"Junior College (JUCO), popularly known as "Community College", is one of the options offered by the U.S. educational system after high school. They can be understood as institutions that offer two-year educational programs focused on technical/vocational preparation. Although these institutions are not mandatory for every student who completes high school, they are an option for those who, for academic, athletic or economic reasons, could not enter a four year university directly.
In terms of sports, in the event that a student athlete has not been able to enter directly into an institution that competes in D1, during the Junior College program he/she will be able to improve with the objective of eventually expanding the possibilities of entering a more competitive institution. At the same time, it is possible to study and obtain the Associate Degree at a much more affordable cost than that of a four-year university.
What is the Associate Degree?
In the American university education system there are several types of degrees that can be obtained in order once high school is completed: the Associate Degree, which is obtained after two years of Junior College; the Bachelor's Degree, which is achieved after four years in a university institution; the Master's Degree and the Doctor's Degree.
The Associate's Degree refers, as mentioned above, to the degree obtained after two years of Junior College and was implemented with the objective of being able to develop technical and academic knowledge that will enable students to obtain employment or continue their studies in the field of their choice and in which they would like to grow.
Why continue your studies?
Well, once the Associate Degree is obtained, the student can enter the university to complete their Bachelor's Degree in two years and not the four years stipulated in university programs. Two of the most common degrees obtained in a Junior College are:
- AA (Associate of Arts): It offers an educational foundation in courses that are aligned to the general field of study, humanities, communication, literature, music and social sciences. In this one, skills are developed that will help to enter the labor field with a wide offer in positions such as: administrative assistant, customer service, industrial design, photography, preschool teacher, among others.
- AS (Associate of Science): Associate Science degrees are aligned to the field of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and also business. In this program you can study courses such as: nursing, dental hygiene, air traffic control, security and enter the work field in positions such as: pharmacology technician, engineering technician, web development, aerospace operations, among others.
Benefits of obtaining an Associate Degree
1. Flexible schedules: The schedule of the educational programs to obtain an Associate Degree are flexible and there is also the possibility of taking classes online. This option makes it easier to work and study at the same time, which often makes it possible to pay for the studies as the program progresses.
2. Lower costs: As mentioned above, the possibility of working and studying allows paying as the program progresses, but additionally, it is important to consider that the cost of studying in a Junior College and obtaining an Associate Degree is much lower than the cost of university.
3. Junior College programs prepare students to enter the workplace, so the education is technical, rather than simply academic. Once the degree is obtained, job opportunities aligned to the career of interest can be found and this allows obtaining the perfect work experience to continue university studies.
4. Requirements and bridge to enter university: The specifications to enter a Junior College are usually less strict than those requested by university institutions, so they are an excellent alternative for the student who for some reason does not meet the necessary requirements to obtain the bachelor's degree directly at the university. However, this does not mean that the student cannot go to college. In fact, the two years of Junior College allow the student to eventually transfer to a university institution to continue their studies, but instead of doing four years to obtain the baccalaureate, they only need to complete the remaining two years.
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