2027 Best Online Two-Year Degrees With Monthly Start Dates

Business Programs

An online AA or AS in business can suit students planning to transfer; a business-focused AAS may emphasize immediate workplace skills. Look for accounting, spreadsheets, communication, and management courses. Monthly entry is most useful if required accounting and capstone courses also run frequently. For an office or customer-service career, compare the associate degree with a shorter certificate. For a future bachelor's degree, get written confirmation that business and general education credits will apply to the destination program - not merely transfer as electives.

Healthcare Programs

Healthcare administration or health information associate programs may offer online coursework suited to office-based roles. Clinical occupations are different: laboratory work, supervised practice, certification, or licensure may be required. Ask whether a health information program prepares students for the specific credential an employer expects. A monthly general-admission date does not guarantee monthly entry into a selective clinical program. Verify any required placement near home and whether the program meets rules in the state where you intend to work.

Information Technology Programs

IT associate degrees may cover networking, cybersecurity fundamentals, programming, or technical support. An AAS often targets workforce skills, while an AS may better support transfer; check the actual curriculum. Fully online labs can be practical, but ask about equipment, software fees, and scheduled exams. Frequent starts help only if prerequisite courses are offered in a workable sequence. A portfolio, hands-on practice, and relevant certifications may strengthen an entry-level application; the degree alone does not guarantee a technology job.

Nursing / Pre-Nursing Programs

Online pre-nursing coursework can provide prerequisites for a later nursing application, but it is not the same as admission to an associate degree in nursing (ADN). An ADN typically includes supervised, in-person clinical education and may have competitive entry, separate deadlines, and a fixed cohort schedule. Confirm that the nursing program has required state approval and that graduates are eligible to pursue the NCLEX-RN in the intended state. If you need a monthly start, ask whether that date applies to nursing itself or only to prerequisite classes.

Criminal Justice Programs

An online criminal justice AA or AS may provide a transfer foundation; an AAS may focus more on public-safety practice. Coursework often examines law, courts, corrections, and ethics. Neither degree automatically qualifies someone for a police, federal, or investigative role: agencies set their own hiring, training, physical, and background requirements. Compare monthly course availability with the transfer agreement or employer requirements that matter to you. If your goal is law enforcement, ask whether an academy or employer-sponsored route is more direct.

Psychology / Counseling Programs

A psychology AA or AS is usually a transfer pathway rather than a credential for independent counseling practice. Look for transferable statistics, research methods, and general education courses alongside introductory psychology. Human-services associate programs may prepare students for some supervised support roles, subject to employer requirements. Monthly starts can make it easier to begin, but check whether less frequently offered courses delay transfer. Students seeking to become licensed counselors should plan for further education and state-specific supervised experience and examinations.

Online two-year degrees with monthly start dates are associate programs at colleges that offer entry points or courses roughly every month, rather than only at traditional semester boundaries. "Two-year" describes a common full-time pathway, not a completion promise. AA and AS degrees often support transfer; AAS degrees often emphasize career preparation, although the curriculum and agreements matter more than the label.

Distinguish a monthly program entry date from a monthly start for every required class. Also check whether "online" includes live meetings, proctored exams, or local experiences. If even monthly enrollment is too slow, compare best online colleges with weekly start dates - but apply the same course-availability test.

American Public University and Columbia Southern University are two accredited online institutions known for frequent, including monthly, course starts and associate-level options. Neither should be treated as a match until the school confirms a start date and delivery plan for your specific degree. This comparison identifies where to begin that check, not a ranking of every college or major.

Confirm each institution's current accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education's accreditation database, then review the current catalog and ask for a term-by-term degree plan. Institutional accreditation does not replace any program approval needed for a regulated occupation. A school can offer monthly classes without offering every associate major - or every course within one - each month.

Most associate programs require about 60 semester credits, though requirements vary. Two years is plausible with a sustained full-time load and a reliable course sequence; part-time study, prerequisites, unavailable classes, and clinical scheduling can extend it. Shorter terms let students begin sooner, but do not reduce the credits needed for the degree.

Published tuition is only one part of the budget. The College Board's $4,050 public two-year in-district tuition-and-fee average for 2024-25 is a benchmark, not a quoted price for the online institutions above or an estimate of total degree cost. The factors below explain why two programs with similar tuition can produce different bills.

Request an estimate based on your remaining required credits and ask about federal financial aid eligibility, scholarships, employer assistance, and payment plans. Compare the resulting total - not just the advertised per-credit rate.

