50 Fastest Associate Degrees in 6 Months Online [2025]
By Joy Miller
Edited by Tania Staley
Updated on December 22, 2024
If you’re ready to jumpstart your career, getting an associate degree in 6 months online could be the way to do it.
In less than a year, you could be a college graduate with workforce-ready skills. Going to school online can be a strategic choice for anyone who wants to earn a degree as quickly as possible.
We’ve compiled a list of the fastest associate degrees online to help you find the right one.
Editorial Listing ShortCode:
Perhaps you know you want to earn an associate degree quickly but aren’t sure what to study. There are many options!
Check out the following ideas and consider which one sounds right for you:
You can explore these programs to see which best matches your interests and goals. Just click on the link to jump to the section you are interested in.
In an accounting program, you’ll learn how to keep financial records and use accounting software. The curriculum will address various types of accounting, including managerial accounting. You’ll also study taxation and take some basic business classes.
An accounting associate degree can prepare you to become an accountant’s assistant. You could also pursue work as a bookkeeper or clerk in an accounts receivable or payroll department.
For a versatile degree, you might think about studying business administration. You’ll explore marketing, finance, accounting, human resources, and office technology. The curriculum might also cover business law.
After graduating, you can pursue work in many business settings, including as a sales representative, marketing assistant, or customer service rep. With experience, you could eventually qualify for a management role.
Like a business administration program, business management programs cover business fundamentals, but there is greater emphasis on being an effective manager and leader. You’ll study economics and communication as well.
Suitable jobs for this degree include working as a sales manager or an office administrator. Some graduates go on to manage a retail store or a restaurant.
In an associate in communications program, you’ll study persuasion, public speaking, and social media. The curriculum will teach you how to communicate effectively in one-on-one and group settings.
The things you learn for a communications degree are beneficial in many jobs because of the importance of good communication in most fields. You could use your degree to become a writer for a print or digital platform or pursue work in social media management or as a public relations assistant.
Your classes in a computer information systems program will cover databases, web design, and introductory programming skills, including programming languages.
With this degree, you could become a computer support specialist or web developer. You may qualify for network or database administration jobs as well.
You can gain practical skills when studying computer networking. Your degree program will cover topics like setting up a network, installing a firewall, and configuring software. You can learn about routers, switches, operating systems, wireless configurations, cloud computing, and more.
The courses can prepare you for industry certification exams, which can enhance your resume. After graduation, you could become a computer user support specialist, network support specialist, or network administrator.
If you’d like to learn multiple programming languages, this could be the degree for you. Your studies will cover programming languages, such as C++, JavaScript, and Python, cyber security, and website development.
Your degree can qualify you for entry-level jobs in programming, systems analysis, and mobile app development. Web design and computer user support could be other lines of work to consider.
Computer science focuses on how computers and computer programs work. Your classes will cover data structures, operating systems, and programming languages.
One popular job for new computer science graduates involves working as a computer help desk technician. You can also qualify for entry-level roles in programming and software development.
If you want to work in law enforcement or legal systems, an associate in criminal justice is a good degree to consider. In your classes, you’ll study courts, corrections, and policing, and learn how to conduct investigations, keep people safe, prioritize fairness, and support your community.
This degree can provide an advantage when applying for police department jobs. You could also pursue work as a correctional officer, security guard, or private investigator.
Experts in cyber security work to keep computer systems and data safe. Their tools include evidence-based policies, security software, penetration testing, ethical hacking, and digital forensics.
In a cyber security program, you’ll learn how to use these tools and study networks, operating systems, and software. After graduating, you can pursue work as a security specialist or security analyst. You can also earn industry certifications to enhance your resume further.
In this associate degree program, you’ll explore the role data analytics has in today’s business landscape. Your courses will cover methods of data collection, storage, and organization. You’ll also learn how to evaluate data.
This degree could help you get an entry-level role on an analyst team focusing on business intelligence or operations analytics.
Digital marketers use non-print channels to connect with consumers. When you study digital marketing, you’ll have classes in social media, consumer behavior, advertising and promotions, and brand management. The curriculum will cover digital marketing strategies, like pay-per-click and mobile advertising.
After graduating, you could work as a copywriter, social media manager, advertising sales representative, or entry-level marketing assistant.
