Beginning with the fall semester of 2013, Southwest Minnesota State University will offer students the option of graduating with an associate of arts degree. The two-year degree program was just recently approved for SMSU by MnSCU.

In a recent press release, Interim President Ron Wood noted that the program would be advantageous for students for a number of reasons.  In particular, he noted that unforeseen circumstances can force students out of higher education.

A two-year degree sees to it that they “don’t leave empty handed,” he said. This would make it easier for students to return to school at a later time. It will also give students something concrete to show for the time they put in at SMSU.

There has also been buzz in the news in recent years about the importance of two-year degrees and their salary implications. T

here are a host of career options that are available to associate degree holders that may not be as accessible to students who are only able to say that they have “some college” under their belts.

For students who are forced to leave school due to unforseen circumstances, an AA could make returning to school a whole lot easier. In the form of a degree, class credits would not expire over any period of time, and would transfer easily within the MnSCU system.