Find your perfect college degree
Attending university is often touted as the path toward a satisfying, high-paying job. However, with the pandemic, there has been a significant decrease in the job market – the reason why most students are looking for quick degrees. If you are a nontraditional college student, you may also appreciate these quick college degrees.
Earning a conventional college enables graduates to measure up to job expectations. However, the truth is that the college journey isn’t exactly all fun. College students struggle with time management, homesickness, and social issues.
Perhaps the most crippling of all is the student loan amounting to a collective $1.75 trillion owed by more than 48 million people. Here are several college degrees you can earn for less than three years—and expect to land a well-paying job upon completion!
7 Quick College Degrees That Offer Great Career Options
Associates Degree in Information Technology – Computer Support
As businesses rely heavily on computers and technology now more than ever before, Information Tech experts are in high demand.
With an Associate’s Degree in IT – Computer Support, graduates are expected to be highly proficient and eventually acquire specific Certifications in computer operating systems, computer hardware, network technologies, databases, mobile computing, and help desk.
New graduates of this Associate Degree are potentially fit in Computer Technician, Help Desk Support, Computer Applications Specialist, Computer Support Specialist, or Software Trainer jobs with an average starting salary of $31,000 and up to $63,000 per year. Usually, they move on to a related yet different and higher position in 20 years.
Best Colleges/Universities:
- Gateway Technical College
- Atlantic Cape Community College
- The University of Toledo
- Grossmont College
Associates Degree in Nursing
Interested in the health care field but not quite up for a complete course in Nursing? An Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) can be earned in just two to three years.
Courses will include a mix of lecture and practical training, mainly in Biology, Nutrition, Anatomy, and Physiology.
It requires each graduate to pass the NCLEX-RN, the national nursing examination, so they can jumpstart work in an entry-level Registered Nurse position.
In the in-demand nursing work environment, nurses with the ADN degree are being supervised by an experienced nurse with Bachelor’s Degree as they provide patient care.
A practitioner with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing gets a starting pay of $51,280 and usually works in hospitals, outpatient clinics, physicians’ offices, residential care facilities, and educational or government services.
Best Colleges/Universities:
- Chabot College
- Monterey Peninsula College
- Southcentral KY Cmty. & Technical College-Bowling Green
- Lakes Region Community College
- Salem University
Associate’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering and Operations
An Associate’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering and Operations is usually awarded by many community colleges and includes trigonometry and college algebra as required courses.
The Associate’s Degree granted to graduates is recognized by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology or ABET.
There are also vocational and technical institutes offering programs and coursework. For added training and certification required by employers, graduates earn their certificates in post-secondary schools.
Aerospace engineering and operations specialists can expect their careers to have a positive outlook, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Factors making this career favorable include the rising need for experts in:
- designing
- testing
- computer simulating
- testing
- maintaining
- aerospace products
- parts
- communication systems
- equipment
- aircraft or spacecraft architecture and engineering
California pays the highest annual mean salary for Aerospace Engineers, Operations Technologists, and Technicians at $82,420.
Best College/University:
- Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
- Midlands Technical College
- Seminole State College of Florida
- Hempster Shire University
- Montgomery College
Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies
Does the paralegal field interest you? Earn an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies in as short as 15 months.
You can learn to conduct research, collate data, gather information, and prepare the necessary documents to assist lawyers in legal trials.
This Associate’s Degree blends education courses and a specialized paralegal studies course, including:
- Law Office Management
- Legal Research
- Legal Writing
Graduates are expected to be proficient in legal analysis, investigation, witness interviewing, and litigation.
Those who have earned this degree usually take the next step by earning a Certification and even moving on to getting a Bachelor’s Degree to become a paralegal professional.
Work experience is a must in this field. Graduates get ahead in the game by volunteering in advocacy offices and giving entry-level positions, such as legal firm secretary, to lay a solid foundation toward being a paralegal professional.
Best Colleges/Universities:
- Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale
- Liberty University
- Minnesota State Community and Technical College
- Hutchinson Community College
- Herkimer County Community College
- Lake Superior College
Associate’s Degree in Web Development
Web development is one of the most highly in-demand jobs these days, considering the unprecedented rise in computers and related technologies.
Earning a degree opens doors for a lucrative career in this field but if time or money isn’t on your side, get an Associate’s Degree in Web Development.
Graduates of this degree are expected to possess skills in website building and editing, developing proper web content and graphics, as well as an understanding of its underlying structures.