Associate-degree applicants generally need a high school diploma or recognized equivalent and must complete the college's application steps. Schools may request transcripts, assess course placement, or require prerequisites; testing and GPA policies vary. Nursing and some allied-health majors can impose separate selective admission requirements even when the college admits students more broadly.

If you have previous college credit, request an evaluation before committing. Ask which credits satisfy the intended degree, whether older science courses remain eligible, and how many credits must be completed at the new college. A monthly application deadline is helpful only if you can submit transcripts and meet major-specific deadlines in time.

Students usually combine general education - such as writing, mathematics, and communication - with courses in a major. A transfer-focused program may emphasize courses that match a bachelor's curriculum; a career-focused program may add applied projects, software practice, labs, or supervised experience. Review the catalog's required sequence rather than assuming you can take classes in any order.

"Flexible" also needs a closer look: asynchronous courses may still have weekly deadlines, while online courses with live sessions require attendance at set times. Students comparing an easiest online degree should weigh subject fit and course expectations, not mistake convenient access for a light workload.

An accredited online associate degree can serve the same educational goal as a campus-based degree when its coursework, support, and required experiences fit that goal. Value depends on what happens next: whether credits apply to a planned bachelor's degree, whether training matches employer expectations, and whether a regulated program meets applicable approval rules.

Campus study may be preferable if you need hands-on facilities or face-to-face support. Online study may better accommodate work or caregiving, but only if required meetings and placements are manageable. A common mistake is assuming that an institution's willingness to accept transfer credits means those credits will fulfill the intended bachelor's major. Get a destination school's course-by-course guidance before enrolling.

Possible entry-level paths depend more on the major, local market, and employer requirements than on the associate credential alone. Business graduates may seek office or customer-support roles; IT students may pursue technical support; healthcare administration students may explore medical-office work. Criminal justice and psychology study can also provide foundations for further training, but many roles in those fields require additional qualifications.

Compare job postings in your area with each program's courses and required credentials. If you expect to continue to a bachelor's degree, consider best majors for the future alongside the transfer agreement. A promising field is not enough reason to choose a monthly-start program whose credits will not advance your plan.

Earnings vary by occupation, location, experience, and qualifications; there is no single salary for "two-year degree graduates." For perspective, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a May 2024 median annual wage of $93,600 for registered nurses. That is an occupational median, not the expected pay for a new ADN graduate, and an ADN alone does not confer an RN license.

Use occupational wage data only after confirming the job's entry requirements. When assessing return on investment, compare likely entry-level opportunities with the full cost of finishing the degree and any additional training - not with the pay of experienced workers in roles you cannot yet enter.

Requirements depend on the occupation, not simply on whether the degree is online. An ADN graduate must meet state nursing-board requirements and pass the applicable licensing examination to become an RN. Other healthcare programs may lead toward professional certification, while some IT employers value specific technical certifications without requiring licensure. Police hiring and training are set by the relevant agency and jurisdiction.

A psychology associate degree does not qualify someone to practice independently as a licensed counselor. That path generally requires graduate education plus state-specific supervised experience and examinations; even quick masters degrees online do not bypass those requirements. Before enrolling in any regulated-field program, check the relevant state board's rules and ask the school to explain precisely which requirements its program fulfills.

• Academic Years, Academic Calendars, Payment Periods, and Disbursements | 2026-2027 Federal Student Aid Handbook https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol3/ch1-academic-years-academic-calendars-payment-periods-and-disbursements
• College Credit for Military Training & Experiences | dantes.mil https://www.dantes.mil/credit4training/
• Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates - COE https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/ctr/undergrad-retention-graduation
• Specialized Program Accreditation - Utah Tech University https://accreditation.utahtech.edu/specialized-program-accreditation/
• Online Learning Programs - Wichita State University https://www.wichita.edu/academics/oal/online_programs/index.php
• Online Associate Degrees - Santa Monica College https://www.smc.edu/academics/online/online-associate-degrees.php
• 3.43 Accreditation - Minnesota State Colleges and Universities https://www.minnstate.edu/board/policy/343.html
• How Long Does It Take to Finish an Online Degree? | NMSU Global Campus https://global.nmsu.edu/blog/general/how-long-does-it-take-to-finish-an-online-degree/
• Finish College on Your Term(s) | Oklahoma Christian University https://www.oc.edu/news/introducing-term-ii
• Accreditation - State University System of Florida https://www.flbog.edu/resources/academic/program-review-accreditation/