Chapter 8: College Majors and Training Programs
College Majors and Training Programs
Now that you have researched careers which interest you, let’s take a look at what it will take for you to get there. In this chapter we will be looking at what educational requirements are needed for the careers that interest you.
Did you know that Mt Hood Community College, as well as other colleges, offer a variety of degrees? How long are you willing to attend college? Do you want to go part-time or full time? You will need to decide early on which degree you want to complete and at what pace. This will determine clearly what courses you need to take and when.
Associate and Bachelor degrees
First, let’s talk about associate’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees. What’s the difference?
An Associate’s degree is typically called a two-year degree, and a Bachelor’s degree is typically called a four-year degree. Well, that’s not totally true because most students take longer to complete any degree! People are busy, run out of money, move, find new jobs, and drop in and out of school.
So when you hear two or four year degree, don’t think you are locked into those time frames. You will decide how long you want to take to get your degree. But plan on several years in college at least if you want to make more than minimum wage in the future.
You may have noticed that the classes you take here at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) are numbered between 100 – 299, generally. 100 and 200 level classes are called lower division classes and often correlate with freshman and sophomore status. These are the classes required for an associate’s degree.
A bachelor’s degree requires higher level classes (class numbers of 300 – 499 and are considered junior and senior level classes) and may eventually lead to higher level professional jobs and careers. For those of you who want a master’s degree, you will first need to complete your bachelor’s degree. Many community college students will get a “transfer” degree and then move to the university to get their bachelor’s degree.
Below is a general introduction to this topic. You will also find links to specific information below as well.
Associate Degrees and Certificates
Community colleges offer associate degrees and certificates.
Let’s take a look at the different types of associate degrees first. Associate degrees typically fall into one of two camps: career technical degrees and transfer degrees.
Career Technical Degrees. The Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS) typically is for students who want to attend school for a couple of years, get some intensive job training, and then head to work. Mt. Hood Community College has dozens of these programs, such as nursing, graphic design, physical therapy assistant, or computer information systems. Again, the AAS degree is designed to give you the information, training, and skills you need to get an entry level job in that field. In these programs, you get a little general education and a LOT