Associates Degree??

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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mlpbarrett

mlpbarrett

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Did everyone get one before they started pre-vet????
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I got one, but only to waive the general ed requirements for my BS. It's definitely not required.
 
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Oh, so it did count for something... either way you have to take general ed classes right? Sorry if I am asking dumb questions haha, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting time...
 
mlpbarrett said:
Oh, so it did count for something... either way you have to take general ed classes right? Sorry if I am asking dumb questions haha, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting time...
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The associates helped CodyandZip when he transfered to a 4 year school to finish up the remainder of his pre-reqs and presumable bachelors degree.

The alternative to doing an associates at a community college first would simply be to take all of your classes at a 4 year school. These are the only two options one really has for completely their pre-reqs. And of the two, getting an associates will not be of any advantage when it comes to vet school applications.
 
The only advantage I got from my associate's degree (besides paying less tuition for the classes taken through the community college) was that it got me into my state university without a highschool diploma.
 
TrocarKarin said:
The only advantage I got from my associate's degree (besides paying less tuition for the classes taken through the community college) was that it got me into my state university without a highschool diploma.
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really? that is perfect because I don't have mine... so that will be nice.
 
I think associates degrees help to get internships or certain jobs related to your major or for animal/vet experiences. You want to complete this before apply to vet school, right? Even when you plan to transfer, you still have that time frame left for pre-reqs and just whatever, so getting one can be advantageous.
 
An Associates Degree is essentially your first two years of undergrad work. You don't need to have the actual "AA Diploma" in your hands, but you do need to complete that work one way or the other. As mentioned those options are doing your AA at a community college and then moving onto to a Bachelors degree that covers the rest of your pre-vet coursework or just simply doing it all at a university as part of your Bachelors/pre-vet program. (as David pretty much said as well)

AA degrees really don't help you get anything in life except to get into other universities for more advanced programs of studies. They don't help with jobs really nor internships (at least that I have heard of). Heck a Bachelors degree is the new High School Diploma, that is you need it to get any decent basic job anymore.

Right now I only hold an AA degree and have 9/10 of the work done for a bachelors of Business Management in Health Services. With my vet program I actually will end up with two bachelor's degrees as well, which are equivalent to the DVM/VMD.
 
Nexx said:
An Associates Degree is essentially your first two years of undergrad work. You don't need to have the actual "AA Diploma" in your hands, but you do need to complete that work one way or the other. As mentioned those options are doing your AA at a community college and then moving onto to a Bachelors degree that covers the rest of your pre-vet coursework or just simply doing it all at a university as part of your Bachelors/pre-vet program. (as David pretty much said as well)

AA degrees really don't help you get anything in life except to get into other universities for more advanced programs of studies. They don't help with jobs really nor internships (at least that I have heard of). Heck a Bachelors degree is the new High School Diploma, that is you need it to get any decent basic job anymore.

Right now I only hold an AA degree and have 9/10 of the work done for a bachelors of Business Management in Health Services. With my vet program I actually will end up with two bachelor's degrees as well, which are equivalent to the DVM/VMD.
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It is true that a lot of the time they can say since you completed two years at a 4 year undergrad institution that it can be the equivalent to the AA degree. Sometimes, that is not the case though. Many places for internships want ANY degree weather its a 2 or 4 year degree in the sciences (if you are applying for animal positions) instead of just course work done. Anyone can be in college for whatever period of time and never have a degree. Your years in college doesn't mean you did half the 4 years or the course work in your bachelors degree. I bet that would be rare though. I mean who is going to be in a program and save alot of their program courses (sciences) for the last two years? You have pre-reqs to take certain class in your program.

I was going to apply for some internships, but soon realized the ones I wanted to apply to wanted a degree and yes some said "some college".

Also, I do agree that pretty much everyone has a bachelors these days. We need Phds, possible masters and other doc degrees to make it now.

If you don't believe me at all here is a link that shows some jobs/internships.

http://www.aza.org/joblistings/
 
hmm idk a lot of the ones I looked weren't really recent. The first few doesn't say it, but I know I was sad about it and I even contacted them asking. I had 2 years of school, but not a AA.
 
