Vocational Certificates vs. Associate Degrees

For students who do not want to pursue a four-year degree, there are other educational opportunities to consider.

Vocational certificates and associate degrees offer different educational paths than a four-year degree, but both can help prepare you for a rewarding career. Which route is best for you depends on your personal preferences and career aspirations.

This guide is designed to help you explore the differences between vocational certificates and associate degrees. We’ll also answer common questions about these modalities, and discuss learning objectives, employment outcomes, and earning potential students can expect at each type of program.

Vocational certificates provide intensive, focused training that prepares learners for work in a specific trade. In these programs, students develop the core skills needed to perform daily, practical tasks for vocational careers, like carpentry, appliance repair, automotive maintenance, plumbing, real estate, cosmetology, medical coding, dental assisting, or the culinary arts. Our page on trade schools and vocational education offers a comprehensive listing of available subjects for vocational certificates.

Typically, students earn these certificates at state vocational schools or from private, nonprofit technical schools.

Depending on the trade or field, internships and apprenticeships may provide initial training transferable to qualified vocational schools.

Vocational education is less expensive and takes less time to complete than a traditional degree. While some certificates can take as long as an associate degree — two years — many can be completed within a matter of months, or even weeks. Previous professional experience can reduce these time frames even further. Ultimately, this means vocational schools can place learners in the workforce faster than a traditional degree.

In terms of expense, certificates are also cheaper than degrees. The Simple Dollar reports that a four-year degree costs $127,000 on average; vocational schools charge a fraction of that, just $33,000 on average. This potential savings lessens students’ financial burdens and helps them avoid student loan debt.

Aspiring professionals can also take advantage of financial aid opportunities specific to vocational education. Many technical schools offer in-house scholarships and grants, which are less competitive than outside scholarships because they are limited to enrolled students only. Field or trade-specific organizations often extend similar awards, too.

If you want to attend a vocational school, you should complete the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for federal financial aid.

While not as comprehensive as a four-year degree, an associate degree builds more versatile, transferable skills than a vocational certificate. An associate program will cover the same kind of information that most four-year college students learn in their first two years of school. It is not as singularly career-focused as a certificate, but it’s also less extensive than a baccalaureate program.

Associate degrees are a great option for a variety of students. If you’re not sure what you want to study, or if you want to improve your upon your high school grades before applying to a four-year school, or even just pay less in tuition for two years, you may be interested in an associate program.

Some traditional universities offer associate degrees, as do junior colleges, community colleges, and some technical schools. An associate degree includes general education as well as courses in a focus subject, completed over two years. Potential areas include business administration, science and the liberal arts, nursing, criminal justice, accounting, and paralegal studies. Many schools offer online instruction for busy learners and working professionals looking to balance their education with other commitments.

An AA program focuses on the humanities, while an AS degree offers training in STEM areas, like dentistry, medical assisting, and information technology. Both degrees include general education credits and are often designed to transfer to a bachelor’s program.

Meanwhile, an AAS degree more resembles vocational education, exploring technical subjects like occupational therapy, surgical technology, and biomedicine, all with an eye toward immediate employment after graduation.

Each program takes approximately two years, though learners with transfer credits or applicable professional experience may be able to finish sooner. Associate degrees also offer preparation for subject-specific exams or professional certification. Additional certification is not always necessary, but it may be required in fields like medicine, technology, and accounting.

The table below looks at projected job growth and salary potential among associate degree-holders and vocational school graduates. Factors like local demand, competition, and area of employment can affect employment outcomes.

Even though programs in vocational schools are often less comprehensive, they can still result in high pay. Both vocational certificate and associate degrees can improve employment prospects, as compared to candidates with only a high school diploma.