Fully understanding the “why” of getting an associate degree (especially the A.A. in Biological Sciences) means appreciating the flexibility a two-year associate degree provides. You’ll also realize the excellent background the right A.A. degree offers for today’s ever-expanding biological sciences careers.
Pursuing a four-year degree can seem like a huge challenge, especially when you’re not quite sure of the career path that’s right for you. Statistics tell us up to one-third of college students will switch majors within the first couple of years. A change in direction like this sometimes calls for extra semesters (and more tuition dollars) to complete a degree. Going into an associate degree plan offers a way to see if your initial degree choice is your best option.
Yes, but doesn’t an associate degree translate into a lower salary? Not always. While that may have been a good argument years ago, today’s era of occupational specialization and technological emphasis, in many cases, has evened out salary gaps.
Those with an associate degree can reduce their total educational costs and enter the workforce two years earlier. An associate (2-year) biological sciences degree offers two great options.
1. A Career in Two Years
While some associate degrees don’t lead to specific occupations, there is a variety of two-year career options for those who choose an Associate of Arts path that results in a biological sciences degree. Take a look through the U.S. Occupational Handbook. You’ll discover that science-based associate degrees can deliver salaries comparable to occupations requiring four-year degrees.
A two-year “bio-sci” degree can lead to health care/biological sciences careers such as a medical lab technician, research associate, or surgical technologist.
2. A Career Launching Pad
An associate degree can be a natural bridge to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. By choosing an associate degree focused on math or science to start with, the dream of a biological sciences career is within your grasp. The associate degree path will include prerequisites and foundational coursework, including valuable physical and life sciences courses. In most situations, classes from an A.A. degree apply to a B.S. degree.
Think of an associate degree in the sciences as a preview of your ability to succeed in a professional health sciences curriculum such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, chiropractic, pharmacy, etc.
As you might expect, the A.A. in biological sciences offers a great base of scientific knowledge, and you might want to continue to a bachelor of science degree, such as a B.S. in biology that focuses exclusively on the systems and processes of the human body.
Such a degree combines biological connections and insights from diverse points of view, such as:
You may even decide that you would like to pursue a master’s degree or apply to one of the postgraduate health care programs mentioned earlier. Maybe a Ph.D. is in your future. You might also find your calling as a college professor. You might be teaching the next generation of students the possibilities for a biological sciences career.
A leader in chiropractic education since 1922, Cleveland Chiropractic College became Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) in 2015. We are a nonprofit, private, chiropractic and health sciences university in Overland Park, Kansas, a large suburban city in the Kansas City metro.
CUKC offers an Associate of Arts (A.A.) in Biological Sciences (two-year) degree that leads directly to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Human Biology degree. Many CUKC students then go on to earn their Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree. Other students select the combinedB.S. in Human Biology/Doctor of Chiropractic degree program, which can reduce total time in school by up to a year.
CUKC is proud to be recognized as one of the oldest nonprofit chiropractic colleges in the nation, celebrating 100 years in 2022. Leading the University is Dr. Carl S. Cleveland III, president, a fourth-generation chiropractor, and a grandson of the founders.
Request more information about CUKC here, or click here to get the details about our biological sciences degree. Plus, for a really good start to college, get up to date on options for financial aid. CUKC has a free eBook for you: Your Guide to Navigating College Financial Aid.
