What associates degree is better

Wondering if i should get and associates degree in engineering and then transfer to a 4 year or if i should get a regular associates degree in science and lib art and then transfer to a 4 year. My major is mechanical engineering. Would i have to take the same courses as in community cause I’d rather do that since its cheaper

An Associates degree is not as important is fulfilling the transfer requirements for your major and school targets. If you want to transfer as a ME, then you need to take the transfer course requirements for that major.

Yes, take the pre-major courses and the general education requirements for the campuses/majors that you are targeting. If you pick up an associates degree in the process, that is fine, but should not be a priority compared to the pre-transfer course work if your goal is to transfer to a bachelor’s degree program.

However, there is an exception to the above, which is if you are targeting a CSU and a major for which an associates degree *for transfer/i is offered. In this case, the ADT can be a convenient checklist of pre-major and general education requirements, and may give some advantage in admission. But it does not appear that engineering majors are included in the ADT programs: https://adegreewithaguarantee.com/en-us/find-your-path .