Build Your Career One Step at a Time

Flexible education that grows with your goals. Whether you're starting your first career, changing professions, or looking to move into leadership, you don't have to earn every degree at once.

How Stackable Degrees Work

Start your journey from any level

You don't have to start at the bottom

Begin with any program, or transfer credits from another institution for a head start.

Start here

Associate's

90–100 credit hours*

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Start here

Bachelor's

90–100 credit hours beyond an Associate's (180 total*)

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Start here

Master's

50–60 credit hours beyond a Bachelor's*

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*Credit hours vary by program and institution

Why stackable credentials matter

Enter the workforce sooner

Finish a diploma or associate credential and start working, without waiting on a full four-year timeline.

Never lose a credit

Every course you complete counts toward the next credential — nothing is repeated.

Grow your earning power

Come back when you're ready to stack toward higher-paying, higher-responsibility roles.

A federally recognized model

The U.S. Department of Labor sees a program as stackable when it is part of “ a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build up an individual's qualifications. Typically, stackable credentials help individuals move up a career ladder or along a career pathway to different and potentially higher-paying jobs.”

See it in action: a health-careers pathway

One example of how American National University students stack credentials over time.

Step 1

Diploma, Medical Billing & Coding

10 months

Enter the workforce

Step 2

Associate, Medical Assisting

+8 months

Advance into clinical roles

Step 3

Bachelor, Health Information Mgmt

+2 years

Move into management

Ready to start stacking?

Talk with a advisor about which credential fits where you are today.

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