I only have a BA in biology with a 'concentration' (essentially a minor) in environmental science, and a capstone (honors project) in physio-toxicology research of an animal as a bioindicator for source point pollution.
 
Nexx said:
AA degrees really don't help you get anything in life except to get into other universities for more advanced programs of studies. They don't help with jobs really nor internships (at least that I have heard of). Heck a Bachelors degree is the new High School Diploma, that is you need it to get any decent basic job anymore.
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I don't agree with this at all. Maybe for certain fields, but I have two associate degrees and worked with some of my area's finest corporate attorneys for 6 years. After that 6 years, I left a $43k job and went back to retail making $8/hour so I could go back to school when I decided to change careers. Yes I am pursuing a BS now, but I certainly didn't need it to succeed. Both programs had required internships which led to my employment.

For some industries, you don't need a BS to get your foot in the door.
 
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cozycleo said:
I don't agree with this at all. Maybe for certain fields, but I have two associate degrees and worked with some of my area's finest corporate attorneys for 6 years. After that 6 years, I left a $43k job and went back to retail making $8/hour so I could go back to school when I decided to change careers. Yes I am pursuing a BS now, but I certainly didn't need it to succeed. Both programs had required internships which led to my employment.

For some industries, you don't need a BS to get your foot in the door.
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Sorry to generalise... I'll clarify my thought a little. I think you may have been an exception (or I was). I know it is possible to get jobs with an AA/AS it is just that if you want higher paying jobs with better benefits, you need to move on to higher degrees (again, generally).

If you get certain AA's or certain AS's they are more geared toward actual jobs -- more like a technical skill. That is the CC I was at offered AA's in graphic design to become a graphic designer or an AS in Zoo animal technology to become a zookeeper. But both those degrees were so narrowly focused they didn't meet many (if any) requirements for let's say an Art major or a Bio major seeking a bachelors.

I -personally- have an Associate of Arts degree that covers just my gen-ed items, which yes includes several pre-reqs for vet school (directed at wildlifesaver). It's not that you save them for the last two years, you just get the pre-lim ones done first, much as you would in a 4 year degree program. (Think Bio 1/Bio 2/Chem 1/Chem 2/Calc 1/Physics 1/etc in addition to your English, Speech, stats, etc) Then in your last two years after a transfer to a Uni you complete the courses for your major (If you are taking an Ag major, you do nutrition, herd management, etc while doing your upper level sciences)

I'm not knocking an AA degree at all so I don't mean to offend/thoroughly generalise, just answering the OP question which was more focused on why he was pursuing an AA degree.
 
Thanks for following up Nexx. I just want people out there to realize that there are some areas where you don't have to go to school for several years to get a decent job.

Unfortunately I ended up in a strange spot where in order to move up in position, I would have had to take a pretty good sized pay cut. Eventually it would have meant a better salary, but I would have had more work and pressure and, quite frankly, I wasn't that passionate about the career to begin with.

Since both of my degrees were legal based, I have all the gen eds, but no science whatsoever! So I'm back to get all the science stuff I haven't had for the better part of the last decade. I'm actually planning to apply before I finish my BS, but if I'm not accepted I'll just keep going and try again later.

The crazy part is that I willingly quit a decent job to spend 100k+ on a (hopeful) future college education that will result in a job that won't pay really much more than my previous career did. How ironic! :D

But as they say, I'm not in it for the money. I also have it to fall back on if necessary, so that's a plus!

