Is It Associate Or AssociateS Degree?
Q: I have a really stupid question. Is the correct way to say it
"Associate Degree" or "Associates Degree"? I always assumed it was
plural, "He has an associates degree". This may
be a stupid question, but I bet other people are
wondering the same thing!
A:It's Associates (Like Bachelors, Masters). However, it's not a college degree
anyway. A graduation ceremony doesn't make it one either. AA and AS are also
considerably different.
On my resume I have always written "Bachelor's and Master's degree
from ..."
Have I just learned something new, or have I caught an erudite
mistake?
And it would indeed be interesting if Harvard University Extension's
"Associate in Arts" which later became "Adjunct in Arts" is not a
college degree. The story is that Harvard changed the nomenclature
when other, lesser schools awarded the Associate's.
Either with or without the possessive punctuation mark is in common use.
According to a Google search, the apostrophe is four times more common for
Bachelors but only slightly more common for Masters degrees.
More important is the distinction between *both* the AA & AS, on the one hand,
and the AAS (Associate of Applied Science) on the other. AA/AS are intended for
transfer into university curricula; the AAS is a terminal vocational (the
current popular term actually is "workforce") credential with no or very
little transferability/applicability in a university setting.