I am going to Santa Fe College in Florida in fall 2017. I want to work with wildlife and marine life. But i do not know if I should get my A.S degree or my A.A. I want to continue my education to at least a masters degree. But can you do that was a A.S degree?.
It is more important to focus on the Baccalaureate degree that you eventually earn. Ideally, that should be a B.S. degree (as opposed to a B.A.). You can transfer into a B.S. program with either an A.A. or an A.S. The difference is what you will have when you transfer.
I am not familiar with Florida specifically, but typically, the A.A. degree contains more of the general education distribution requirements that you will need to earn a B.S. In many states, there is an explicit transfer articulation agreement, where the incoming university agrees that students entering with an A.A. have satisfied all of the graduation general education requirements.
An A.S. degree typically does not satisfy the general education requirements. Instead, it requires students to enroll in more science and Math courses. This is commonly the more appropriate degree for students transferring into B.S. programs, because those students will have all or most of the coursework that will allow them to immediately start in on Junior level courses in their major.
So, if you transfer in with an A.S., you will be more up-to-speed on your major requirements, but you will have to enroll in some general education courses to graduate. If you transfer in with an A.A., you will probably already have satisfied the general education requirements, but you will have to enroll in some science/math courses to reach parity with other Juniors.
Bottom line: it depends. You should check with Biology/Oceanography programs at a couple of universities that you hope to attend, and see which degree they prefer.
Try to join the honors program and qualify for PTK.
AA would prepare you for transfer, AS is typically terminal.
AS is not typically terminal; an AAS is.
@sweetcandybell Glad you hear you are planning to enroll at Santa Fe this coming fall! If you want to work at a zoo as a zookeeper, you should consider SF’s Zoo Animal Technology Program (https://www.sfcollege.edu/programs/3106) – the only one of its kind in the country. Based at the college’s Teaching Zoo (https://www.sfcollege.edu/zoo/), this is an Associate Science (AS) degree program that prepares you to enter the workforce after you graduate from SF.
Your posted stated you intend to continue your education and get a master’s degree… In that case, you need to purse an Associate of Arts (AA) degree – perhaps with Biology or Zoology as your Program of Study. Several Zoo students (“zoo-ies”) work on their AA and AS degrees concurrently. After graduation, they have the choice of working in the field while completing their bachelor’s degree, or putting work on hold while they complete their education. Options are a good thing!
When you come to SF, be sure to ask your academic advisor about pursuing AA and AS degrees.