associate degree

[/əˈsoʊʃiət dɪˈɡriː/]
nounpl: associate degrees
diploma de associado
1. A two-year undergraduate degree awarded by community colleges or junior colleges upon completion of a specific program of study
She earned an associate degree in nursing before pursuing her bachelor's degree.
Ela conquistou um diploma de associado em enfermagem antes de prosseguir para seu bacharelado.
2. A credential that typically requires 60 credit hours and can serve as a stepping stone to a four-year university degree
An associate degree in business administration can lead to various career opportunities.
Um diploma de associado em administração de empresas pode levar a várias oportunidades de carreira.
The associate degree is a distinctly American and Canadian educational credential, particularly important in the U.S. community college system. It serves as an affordable pathway to higher education and career training. This degree type does not have direct equivalents in Brazil's education system, where higher education typically begins with a four-year bachelor's degree (bacharelado) or shorter technological courses (cursos superiores de tecnologia). In Portugal, the closest equivalent would be a short-cycle higher education program.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
two-year degreejunior college degreecommunity college degree
Antonyms / Antônimos
bachelor's degreemaster's degreedoctoratehigh school diploma

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
diploma de associado
Most common translation; educational system differs from Brazil's structure
Rio de Janeiro
diploma de associado / curso superior de tecnologia
May reference 'curso superior de tecnologia' as closer equivalent
São Paulo
diploma de associado
Standard usage in business and education contexts
Portugal
diploma de ensino superior (curta duração)
Portuguese system has different higher education structure; closest equivalent is 'cursos de curta duração'

Related Words

community collegejunior collegebachelor's degreecertificate programvocational training

Related Idioms & Phrases

two-year degree
stepping stone to a bachelor's degree
community college diploma
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →