Associate Degree Online Can Start You On The Road To A Better Future!
At a time when unemployment rates are high and the economy is low, community colleges that offer associate degrees are said to be growing in programs and enrollment numbers online and on campus. Whether the student is new out of high school or a returning student in their 40′s, earning college degrees online is growing in popularity.
Community colleges that offer associate degrees are experiencing growth and soaring enrollments online and on campus. Several are targeting programs to local business needs and worldwide 21st century demands, according to reports.
It’s not unusual for cost-effective community college enrollment to increase when the economy worsens, according to the Pew Research Center. But these days, great proportions of young adults have graduated high school or completed an equivalency test, dropout rates are low and unemployment is the highest it’s been in more than 25 years as well, according to the research center. What’s more, new government incentives intended to encourage people to return to school, a WWJ Radio Great Lakes IT Report in Michigan noted.
The number of young adults ages 18 to 24 enrolled in community college climbed from 3.1 million in October 2007 to 3.4 million in 2008, according to the Pew Research Center. In states such as Rhode Island and Michigan, community college enrollment is reportedly reaching record rates at colleges and comprising nearly half of all enrollments throughout the country, reports from the Providence Journal and the Great Lakes IT Report suggest.
Students also are turning to online community college offerings in substantial numbers, a Sloan Consortium report noted. Their enrollments over a five-year period accounted for more than half of all online college course enrollments, with nearly 2 million students in fall 2006 taking at least one online associate degree program class, according to the report published in 2007.
Looking ahead to 2018, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggests that occupations requiring that employees have some higher education are expected to experience higher rates of growth than those that call for on-the-job training. Occupations requiring an associate degree are anticipated to grow fastest, the report shows. Among the fastest growing occupations requiring an associate degree or less are those that, in 2008, saw median annual earnings of $19,180 to $46,140. These would include home health, home care and physical therapy aides, dental hygienists, veterinary technicians and dental, medical and physical therapy assistants, according to the report.
In Rhode Island, the community college is working on programs in areas expected to meet current and future demands throughout the state, the Providence Journal article noted. And a May article in the Lane Report, a Kentucky business publication, told of a growing college program that takes classes to areas where students live and work, including at their actual job sites. Through the program, the Lane Report noted, students can earn an associate degree in as few as 20 months.
The ability to earn your online degree education works for every student in every life situation. The flexibility of study is a main attractant, one that is appealing all the way through to those participating in associate’s degree as they continue to work at their busy careers. For more information about on line college degree, check the internet.
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