Best Associate's in Educational Technology Programs in 2026
All 3 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on graduation rate, affordability, and more. CIP 13.0501.
- In-state tuition typically runs from $5,370 to $8,216 a year, with a median near $5,976.
- 3 of 3 ranked programs sit at public universities.
- We rank on graduation rate first, then selectivity and affordability, all from federal IPEDS data.
- 1
Warren County Community College
100score- 39%Grad rate
- $5,370/yrIn-state tuition
- $5,970/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 944Undergrads
- 2Grads/yr
- Associate in Science in Graphic Design
- On-campus
About the programWarren County Community College's Associate in Science in Graphic Design is a two-year, 60-credit degree built as a transfer step into the second half of a four-year B.F.A. in the field. The coursework blends a fine-art foundation in subjects such as drawing, color theory, and art history with applied studio work in computer graphics, typography, and the history of graphic design, and students assemble a transfer portfolio along the way. Despite its placement under an instructional-technology code, the program is a design pathway, not a teacher-education degree, and it carries no teaching license. Prospective students should also note that the catalog lists it as no longer accepting new applicants. For those already enrolled, it remains oriented toward continuing into a bachelor's program in graphic design. It is an associate degree in educational technology at the associate level, based in New Jersey.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageWhere it lands is a story about completion first, then selectivity, then cost. Start with the outcome that matters most, 39% of students graduate, top 1% among programs nationwide, which is the biggest reason it sits where it does. Cost only helps its case: at $5,370 in state, tuition runs below the national median, so students are not paying a premium for those results. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.
- 2
Lone Star College System
50score- 21%Grad rate
- $5,976/yrIn-state tuition
- $7,512/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 73,077Undergrads
- 92Grads/yr
About the programLone Star College System offers an Associate of Arts in Teaching, an academic transfer degree that satisfies core requirements for four-year programs leading to initial Texas teacher certification. Students can pursue tracks for early childhood through grade 3, grades 4 through 8, or early childhood through grade 6, with courses offered across the college's campuses and online. The degree is a two-year transfer pathway toward a bachelor's degree and certification rather than a teaching license on its own. This program offers an associate degree in educational technology in Texas.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageThe ranking rewards programs that graduate their students, stay at least somewhat selective, and keep tuition reasonable, so here is how this one measures up. On completion, the heaviest factor, it lands mid-pack among programs nationwide at 21%, solid without being a standout. Tuition is middle of the road for programs nationwide at $5,976 in state, so cost neither helps nor hurts its standing. Strong on the measures that matter most, it earns a place near the top.
- 3
Essex County College
0score- 20%Grad rate
- $8,216/yrTuition (in or out of state)
- 7,026Undergrads
- 22Grads/yr
- New Media Technology, A.A.S.
About the programEssex County College's New Media Technology program is a hands-on Associate in Applied Science based in Newark and taught on campus through the Division of Humanities and Bilingual Studies. Rather than concentrating on a single medium, it moves across a wide creative landscape that includes animation design, interactive multimedia, game design, filmmaking, and audio production, all with training on industry-standard software and hardware. Along the way students build practical craft in storyboarding, character development, interactivity, and introductory scripting, the everyday skills of a working digital producer. The applied structure signals its intent, since the degree is aimed at students who want to move directly into the workforce rather than transfer onward. For creatively minded learners, it offers a portfolio-building foundation across several branches of digital media. It is an associate degree in educational technology at the associate level, based in New Jersey.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageIts place on the list comes down to outcomes, selectivity, and price, weighted in that order. The sticking point is completion, the factor we weigh most heavily: at 20% the graduation rate trails the national median, which caps how high it can climb. The one drag is price, $8,216 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.
How we rank
Each program is scored 0 to 100 against the other associate's programs in its specialty: graduation rate (55%) and affordability by in-state tuition (45%). Scores are percentile-based within the specialty, so they compare like with like, and a program missing a field gets the neutral median. Because an associate's in elementary education is a two-year transfer degree offered almost entirely by open-admission community colleges, selectivity is not used. Earnings are excluded because they depend on transferring and finishing a bachelor's degree. Every associate's program in the specialty is ranked and shown, with no per-state cap.
- Graduation rate: 55%
- Affordability (in-state tuition): 45%
How much an associate's in Educational Technology program costs
Published in-state tuition across the 3 ranked associate's programs typically runs from $5,370 to $8,216 a year, with a median near $5,976. Most of that spread is public versus private: public universities charge state residents the least, while private colleges set a single sticker price that applies to everyone. 3 of the 3 programs here are public, which is usually where the lowest in-state numbers come from.
Sticker price is rarely what a student pays. Grants and scholarships lower the net cost, and future teachers have aid written specifically for them: the federal TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who agree to teach a high-need subject in a low-income school, and many states add service scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for people who commit to the classroom. Two costs to watch are out-of-state tuition, which at public schools often runs two to three times the resident rate, and mandatory fees and living expenses, which the tuition figure leaves out entirely.
Sources: tuition and program data from IPEDS; the TEACH Grant from Federal Student Aid.
Ways to earn your associate's in Educational Technology
An associate's in Educational Technology is usually the first two years of a longer teaching path rather than a destination in itself. Most are delivered on campus, since even early coursework often includes in-person classroom observation. Many are designed explicitly as a transfer, or pre-education, track that maps onto a four-year degree.
The move that saves the most money is articulation: completing general-education and introductory teaching coursework at a community college, then transferring those credits into a bachelor's program to finish the degree and student teaching. Statewide transfer agreements in many states guarantee that an approved associate's applies in full, so it pays to choose a program with a clear articulation pathway to the university you eventually want to attend.
An associate's on its own does not lead to a standard teaching license, which is the norm for this level rather than a shortcoming. What it does do is open the door to classroom roles now, paraprofessional and teacher-aide positions, and in some states a step toward early-childhood or substitute credentials while you keep studying toward the bachelor's.
Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS; alternative-certification pathways per the US Department of Education.
Data sources for our Associate's in Educational Technology ranking
- Program counts, tuition, graduation and admission rates: IPEDS, US Department of Education.
- Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.