As an aspiring early childhood professional, you will study child development, literacy, health and nutrition, and family dynamics. Your courses will likely address special education, classroom management, and child psychology.
An associate degree can be useful for pursuing work in childcare or preschool teaching. You could also become a teacher’s assistant or a recreation worker.
An associate degree program in education will introduce you to the history of education and give you a look at today’s teaching and learning systems. You’ll prepare to work with kids as you study learning theories, classroom technology, and behavior management.
This degree can be helpful for anyone who plans to become a childcare provider or a classroom aide. It can also qualify you to teach preschool.
In an associate in electronics, you’ll study circuit boards, controllers, microprocessors, and machinery. Your classes will teach you how to design circuits, test systems, and perform repairs. Smart safety practices will be emphasized throughout this program.
Graduates often find careers as electronics engineering technicians or manufacturing technicians. The training is also useful for electronics repair work.
Getting an associate degree in engineering can equip you with skills for working in today’s manufacturing sector. You’ll study automation, circuits, controls, electronic systems, and information technology. In addition, you’ll learn what’s involved in being part of an engineering team.
Engineering technician jobs are common for people with this degree. You could work as a mechanical, electrical, or industrial engineering technician.
Earning an associate in entrepreneurship will allow you to study the fundamentals of starting and running businesses. The courses will cover marketing, customer service, inventory management, and sales.
You’ll also learn valuable practical skills to keep your business running, such as basic accounting and handling business taxes. Earning this degree can give you the confidence to start your own business or purchase a franchise.
If you’re interested in the latest styles, you might want to study fashion merchandising in college. You’ll learn about the history of fashion and look at current trends. You’ll also study textiles, supply chains, and sales techniques.
Fashion merchandising can lead to jobs in retail management. It can also allow you to pursue entry-level work as a buyer or a purchasing agent.
Your finance program will cover accounting, economics, banking, and investing. During this program, you will learn how to analyze financial statements and evaluate investment opportunities.
This associate degree can help you secure work as an associate in a corporate finance department or a billing, brokerage, or payroll clerk.
A fire science program will introduce you to the science of fires—why they burn and how to suppress them. Your studies will cover fire service and emergency management professions and topics such as hydraulics and sprinkler systems.
This degree can offer an advantage when applying for firefighting jobs or promotions. You could also consider a career as a fire inspector.
If you aren’t sure what major is best for you, you could choose general studies. This associate degree will include a variety of classes from various disciplines, including math, composition, history, and science. The curriculum will also have space for multiple electives.
This degree is very versatile and can prepare you for work in many different industries depending on your classes. A few possibilities include customer service, business management, or office administration.
Also known as HIM, the field of health information management deals with revenue tracking, medical coding, and data management in healthcare settings.
You’ll study diagnostic and procedural codes, insurance and reimbursement, database organization, and health privacy. Possible healthcare jobs include medical coder, patient registrar, records specialist, information technologist, and claims processor.
An associate degree in health science can prepare you to work in the allied health field. Your classes will cover medical terminology, human anatomy, nutrition, diseases, human development, and microbiology.
After graduating, you could work in medical billing, patient relations, or health education. You could also pursue certification as a healthcare technician or assistant.
To become a healthcare administration professional, you will study medical terminology, US healthcare, privacy laws, and reimbursement. You’ll also explore the ins and outs of supervising a team—such as what’s involved in conflict resolution.
This degree program can prepare you for a supervisory role in a home healthcare agency, physician’s front office, skilled nursing facility, or hospital’s billing department.
You might consider a healthcare management degree program to study business principles for healthcare settings. Your courses will cover human resources, accounting, marketing, finance, healthcare delivery, health information systems, and quality assurance.
With an associate degree, you could work as a secretary or receptionist in a medical office. Medical records and patient services are other career paths to consider.
A program dedicated to homeland security will include material from the disciplines of criminal justice and political science. You’ll study terrorism, emergency management, law enforcement, and cybercrime.
If you’re interested in a job in law enforcement, transportation screening, corrections, or private security, this degree could be right for you.
If you want to learn how to care for guests in restaurants, bars, hotels, and other hospitality settings, you can get the training you need in a hospitality management degree program. You’ll develop culinary, food safety, customer service, and leadership practices and skills.
