2027 Best Associate Degree Completion Programs With Part-Time Study Options

Business Programs

A business administration AA or AS can suit students planning a bachelor's degree; an AAS may emphasize immediate workplace skills. Compare accounting, spreadsheet, and management requirements against credits you already hold. Online part-time coursework may be workable around a job, but confirm whether every required class runs each term. Choose the transfer-focused route if a bachelor's degree is your goal; choose an applied route only after checking its career relevance and how its credits would transfer later.

Healthcare Programs

Healthcare administration or health information programs may offer more online coursework than hands-on allied-health majors. An AAS can prepare students for administrative or technical entry-level work, while an AS may better support transfer. Check whether older science credits still count and whether the major requires a practicum, coding coursework, or scheduled exams. Do not assume a healthcare degree qualifies you for a clinical role or a professional credential; those have separate requirements.

Information Technology Programs

IT support, networking, and cybersecurity associate programs can build on prior computing or general education credits. Look for part-time access to required technical courses, remote-lab availability, and opportunities to demonstrate current skills. An AAS may target entry-level technical work; an AS may leave a clearer route to a bachelor's degree, depending on the transfer agreement. Because tools change, compare current course content and employer-recognized certifications rather than relying on a program's title alone.

Nursing / Pre-Nursing Programs

A pre-nursing AS usually covers prerequisites and transfer preparation; it is not an RN qualification. An associate degree in nursing combines coursework with supervised clinical education and can provide a route toward RN licensure after graduation and required examination. Nursing admission is often separate from general college admission. Part-time classroom study may still lead to fixed clinical shifts and tightly sequenced courses. Ask whether your science prerequisites remain valid and whether the nursing program permits a part-time progression.

Criminal Justice Programs

Criminal justice AA and AS pathways may favor transfer, while AAS programs may emphasize applied public-safety topics. Online part-time classes can suit working adults, but confirm that electives and required courses run often enough to avoid delays. A criminal justice associate degree does not replace an agency's hiring process, academy training, fitness standards, or background review. If you have a particular job in mind, check that employer's requirements before selecting the major.

Psychology / Counseling Programs

A psychology AA or AS is generally strongest as a transfer pathway. It can introduce research methods, human development, and statistics, but an associate degree alone does not qualify someone to practice as a licensed counselor or psychologist. Compare bachelor's transfer agreements before enrolling, particularly if graduate study is the long-term goal. Part-time online courses may be convenient, yet required statistics or laboratory-style coursework can affect sequencing.

An associate degree completion program is a pathway for someone who has already earned college credit but has not finished an associate degree. It may be an explicitly named completion program or a standard AA, AS, or AAS that accepts returning students. Most associate degrees require roughly 60 semester credits, but the credits you still need - not the credits on your old transcript - determine your timeline.

Part-time study usually means taking fewer courses per term than a full-time student. For working adults and caregivers, including readers exploring best degrees for stay-at-home moms, the useful question is whether required classes are available at times they can consistently attend. Previous coursework, military training, examinations, or professional learning may count only after a college evaluates and awards credit.

Choose an institutionally accredited college, then check whether a specialized program has the accreditation or approval needed for your goal. For nursing, verify state board approval and the program's applicable nursing accreditation if it matters to your intended next step. Accreditation alone does not guarantee that another institution will apply your courses toward a bachelor's degree.

Before committing, ask for a written, program-specific credit evaluation. A useful review distinguishes credits accepted by the college from credits that satisfy your chosen degree. These checks can prevent an apparently short pathway from becoming longer or more expensive:

1. Request a degree audit showing remaining general education, major, elective, and prerequisite courses.
2. Confirm minimum grades, subject matches, age limits on older coursework, and any maximum transfer-credit rule.
3. Ask how many credits must be completed at the awarding college and whether prior-learning credit counts toward that requirement.
4. Check part-time course rotation, start dates, online attendance rules, and any required in-person work.
5. If you plan to transfer again, ask the intended bachelor's program how these specific courses will apply.

There is no single best format for every returning student. A fully online program may have scheduled meetings; a campus program may offer evening classes; and a hybrid program may require travel only for labs. Compare formats by the requirements you have left, not by the delivery label.

The comparison below shows where each format may fit - and what can disrupt part-time progress.

Community colleges often deserve an early look because of their public two-year pricing, but a lower per-credit rate is not automatically the lowest completion cost. Compare accepted credits, fees, aid, and travel alongside lists of cheap online colleges. Do not treat a school as a part-time completion match until it confirms your major, schedule, and remaining requirements.

