An associate degree, also known as an associates degree, is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelors degree. The associate degree is designed as a general academic education qualification, compared to the more vocational Diploma/Higher/Advanced Diploma, and allows articulation onto the third year of a four-year (US-style) bachelors degree or the second year of a three-year (British-style) bachelors degree.

The two most commonly awarded associate degrees are the Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degrees. AA degrees are awarded in the liberal arts, humanities, and social science fields, while AS degrees are awarded in the natural science, applied science, and formal science fields.

Associate degrees can be obtained from community colleges, junior colleges, online universities, or some four-year institutions in the US. They provide students with the basic technical and academic knowledge and transferable skills they need to go on to employment or further study in their chosen field. Students go on to do different things with their associate degree: some transfer into a bachelor’s degree program, while others choose to go directly into the workforce.