Editing Associate degree (section)

{{short description|Undergraduate degree}}
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An '''associate degree''' or '''associate's degree''' is an [[undergraduate degree]] awarded after a course of [[Tertiary education|post-secondary study]] lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a [[high school diploma]] and below a [[bachelor's degree]].

The first associate degrees were awarded in the UK (where they are no longer awarded) in 1873 before spreading to the US in 1898. In the United States, the associate degree may allow transfer into the third year of a bachelor's degree.<ref>{{cite web |title=Glossary |date=March 6, 2015 |url=https://educationusa.state.gov/experience-studying-usa/us-educational-system/glossary |publisher=EducationUSA}}</ref> Associate degrees have since been introduced in a small number of other countries.