A hospitality management degree can be useful for pursuing management careers at restaurants, hotels, spas, or conference centers.
While training for a career in human resources, you’ll learn about benefits packages, staffing strategies, and labor laws and take general business classes. You’ll gain skills in conflict management, team training, and improving workplace morale.
After graduating, you can pursue HR assistant or even some HR specialist positions. You could also work in a payroll department.
If your goal is to help others, consider a degree in human services. While earning this degree, you’ll take psychology and sociology classes. Your courses will cover topics like documenting case information, speaking with clients, responding to trauma, and supporting diverse families.
Your degree can qualify you for a job as a human services assistant, social services assistant, child services worker, or case manager.
In an associate in information technology, you’ll study networks, operating systems, programming, and online security. You’ll also learn how to coordinate teams and lead projects.
Earning this degree can be good preparation for work as a computer help-desk technician. You could also start a career in web development.
You’ll study the court system and legal professions for this degree. You’ll study different types of law, including criminal, civil, family, and real estate law, and develop skills in conducting legal research and drafting legal documents.
This degree can allow you to pursue a career as a paralegal, legal secretary, or legal assistant. You can also pursue paralegal certification.
In a liberal arts program, your focus won’t be on one particular discipline. Instead, you’ll study subjects from throughout the liberal arts, including psychology, history, economics, literature, and biology. This degree program can give a well-rounded education.
Because of its diversity, this degree can enhance your resume and allow you to pursue careers in a variety of disciplines, including office management, law enforcement, customer service, or public relations.
The lessons in a marketing program will cover advertising, promotions, branding, and consumer behavior. Today’s degrees also include lessons about digital marketing strategies, including social media marketing. You’ll likely have general business classes as well.
After getting your degree in marketing, you could become an advertising sales rep, marketing specialist, social media manager, or sales manager.
A mechanical engineering program will introduce you to kinematic, fluid, and thermodynamic concepts. You’ll study the properties of various materials and practice using drafting software. Electricity and manufacturing processes will likely be covered as well.
Working as a mechanical engineering technician is common for graduates of this program. Being a drafter is another job to consider.
Today’s manufacturing environments are highly automated. Mechatronics experts understand how to operate and troubleshoot automated equipment.
For a mechatronics degree, you’ll study robotics, programming, electric wiring, instrument panels, hydraulics, and other machine- and technology-oriented topics. You will also practice reading and writing technical reports.
After graduation, you could work in industrial maintenance as an electro-mechanical or mechatronics technologist or technician.
To prepare for a career as a medical assistant, you’ll study anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and clinical procedures. Your classes will teach you to use billing software, interact with patients, and maintain people’s privacy, and clinical experiences in healthcare settings will give you practical experience.
Medical assistants often work in doctor’s offices, outpatient surgical centers, and hospitals.
Working as a medical coding professional requires knowing both diagnosis and procedure codes. Other essential topics to study in this program include healthcare vocabulary, reimbursement systems, health law, and data management.
Completing this degree can help qualify you for employment as a medical records specialist, health information technician, or medical coder. It can also prepare you for coding certification from an industry organization.
Studying office administration for medical offices will involve learning about insurance, billing, and medical diagnoses and treatments. You’ll practice your typing skills and work with electronic health records systems. Customer service will be another important topic.
This degree program offers useful preparation for working as a medical secretary, receptionist, or administrative assistant in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other healthcare settings.
If you want to develop your expertise in networks and operating systems, you might consider a degree in network administration. You’ll learn how to work with wired and wireless networks. Data privacy and basic programming skills will be covered as well. There will likely be lab experiences as well.
A network degree can be useful for network support specialist, network analyst, network administrator, and other tech jobs.
A paralegal program will teach you how to prepare legal documents, research case law, and speak with clients. You’ll study criminal and civil law and practice using legal software. You’ll likely have supervised work experiences in a real law office too.
This degree is useful for paralegal certification and legal assistant, paralegal, and legal secretary jobs.
Pre-pharmacy is a science-heavy program. You’ll take multiple classes in biology and chemistry. There will also be courses in anatomy, statistics, and medical terminology.