A career in this field offers an annual median pay of $80,730 and 16 percent job demand growth expected through the year 2032. This affordable educational option is attainable in a short time.
As opposed to a full-blown, more expensive, four-year degree, it is a crucial step to achieving that dream career in Web Development sooner rather than later.
Best Colleges/Universities:
- Brigham Young University-Idaho
- Champlain College
- Sheridan College
- Dakota State University
- Bismarck State College
- Montgomery County Community College
- St. Petersburg College
- Cerro Coso Community College
Associate’s Degree in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technology
Many institutions offer the Associate Degree in Magnetic Resonance, mostly as part of the diagnostic medical imaging course or radiology programs.
This degree requires two years to complete with up to 95 credits, depending on the academic institution.
Upon graduation, degree holders become eligible to obtain a Certification from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, a professional organization.
Earning an ARRT Certification increases a graduate’s chances of getting employed and becoming a licensed MRI Technologist.
MRI Technologists are tasked to view scanned MRI scans and ensure the safety and comfort of their patients. With a median pay of $81,530 annually, MRI technologists are usually in the:
- Surgical hospitals
- General hospitals
- Physicians’ offices
- Diagnostic laboratories
- Specialty hospitals
Best Colleges/Universities:
- West Virginia University Hospitals
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Casper College
- Thomas Jefferson University
- Smith Chason College
- Midwestern Career College
- CNI College
- Forsyth Technical Community College
- Grand Rapids Community College
Associate’s Degree in Funeral Service Education
College requirements vary for individuals with an Associate Degree in Funeral Service Education. However, it goes without saying that holders of a degree enjoy a huge advantage over non-holders.
An Associate Degree in Funeral Service Education includes coursework consisting of 25% general, non-technical coursework with a curriculum that includes:
- Sciences,
- Business (for funeral home management)
- Law and Ethics
- Social Sciences
According to the American Board of Funeral Service Education, practitioners should also complete their practicum program in a funeral home. As a Funeral Director, Embalmer, or Facility Manager, graduates earn as much as $73,469 annually for planning, directing, or coordinating funeral home services.
Best Colleges/Universities:
- Northampton Community College
- Fayetteville Technical Community College
- Lake Washington Institute of Technology
- St. Louis Community College
- Delgado Community College
- Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Frequently Asked Questions
Why must students consider quick college degree programs?
Another issue faced by numerous college students is the amount of time required of them to spend in university to earn their degree. Conventionally, bachelor’s degree holders would have spent at least four years in school.
However, in the school year 2020, colleges and universities have 16.2 million students completing undergraduate programs. That’s a lot of candidates to compete with within the job market!
In this fast-paced world, a lot of people simply do not have the luxury of time and money for a conventional four-to-six-year college degree. The good news is that college degrees can now be completed in much less time.
Indeed, bypassing the long college journey has its perks, considering the fact that there are less-than-four-year college degrees that lead to fulfilling careers.
Earning college degrees in a short time puts you on an educational journey that is manageable money- and schedule-wise while also resulting in marketable skills. Here’s why it’s worth exploring:
Another issue faced by numerous college students is the amount of time required of them to spend in university to earn their degree. Conventionally, bachelor’s degree holders would have spent at least four years in school.
In the school year ending 2018, colleges and universities were expected to have 1.9 million graduates with bachelor’s degrees who might struggle with underemployment as they begin to shape their careers.
In this fast-paced world, a lot of people simply do not have the luxury of time and money for a conventional four-to-six-year college degree.
The good news is there are college degrees that can now be completed in much less amount time. Indeed, bypassing the long college journey has its perks, considering the fact that there are less-than-four-year college degrees that lead to fulfilling careers.
Earning college degrees in a short time puts you on an educational journey that is manageable money- and schedule-wise while also resulting in marketable skills. Here’s why it’s worth exploring:
Find US colleges and universities offering these short-term degrees so you don’t spend more than the time and money that your circumstances allow. If you can get your degree fast and start making money sooner than most college graduates, why not?
Are accelerated degree programs credible?
Yes, accelerated degree programs can be credible as long as they are accredited by a reputable agency and offer the same rigorous curriculum and coursework as traditional degree programs. Many reputable universities and colleges offer accelerated degree programs, including top-ranked institutions.
It is important for students to research the accreditation status of the program and institution, as well as the reputation of the school and faculty, before enrolling in an accelerated degree program.
Additional Information: