying those loans. With an associate's, there's less debt owed when the student starts working. They'll pay their debt back sooner too. This enables them to finance a home and a car without being crushed under the weight of their debt.

Foundation for a Career

Basically, an associate's degree is the foundation for building a career in business. When a person has an associate's degree, they are able to get out into the workforce quicker, and if they decide to pursue more courses, they can pick and choose the ones that will advance them further in their career.

When it comes to an associate's degree in business administration versus a bachelor's degree, it comes down to weighing all the benefits to the associate's. Overall, it makes more sense to get the associate's degree. If you find that you want the piece of paper for a bachelor's degree, that can be obtained later, but it's likely it'll never be needed.

Related Resource: The 25 Best Associates in Business Administration Online Degree Programs