Pre-pharmacy programs are designed for transfer. After graduating, you could enroll in a bachelor’s in health science. You could also pursue work as a pharmacy technician.
When you study for a degree in project management, you can learn how to develop, execute, and evaluate project plans. Your curriculum will include courses in making contracts, obtaining supplies, and staying within budget.
Some associate degree programs focus specifically on project management in the construction industry.
This degree can qualify you for entry-level project management careers in construction or manufacturing.
As a psychology student, you’ll study human development, personality theories, family dynamics, and general, abnormal, developmental, and behavioral psychology.
With a psychology associate degree, you can pursue a career as a human services assistant, social services assistant, or caseworker. You could also work with kids as a teacher’s aide or a daycare provider. This degree can also be beneficial for a career as a correctional officer.
Owning a small business can be tough, but education can provide a foundation for success. You’ll learn how to develop a solid business plan, meet customers’ needs, market your services, hire employees, and maintain your company’s books.
The skills you can develop in this degree program are desired by many employers. They can also be useful for starting your own small business.
Economics, history, psychology, and sociology are just a few of the topics typically covered in social science programs. You might also study political science, geography, or linguistics.
Often, social science students are allowed to shape their curriculum by choosing multiple elective classes. This degree could have many career outcomes. Potential ideas include being a human services caseworker, a law enforcement officer, or a museum technician.
In an associate for social work, you’ll study psychology, human behavior, anthropology, family dynamics, and diversity.
A social work degree can help you become an assistant in a social or human services community organization. You could also pursue work as a correctional officer or an intake worker in a residential care facility.
You’ll explore culture and examine social issues as you study for a degree in sociology. You’ll have studies in family relationships, social justice, cultural diversity, and political science. Some programs include introductory social work courses.
While many sociology associate degree programs are designed for transferring to a four-year school, you could also start a career in a social service agency or a public health department.
A software development degree program can help you develop foundational programming skills, including learning programming languages like HTML and Python. You’ll study specific programming techniques for databases, mobile applications, and other software. You’ll likely study network and data security also.
Hiring requirements vary, but many organizations hire software developers, computer programmers, and web developers with this degree.
Spreadsheets, contracts, and budgets will be some of the topics emphasized in your supply chain program. You can also learn about transportation and warehousing. Managerial skills and scheduling software will be addressed as well.
With a supply chain management degree, you could pursue work as a buyer, transportation manager, warehouse supervisor, logistics specialist, or freight scheduler.
While in a web development program, you’ll study scripting, graphic design, and user experience. You’ll practice programming languages, improve your communication skills, work with website design software, and test web page functionality.
As a web designer or developer, you could be self-employed or work for a company. This degree is also relevant for a career in mobile app development.
If you select the right school, you may be able to earn your associate degree in about 1 year. It typically takes 2 years of full-time study to graduate with an associate degree in a traditional, on-campus program, but there are one-year associate degree programs online.
In an accelerated online program, you can take classes year-round with no gap in learning over an extended summer break. Most accelerated classes are 8 weeks long, but some are even shorter. You can take two (sometimes three) classes each 8-week session and finish your degree quickly!
Online education might be for you if you want to earn an associate degree quickly. Today’s online programs, especially for adult learners, are often meant for speed. Colleges know that busy learners want to graduate workforce-ready as fast as possible.
If you’re looking for the easiest associates degree to get online, look for programs with these characteristics:
Utilizing all of these may allow you to finish your degree in just 6 months to 1 year.
Yes, a 6-month associate degree online is worth it for many students. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment rates drop as education increases. More specifically, the unemployment rate among people with at least an associate degree is lower than the national average. Some of the highest paying careers with an associate’s degree include web developers, dental hygienists, and air traffic controllers.
You’ll likely be busy during an accelerated college program, but this intense season won’t last long. Soon, you could have an accredited degree in hand.
Earning an associate degree can be a strategic addition to your resume and provide the necessary preparation for an exciting new career.
Going back to school doesn’t need to take multiple years. Rather, some of the fastest online associate degree programs can be completed in just 6 months, and you can trust that quality and speed will go hand in hand when you study at a regionally accredited college.
So, what are you waiting for? You may be only a few months away from earning your college degree! Review fast online accredited programs by clicking the “find my program” button below.