Obtaining the Associate in Arts (A.A) degree at College of DuPage might take longer than most initially expect, but the overall benefits still make getting the degree a sound decision. Most students come to COD to earn their A.A degree, with the 2017 school year seeing 1,119 students graduating with it. The Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S) degree is a close second with 944 graduates.

Taking the average amount of 12-13 credit hours (or four classes) per semester won’t get you the A.A degree in two years, the time it would take to become a junior at a four-year college or university. But, especially if you’re transferring to an Illinois university, it is still worth your time.

COD is a member of the Illinois Articulation Agreement (IAI), so students who earn an A.A degree at the college will have completed their general education requirements. These students will therefore be juniors upon transferring to any participating IAI institution.

IAI colleges and universities include Elmhurst College, Benedictine University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Wheaton College and Columbia College are some examples of schools in Illinois that don’t participate.  

Attaining an A.A degree is also a good option for those who aren’t sure if they want to continue on to a four-year college or university. Having an A.A degree could lead to careers in management, sales and education.

Some might say taking more than two years is a deterrent to getting the degree, but it’s not impossible to get it within this time frame. One would just have to increase the amount of credit hours they take each semester to 15-16 (or at least five classes). Dedication and a little extra effort could get you to where you want to be, when you want to be there.

Having Advanced Placement or AP classes also increases your chances of finishing the A.A degree faster. AP classes can mean you will have already fulfilled requirements for certain classes and wouldn’t need to take them in college. Enrolling in summer courses is also another option to stay ahead, as you can take several courses during that semester.   

But even if you don’t finish in two years, getting your A.A degree is still a good option. We often obsess about our lives going exactly the way we plan, but college is about more than completing your degree in a certain period of time. Sometimes life will take us on a path we weren’t expecting, but these times are often opportunities for us to grow. The Pathways program here at COD is designed to help students stay on track to graduating in a timely fashion.

The college’s website states Pathways’ “Programs, support services, and instructional approaches are redesigned and re-aligned to helps students to clarify their goals, choose and enter pathways that will achieve those goals, stay on those pathways, and master knowledge and skills that will enable them to advance in the labor market and successfully pursue further education.”  

Staying longer than two years can give you more time to work out what exactly you want to pursue after you’ve gotten your A.A degree. You’ll also have more time to take advantage of the many clubs and resources available at COD, which will make you a more experienced and well-rounded individual wherever life takes you after graduating. The Chaplife website and app lists the plethora of clubs and organizations available here at the college.

Whether you finish your A.A degree in two years or longer, it’s undoubtedly the most straightforward path at COD towards transferring to a four-year college or university. If you’re not sure what you want to do after you graduate, having a college degree can also open doors for you even if you choose not to move on to a four-year institution.