An Associate Degree is a type of academic degree that is awarded by a bachelor’s degree-granting institution, junior colleges and community colleges as well. Typically, an associate degree is equivalent to the first two years of a bachelor’s degree program. Associates degrees are awarded in the United States and, more rarely, Canada, though this type of degree is also being added to the academic degree systems of other countries.

Australia added associate degrees to their Australian Qualifications Framework in 2004, though very few academic programs have begun to use the title. In the United Kingdom, foundation degrees are the equivalent to associate’s degrees. As an equivalent to higher diplomas, Hong Kong initiated various associate’s degree programs.