Thanks again for clarifying. I appreciate it. :)
 
One big issues with Associate degrees is that they are at risk of being phased out during a lifetime. It has happened in almost all areas of nursing and medical lab work. Where my loving hubby works in business, bachelors are being phased out...hard to get work if you don't have a masters.
 
sumstorm said:
One big issues with Associate degrees is that they are at risk of being phased out during a lifetime. It has happened in almost all areas of nursing and medical lab work. Where my loving hubby works in business, bachelors are being phased out...hard to get work if you don't have a masters.
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And they're frowned upon by some schools. I was the valedictorian of my graduating class with a 4.0 GPA, chem major, at a community college, then went on to a city university... I was told by the admissions counselor that the major reason I didn't get in to vet school last year was that there was no admissions criteria at my undergrad institutions, combined with a lack of upper level sciences.... all schools might not feel that way but it's something to be aware of. One way around this with no high school diploma is to go to community college for one semester, then transfer to a school that has tighter admission criteria. Sorry to say... but it matters...
 
Shanomong said:
And they're frowned upon by some schools. I was the valedictorian of my graduating class with a 4.0 GPA, chem major, at a community college, then went on to a city university... I was told by the admissions counselor that the major reason I didn't get in to vet school last year was that there was no admissions criteria at my undergrad institutions, combined with a lack of upper level sciences.... all schools might not feel that way but it's something to be aware of. One way around this with no high school diploma is to go to community college for one semester, then transfer to a school that has tighter admission criteria. Sorry to say... but it matters...
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I don't think that many people these days apply with AA degrees. I would definitely not for some of the reasons you learned from and above that. Its too competitive to get into vet school these days.
 
WildlifeSaver said:
I don't think that many people these days apply with AA degrees. I would definitely not for some of the reasons you learned from and above that. Its too competitive to get into vet school these days.
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It was an AS, not an AA... and some people aren't able to take the direct high school --> 4 year college --> vet school route. I was a first generation college student from a poor family.... it leaves you with few options and no guidance. And I didn't apply with just my associate degree, I went on to a 4 year school from there and completed a bachelor degree, which is what the op was asking about. And I did get into Penn with my degrees, but it's not an ideal route to take if the op can avoid it.

I'm just advising that a 3.6 from a more respected school seems to go further than a 4.0 from a community college.... but myself and several others have gotten in to top schools with associate degrees, so if money is a concern and your options are limited it's certainly possible to get in with that background, but make sure you graduate at the top of your class, try to transfer to a well known school. But if possible, avoid the two year school all together :)
 
Shanomong said:
It was an AS, not an AA... and some people aren't able to take the direct high school --> 4 year college --> vet school route. I was a first generation college student from a poor family.... it leaves you with few options and no guidance. And I didn't apply with just my associate degree, I went on to a 4 year school from there and completed a bachelor degree, which is what the op was asking about. And I did get into Penn with my degrees, but it's not an ideal route to take if the op can avoid it.

I'm just advising that a 3.6 from a more respected school seems to go further than a 4.0 from a community college.... but myself and several others have gotten in to top schools with associate degrees, so if money is a concern and your options are limited it's certainly possible to get in with that background, but make sure you graduate at the top of your class, try to transfer to a well known school. But if possible, avoid the two year school all together :)
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I am a a CC now. I almost have a AS in bio or chem. I wish I went to Rutgers now. Money was a concern to me. I only took 4 major science pre-reqs there. And I am afraid one day it will hunt me. One of my top schools I would like to attend is Penn, so nice to see you can still do it even though they do not like seeing it. :) I guess its one thing to do great and one thing to do ok to good.

I know I read the part about you going to a four year too. I wonder if anyone would actually get into a prestigious veterinary medical school with just a Associates degree.
 
You can get into NCSU without a BA/BS...so not sure the associates would be an issue there, as long as you were exceptional and met and the pre-reqs. The vet I work for now has no degrees except DVM
 
WildlifeSaver said:
It is true that a lot of the time they can say since you completed two years at a 4 year undergrad institution that it can be the equivalent to the AA degree. Sometimes, that is not the case though. Many places for internships want ANY degree weather its a 2 or 4 year degree in the sciences (if you are applying for animal positions) instead of just course work done. Anyone can be in college for whatever period of time and never have a degree. Your years in college doesn't mean you did half the 4 years or the course work in your bachelors degree. I bet that would be rare though. I mean who is going to be in a program and save alot of their program courses (sciences) for the last two years? You have pre-reqs to take certain class in your program.

I was going to apply for some internships, but soon realized the ones I wanted to apply to wanted a degree and yes some said "some college".

Also, I do agree that pretty much everyone has a bachelors these days. We need Phds, possible masters and other doc degrees to make it now.

If you don't believe me at all here is a link that shows some jobs/internships.

http://www.aza.org/joblistings/
Click to expand...

I saw nothing on any of the postings I looked at on that link (I looked at 10-12 postings) that indicated you needed an associates rather than 2 years of college. This is the only thing that even came close:

"Applicants must have completed at least 2 years at a college or university or be a recent graduate majoring in the natural sciences."

I would be shocked if anyone would prefer someone with an associates degree over a student at a 4 year college with 2 years under their belt. The two are essentially equivalent. (Not necessarily saying that the student at the four year institution would be preferred either.)

The other thing I would say is that, often in job postings, what you see is the description of their ideal candidate. It never hurts to apply if you're not too far off from their description and think you're a good fit for the position description/duties of the job. It never hurts to take a chance.
 
VAgirl said:
I would be shocked if anyone would prefer someone with an associates degree over a student at a 4 year college with 2 years under their belt. The two are essentially equivalent. (Not necessarily saying that the student at the four year institution would be preferred either.)
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It would depend on the position. If you are looking to hire a licenced veterinary technician in the carolinas, you are only looking for an individual who graduated with an AS/AA from an approved program. Can't even apply to take boards without that. 2 years of undergrad towards a BA/BS won't provide the necessary licence or the ability to get it. There are legal difference between what a vet assistant (no formal education required) and a vet tech can do here, especially in terms of what supervision is required.

I am sure that varies by state, but there are certainly positions that are not open without the appropriate AS/AA often followed by certification or licence. Many AA/AS programs are much more technical in nature, providing a skill set necessary to specific positions/tasks.
 
VAgirl said:
I saw nothing on any of the postings I looked at on that link (I looked at 10-12 postings) that indicated you needed an associates rather than 2 years of college. This is the only thing that even came close:

"Applicants must have completed at least 2 years at a college or university or be a recent graduate majoring in the natural sciences."

I would be shocked if anyone would prefer someone with an associates degree over a student at a 4 year college with 2 years under their belt. The two are essentially equivalent. (Not necessarily saying that the student at the four year institution would be preferred either.)

The other thing I would say is that, often in job postings, what you see is the description of their ideal candidate. It never hurts to apply if you're not too far off from their description and think you're a good fit for the position description/duties of the job. It never hurts to take a chance.
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I was finding that after 5 postings that it didn't say degree. Just remember a degree being really important to a internship so I didn't apply at one time. If I had my AS from my school I would have had a better chance even though I have been maybe the equivalent as someone who had a degree. Been there longer for two years because I took classes out of my degree requirements etc and life happened.

When I took my marine bio class, we went on a trip to a aquarium so we could take a back tour of the facility. During this tour, the tour guide brought up the point to work there that all you needed was a degree either a associates or above. The degree never mattered of what type which shocked be beyond belief that it didn't have to be in the sciences.

I realized though sometimes or should I say rarely, that AS degrees in science aren't going to get you far. I am not getting mine because it wouldn't make sense time wise. Organic chemistry I and II are taught at certain semesters while I could be taking other classes in the meantime. I am actually disadvantaged for not having the degree because transfer might not go so smooth now?

And yeah! I need to be more willing to take chances even if I am not the perfect candidate. You just never know unless you try, right? I am getting better at this whole thing. :)
 
sumstorm said:
It would depend on the position. If you are looking to hire a licenced veterinary technician in the carolinas, you are only looking for an individual who graduated with an AS/AA from an approved program. Can't even apply to take boards without that. 2 years of undergrad towards a BA/BS won't provide the necessary licence or the ability to get it. There are legal difference between what a vet assistant (no formal education required) and a vet tech can do here, especially in terms of what supervision is required.

