Vocational Degree Programs Information
Vocational degree programs prepare you for a specific trade or career. While the degrees conferred are often Associate’s degrees, they can sometimes be four-year programs.
Featured Schools with Vocational Degrees
- Everest College: San Bernardino
Everest Institute: Houston Bissonnet
Everest University: Orange Park
The careers these programs can lead to are challenging and require specific skills, but often do not require the general training provided by bachelor’s degrees or graduate degrees.
Vocational degrees cover a wide range of careers:
- Those who love tinkering and with and fixing up cars can seek vocational programs in auto repair and maintenance.
- Those who want a career in metalworking can find training in welding or material science.
- Those seeking careers in healthcare can find vocational programs in medical imaging, counseling, massage therapy, and many others.
- There are also vocational programs for culinary studies, information technology (IT), electrical work, woodworking, even engineering.
Vocational programs open doorways to a wide range of fulfilling careers, and you education doesn’t have to stop with a vocational degree. Many colleges allow the transfer of credits from vocational and Associate’s programs toward the completion of a four-year degree.
If you’ve got a hobby that you’d like to turn into a career, consider a vocational program. You might just find a way to make a living doing something you love.
Types of Vocational Degrees Available
While some vocational degrees are four-year programs, it is very rare. Bachelor’s degrees, even if in a vocational field, are often not considered vocational programs, as they require general education courses.
Most vocational programs culminate with either an Associate’s degree or a technical or professional certificate.
What a Vocational Degree Teaches You
Vocational degrees teach you the specific knowledge required to be proficient at a certain job, and does not force students to spend years learning general information.
If you enter a vocational program for welding, you will learn how to weld, how metal reacts under certain conditions, and how to meet safety requirements. If you enter a vocational program for paralegal administration, you will learn how to serve as a legal assistant.
Featured Careers
Woodworker
Cosmetologist/Beautician
Auto MechanicQuestions to Ask about a Vocational Degree
1. Am I sure that I want to turn this skill into a career?
2. Am I willing to trade the flexibility a four-year degree may offer in order to receive training in a specific field in a shorter time frame?
3. Am I motivated enough to finish the degree that I start, and apply those skills immediately in a career?
