2027 Best Online Two-Year Degrees With Prior Learning Credit

Business Programs

An AA or AS in business can suit students planning a bachelor's degree; an AAS may emphasize immediate workplace skills. Prior coursework, approved management training, examinations, or a documented portfolio might satisfy introductory requirements, depending on the college. Compare how many credits apply to accounting, economics, and general education - not just electives. Choose a transfer-oriented curriculum if a bachelor's degree is the goal; choose a career-focused program if its courses match the jobs you want. Ask whether any courses require scheduled online meetings.

Healthcare Programs

Healthcare administration, health information, and medical office associate programs may be better online candidates than hands-on clinical majors. Prior medical billing credentials or employer training might qualify for review, but schools may require current coursework in coding, privacy, or anatomy. Check whether the credential you want has separate certification eligibility rules. A program described as online may still require an internship or supervised practice. If you want direct patient care, verify clinical placements and state requirements before treating prior experience as a shortcut.

Information Technology Programs

IT associate programs may cover networking, cybersecurity, programming, or technical support. AAS degrees often emphasize job-ready projects, while AS programs may align more closely with transfer. Some colleges evaluate industry certifications, military technology training, or examinations for specific course credit. Compare the credit awarded against the curriculum: elective credit for a certification may save less time than credit replacing a required networking course. Ask about virtual labs, required equipment, and whether employers in your target role expect additional certifications or experience.

Nursing / Pre-Nursing Programs

An online pre-nursing AA or AS can cover general education and science prerequisites, but it does not qualify someone to practice as a registered nurse. An associate degree in nursing includes supervised clinical training and must meet applicable state approval requirements; lectures delivered online do not make the entire program remote. Prior healthcare work rarely replaces required clinical competencies automatically. Check science-course age limits, lab format, selective admission, clinical scheduling, and whether graduates are eligible to seek the nursing license in their intended state.

Criminal Justice Programs

Criminal justice AA, AS, and AAS programs may accept evaluated law-enforcement training, military learning, or earlier college work. A transfer-oriented degree makes sense for students aiming at a bachelor's degree; a career-focused option may suit those seeking foundational public-safety knowledge. Compare how prior credit applies to required law, ethics, and writing courses. The degree does not replace an agency's hiring process, academy training, background checks, or state-specific certification. Confirm those requirements with the agency or licensing authority you hope to join.

Psychology / Counseling Programs

An AA or AS in psychology is usually a foundation for transfer, not a qualification to practice counseling. Previously earned general education courses or approved examinations may reduce remaining coursework; work experience is credited only after the college evaluates it. Check whether the intended bachelor's program will accept the associate courses as major requirements. Students seeking a faster route to entry-level community-service work can compare a human services AAS, but counseling and clinical psychology generally require substantially more education and applicable licensure.

Online two-year degrees with prior learning credit are associate programs that may award academic credit for learning acquired outside the program. Colleges can evaluate standardized examinations, military education, professional training, industry credentials, or portfolios documenting college-level learning. Prior learning credit is distinct from transferring courses already completed at another college. Experience alone does not earn credit: the school must assess it under its published policy.

Most associate programs require roughly 60 credits, although requirements vary. An AA or AS often supports transfer, while an AAS often emphasizes workforce preparation; the actual course plan matters more than the abbreviation. Before choosing a field, distinguish credit accepted by the institution from credit applied to your degree. Credits that fill only unused electives may not reduce the courses you still need.

Thomas Edison State University, Excelsior University, and Purdue University Global are examples of institutionally accredited colleges with published ways to evaluate prior learning, such as examinations, military education, or other assessed learning. Their methods, fees, eligible associate programs, and limits differ. Inclusion here is not a ranking or a claim that every type of experience will earn credit in every major.

Use an accredited schools online comparison as a starting point, then verify each college's current institutional accreditation with its accreditor. Request a program-specific evaluation showing transferable courses, possible prior learning credit, credits that satisfy requirements, and credits that must be earned at the college. Confirm that the particular associate program is offered in your state and that its remaining requirements can be completed in the advertised format. For nursing and other regulated fields, also check program approval or accreditation relevant to licensure.

Prior learning credit can reduce time and cost when it replaces courses you otherwise would have taken. Savings depend on the number of required credits awarded, assessment fees, tuition charged for remaining courses, and whether required classes are available when you need them. A shorter course sequence is not a promise of faster graduation: prerequisites, minimum enrollment periods, residency-credit rules, and clinical schedules may still determine the finish date.

Ask for a written degree audit and a cost estimate based on your evaluated credits. Compare tuition and mandatory fees for all remaining courses with portfolio or examination charges, books, technology, and any travel or placement costs. Published tuition is not the same as total cost, and financial aid eligibility depends on the school, program, and your circumstances. Employer tuition assistance may help, but confirm whether it covers assessment fees as well as classes.

General associate admissions commonly call for a high school diploma or equivalent, an application, and transcripts from previous colleges. Schools may use placement measures or prerequisites rather than standardized admissions tests. Nursing and some allied-health majors can have separate, selective requirements even when the college itself admits students broadly.

For a prior learning review, be ready to submit official transcripts, examination results, military learning records, licenses, certification records, training documentation, or a portfolio, as applicable. Ask when the evaluation occurs and whether you can see the results before committing to enrollment. Also check minimum grades for transferred courses, limits on older science or technology coursework, maximum accepted credits, and the number of credits you must complete at the awarding college.

Online associate programs typically combine general education - such as writing, math, and communication - with major courses. Business students may study accounting; IT students may complete virtual labs; psychology students may take introductory research coursework. An advisor should identify which requirements your earlier learning satisfies and which remain, including prerequisites for advanced courses.

Delivery varies by program and course. Asynchronous lessons can still have fixed deadlines; other classes require live attendance or proctored assessments. Science labs, healthcare practicums, and nursing clinicals may require local or campus-based participation. Get these requirements in writing before enrolling, especially if work or caregiving responsibilities limit your availability.

An online degree is not inherently better than a campus program. Online study may eliminate commuting and broaden your choices, while campus study may simplify access to labs, equipment, or local clinical placements. Hybrid programs can provide online lectures alongside required in-person training. Compare the format of the remaining courses in your degree audit, not just the program label.

If scheduling control is your priority, compare course calendars and attendance rules alongside self paced colleges. Self-paced coursework may help with general education, but it will not override a major's prerequisite sequence or supervised training requirements. A common mistake is choosing a fully online listing without checking live meetings, labs, examinations, and placement travel.

Career fit depends on the major, your prior experience, and the employer's requirements. The examples below distinguish plausible entry points from occupations that need further preparation; they are not guaranteed outcomes of an associate degree.

Choose a field by starting with the job or transfer destination, then checking its actual requirements. If you are undecided, a best degree to get comparison can broaden your options - but a degree that awards substantial prior credit is valuable only if it also advances your goal.

Pay and demand differ substantially across occupations, locations, and experience levels. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2024 median annual wage of $44,200 for medical assistants. That is an occupational median, not the expected salary of graduates from an online healthcare associate program; medical assistants enter the field through different training paths.

When comparing most lucrative degrees, match each wage figure to a realistic occupation and its usual entry requirements. Then weigh likely remaining tuition and fees against your intended role, local hiring conditions, and any extra credential costs. Do not use a high wage for a licensed or senior occupation as the return on an associate degree that does not, by itself, qualify you for that job.

Regulated and credential-based careers require a separate eligibility check. An associate degree in nursing does not itself confer an RN license: graduates must meet state board requirements and pass the applicable licensing examination. Healthcare certifications can require specified coursework, experience, or examinations. Police and corrections roles may require agency training and other state-specific conditions. Professional counseling generally requires graduate education and licensure, not an associate degree.

Before paying an enrollment deposit, name the exact license or certification you want and confirm its current requirements with the relevant board or credentialing body. Ask the college whether its program meets those requirements in the state where you intend to work, whether in-person placements are required, and which of your prior credits can satisfy prerequisite courses. Approval to enroll is not proof of eligibility to practice.

• Credit for Prior Learning | Kansas Board of Regents https://kansasregents.gov/students/credit-for-prior-learning
• [PDF] Study on Best Practices in Credit Transfer - THECB Report Center https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/reports/data/board-x-m-transfer-of-course-credit-between-public-institutions-of-higher-education-10-18/
• 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
• Credit for Prior Learning - Ohio Department of Higher Education https://highered.ohio.gov/initiatives/access-acceleration/credit-for-prior-learning
• Credit for Prior Learning - The City University of New York https://www.cuny.edu/academics/academic-policy/credit-prior-learning/
• Prior Learning Assessment - Westminster University https://westminsteru.edu/professional-and-continuing-education/prior-learning-assessment.html
• 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/
• How to Get College Credit for Work Experience - Post University https://post.edu/blog/pla-101-can-a-prior-learning-assessment-get-me-college-credit-for-work-experience/
• Individualized Credit for Prior Learning (iCPL) Fee | Empire State University https://student-accounts.sunyempire.edu/student-accounts/tuition-fees/esc-fees/icpl-fees/
• Undergraduate and Graduate Tuition and Fees | Purdue Global https://www.purdueglobal.edu/tuition-financial-aid/undergraduate-graduate-tuition-and-fees/