I am sure that varies by state, but there are certainly positions that are not open without the appropriate AS/AA often followed by certification or licence. Many AA/AS programs are much more technical in nature, providing a skill set necessary to specific positions/tasks.
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Sorry, I should have been more specific. I was specifically talking about not preferring an associates degree over 2 years of college in looking for candidates for an internship, like Wildlifesaver was talking about before. I can totally see your point for a job, where the person is expected to have legitimate skills because they'll be a productive employee. I view internships (not post-vet school internships) more as a situation where someone is obviously there mostly to learn, since it usually takes more time to train the intern than it would for an experienced person to do the job. Hence the focus being training/education/building relationships for down-the-road employment.
 
Completly depends on the internship. From running a department in a zoo, zoo internships can really range and some require an extremly high level of skill to even apply. I find the same is true with research internships and education internships. Some might accept some course work as a supplement to a degree, but others are going to use the degree as a rapid weed out. I know that a lot of marine research requires either very specific courses (particularly internships requiring identification of animals via markings or accoustics) or AS degrees.

I am not discouraging anyone from applying to an internship that they are close, but not quite a match...or where alternative skills may make them suitable to the program. But as the person that had to read through hundreds of apps to fill a handful of positions, I can say that the weed out process wasn't perfect, and excuses to weed an applicant out were common for us. We were most interested in what the intern could do for us...to be honest, it wouldn't have really mattered to us what we could do for the intern. I don't mean that to be callous....just that time, energy, training, and access are all costs for an organization, and to justify the costs, there needed to be a value. Not sure if that makes a lot of sense...just was the reality of it.

My approach to internships (and shadowing) is to emphasize what I can do to help the program or organization, particularly if it was something most other individuals can't do (such as tag venemous snakes in the field without assistance.)
 
WildlifeSaver said:
I think associates degrees help to get internships or certain jobs related to your major or for animal/vet experiences. You want to complete this before apply to vet school, right? Even when you plan to transfer, you still have that time frame left for pre-reqs and just whatever, so getting one can be advantageous.
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I do not disagree that associates help u or agree that they do. It depends on a bunch of circumstances. Just wanted to clear to everyone my thoughts and what I knew.
 
How about we all just get BS degrees to dissolve all factors of "what ifs". Life would be more less complicated then. :D:laugh:
 
LOL. My boss, who doesn't have a BA or BS, just her DVM, has far more guts than me. She quit after completing her last pre-req first semester of her junior year (which is when she applied) before finding out if she was accepted (she wasn't) so she worked in a clinic for a year before being accepted without an AS/AA or BS/BA.
I just can't imagine doing that, though I do know someone on here was accepted this year while a junior in undergrad.
 
sumstorm said:
LOL. My boss, who doesn't have a BA or BS, just her DVM, has far more guts than me. She quit after completing her last pre-req first semester of her junior year (which is when she applied) before finding out if she was accepted (she wasn't) so she worked in a clinic for a year before being accepted without an AS/AA or BS/BA.
I just can't imagine doing that, though I do know someone on here was accepted this year while a junior in undergrad.
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That is amazing! She most of been a super applicant in all areas and did super with pre-reqs. I guess it can happen though! You just don't hear that too much or anymore.
 
So we all realize the degree doesn't matter.

The bigger consideration is that all vet schools have some requirement for "upper level sciences", those being sciences which cannot be completed at a community college because they are schools without an upper level. So in order to apply to veterinary school you are going to need to spend at least some time at a 4 year institution.
 
david594 said:
So we all realize the degree doesn't matter.

The bigger consideration is that all vet schools have some requirement for "upper level sciences", those being sciences which cannot be completed at a community college because they are schools without an upper level. So in order to apply to veterinary school you are going to need to spend at least some time at a 4 year institution.
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Correct.

And my main point is that even the lower devision sciences should, if possible, be completed at a 4 year school, because anyone can take classes at a community college, and to some degree all grades are relative to who else is in your class. At a 4 year school there is a known admission criteria... and the vet school can judge the level of difficulty of the class based on that...

Btw David, good luck! I saw that Florida's letters possibly went out yesterday :)
 
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