<P> Associate degrees in Arts and Science are offered as provincial qualifications in British Columbia . They are similar to the U.S. associate degree, consisting of a two - year course and allowing articulation onto the third year of bachelor's degree courses . </P> <P> Other provinces of Canada do not offer associate degrees as such, but do offer sub-bachelor's higher education qualifications, e.g. the one year certificate, two year diploma and three year advanced diploma in Ontario . In Quebec, the Diplôme d'études collégiales (diploma of college studies), taught at post-secondary collèges d'enseignement général et professionnel (colleges of general and professional education; cégeps) can be a two - year pre-university qualification that is a pre-requisite for entry onto (three year) bachelor's degree courses, or a three - year technical programme preparing students for employment . </P> <P> Qualifications on the short cycle of the Bologna Process / level 6 on the European Qualifications Framework sit between secondary education and bachelor's degree level and are thus approximately equivalent to an associate degree . Such qualifications include the Foundation degree (FdA, FdSc, FdEng), Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) and Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) in the United Kingdom, the Higher Certificate in the Republic of Ireland, and the French Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie (DUT) and Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS). </P> <P> In the Netherlands, there were four pilots between 2005 and 2011 to assess the added value of the associate degree . In 2007 the associate degree was added to the Dutch system of higher education within the Higher Professional Education (HBO) stream taught at universities of applied sciences (hogeschool). Associate degree courses form part of HBO bachelor's degree courses, and advising requirements are the same for the two year associate degree and the related four year bachelor's degree . Those gaining the associate degree may proceed to an HBO bachelor's degree in only two years, but it does not articulate to bachelor's degrees in the research oriented (WO) stream . </P>

Is an associate degree equivalent to a levels