Most programs combine general education with major coursework. Remaining classes may include writing, math, science, social science, and electives, followed by field-specific courses such as accounting, networking, anatomy, criminal law, or research methods. Applied majors may also require labs, internships, or clinical placements.

A course that seems familiar may not satisfy a specific requirement: introductory computing, for example, may transfer as an elective rather than replace a networking course. Readers considering easy degrees should compare the actual remaining course sequence instead of assuming an online or familiar subject will require less work. Ask an advisor which courses are offered next and whether any must be taken in order.

Colleges commonly request an application and transcripts from every institution previously attended. A general associate program may admit students without a separate major application, but nursing and some allied-health programs can require prerequisites, minimum grades, testing, or other selective-admission steps. Standardized SAT or ACT scores may not be needed for many returning students; verify the policy that applies to you.

You may be able to enroll part time before all transfer credits are evaluated, but doing so risks repeating a course. Ask admissions when your official degree audit will be available and whether admission to the college also means admission to the intended major.

Completion time depends on credits that apply to the degree, part-time course load, prerequisite order, and how often required classes run. A student whose prior credits satisfy most requirements may have a short remaining path; another with many credits that count only as electives may still need several terms. An advertised finish time is meaningful only if the school states its assumed starting credits and enrollment pace.

Ask the program to map your remaining courses term by term. Include summer availability and clinical or lab scheduling, and check whether skipping one course would delay the next. Short individual course terms do not mean the entire degree can be finished in one term.

The College Board's 2024-25 average published tuition and fees for full-time, in-district students at public two-year colleges was $4,050 for an academic year. That is a comparison benchmark, not a quote for a part-time completion program: residency, enrollment level, mandatory fees, and the number of remaining credits change what you pay.

Calculate cost from the degree audit, adding books, software, transportation, childcare, and any lab or clinical expenses. Then compare financial-aid offers rather than sticker tuition alone. Eligible part-time students may receive federal aid, but grant and loan eligibility can depend on enrollment intensity and other rules. Employer tuition assistance, scholarships, and payment plans may also help; ask whether your chosen program and course load qualify.

Career fit varies more by major than by the words "associate degree." Business, healthcare administration, IT, and criminal justice programs may support applications for relevant entry-level work, but employers set their own experience and credential requirements. Transfer-focused psychology and pre-nursing programs are usually steps toward further education rather than stand-alone routes to licensed practice.

For context, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2024 median annual wage of $93,600 for registered nurses and projects 5% employment growth for the occupation from 2024 to 2034. That is an occupational figure, not the expected earnings of associate degree graduates. RN applicants must also meet state licensure requirements; other careers have different pay, entry routes, and local demand. Compare job postings in your area with the program's coursework before treating any salary figure as a return on investment.

Requirements depend on the occupation. An associate degree in nursing does not itself grant an RN license: graduates must meet state board rules and pass the required licensing examination. Some healthcare and IT roles value or require separate certifications, while public-safety jobs may involve agency training, background checks, or other hiring standards. Licensed counseling and psychologist roles require education beyond an associate degree.

If a background check may affect your plans, check the rules of the relevant employer, licensing board, and clinical-placement provider before paying for a program. Resources on best degrees for felons can help frame alternatives, but eligibility is role- and jurisdiction-specific. The safest next step is to confirm requirements with the authority that will decide whether you can train, obtain a credential, or work.

• Adult Students | Federal Student Aid - Financial Aid Toolkit https://financialaidtoolkit.ed.gov/tk/outreach/target/adults.jsp
• Types of student financial aid | USAGov https://www.usa.gov/student-aid
• Cost of Attendance (Budget) | 2025-2026 Federal Student Aid Handbook https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2025-2026/vol3/ch2-cost-attendance-budget
• .14 Evaluation and Review Process for Transfer of Courses and Credits. | Library of Maryland Regulations https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/13B.06.02.14
• Transfer credit policies - Office of Admissions https://admit.washington.edu/apply/transfer/policies/
• Why Is Accreditation Important? | ACE Blog https://ace.edu/blog/why-is-accreditation-important/
• How Do Transfer Credits Work? A Guide for Adult Learners | Whitworth Online https://online.whitworth.edu/news-articles/how-do-transfer-credits-work-when-you-go-back-to-school/
• Tuition & Cost of Attendance | Kishwaukee College https://kish.edu/admission-aid/paying/tuition/
• How Online Courses Work & Resources - ASU Online https://asuonline.asu.edu/students/courses/
• Degree Programs for Working Adults - Online & In Person | NEIT https://www.neit.edu/the-neit-edge/degree-pathways/for-working-professionals