Courses : Associate Degree Program

Higher Education Commission of Pakistan recognized Associate Degree Program. The question is should we consider the associate degree program equal to a bachelor of arts program or is it a very different program other than a traditional B.A/B.Sc. programs of 2 years?

A lot of students would like to know about the current status of two years B.A and B.Sc. degree program. Either they should try to get admission in BA or in Associate Degree Program? We will answer this question in a detailed version because it is related to the future of students.

Before the commencement of the Associate Degree program, students were allowed to appear in the private examinations for BA/ B.Sc 2 years’ program. But now the scenario is replaced with an Associate degree program.

In this post, we are going to tell you difference between the Associate Degree Program and a bachelor of arts program which was normally 2 years’ degree program. After the order from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, no university is allowed to launch a study program for 2 years B.A/ B.Sc.

Now, the students who enrolled in a simple graduation course will be awarded an associate degree which is also of 2 years’ duration. From 2020 every student who wishes to have a graduation degree of 2 years’ duration, there will be an Associate degree program for him/her.

What is the importance of the Associate Degree Program in Pakistan?

Basically associate degree program’s main purpose is to enhance the skills among the students. They are not supposed to get information or knowledge about all the subjects in 2 years.

Now, each student will have a specialized skill-set. There will be more focus on one specific subject in an Associate Degree Program. A lot of industries in market demand specializations from the candidates who apply there for jobs.

So, PGC introduces Associate Degree Programs based on the requirements of current market and industry. As per the policy of HEC, public and private colleges/universities are 100% authorized to start associate degree programs.

What is the status of the Associate Degree Program in Pakistan?

If any student appears in an Associate Degree Program and gets success, then he or she will be deemed as a simple graduate student. It will be equal to a degree program as the status of BA/ B.Sc 2 years’ program was in previous years.

We should also understand that ADP is an education level that was first introduced in foreign countries. They used the concept of associate degrees. Pakistan also launched this program after looking the scope of the associate degree programs in current markets.

How Many Semester Systems are in ADP?

Another thing you will note here that in simple B.A /B.Sc. program which was of 2 years, students had to complete 2 years then they were supposed to get a degree. Final exams were on an annual basis but now in the associate degree program, HEC introduced semester system.

It means the students will need to appear in the exam 4 times in a period of 2 years. Each semester will be mandatory to earn an ADP degree. To be successful in an associate degree program you will need to complete at least 65-68 credit hours.

If you study 2 years more or transfer your current 2 years of ADP then you may be eligible for BS (Hons) program which is of 4 years.

What are the types of Associate Degree Programs in Pakistan?

Three types of associate degree programs have been introduced in the initial phase. The types of ADP, which we would like to mention here are as follows,

1. Associate of Applied Science Degree
2. Associate of Arts Degree
3. Associate of Science Degree

What is the scope of Associate Degree Program in Pakistan?

The Associate Degree Program has a huge scope not only in Pakistan but also in foreign countries. Because when you do a specialization in some subject or field, you get a chance to continue your higher study in the same subject.

If a student completes Associate degree program in applied science, then he or she would be able to continue the (Hons) degree or master level degree in the same subject.

After doing the master degree, there would be a chance to get enrolled in M.Phil. degree. And this high-level education would lead a student towards a Ph.D. degree in the same subject.

So, studying the same subject in all the degree levels makes a person fully expert. This is a world of high competition where we need specialists or experts.

Specialization in one particular subject is very popular in the associate degree program. We have given below some details about possible fields. You can get an idea like what kinds of subjects or disciplines you may deal with in ADP.

· Physical therapy subject
· Public Service fields
· Commerce and trade field
· Occupational training programs
· Paramedical study
· Health service field
· Production Technology
· Industrial Technology
· Accounting system
· Information system
· Community health discipline
· Data processing discipline
· Medical lab Technology discipline
· Network management course
· Computer networking course
· Community development course
· Hospitality and tourism discipline
· Web development
· Labour market discipline
· Studio art course
· Dental therapy course
· Islamic banking course
· Human resource management course
· Sales and marketing course
· Supply chain management
· Financial management
· Operational management
· Business Management course

So you, have seen the scope is very huge if you are interested in any of the above-mentioned disciplines. Decide to get admission in associate degree program before it is too late.

What is the eligibility criteria for associate degree program?

Each aspirant who wants to get admission in ADP, must have to present final results of their intermediate or equivalent qualification. Following degrees will be considered legit whenever you want to apply in an Associate Degree Program.

If a student has passed any of the following courses, then he or she will be allowed to apply for an associate degree program in Pakistan easily.

· I. Com
· I.C.S program
· D.A.E
· F.A
· F.Sc
· A-Level

Please note the minimum criteria to apply for this degree program is the second division in above mentioned qualifications. So, in short, we can say that ADP is a skill-oriented program that is designed to enable the students to get quick jobs in different industries.

If they want to become entrepreneurs, then at least they should have technical knowledge with them. If any of the students want to join the professional industry, then specialized knowledge will help a lot.

Having good command over English is not everything that you need in practical fields. Although English improves your communication skills and due to this skill you can get great benefits.

But you should also keep in mind, to get proficiency in some particular business field you need pro-level knowledge. You learn with experience it is true but having information about the documentations or operational SOPs is something that takes you to the next level.