Types of College Degrees

In the United States, there are four primary levels of college degrees obtainable. These are:

1) The Associate's Degree:An Associate's Degree is a college degree that, typically, involves two years of study. It is most often awarded by junior colleges, community colleges, and business colleges, though some larger universities and colleges also offer these degree programs. Generally speaking, an Associate's Degree is the same as the first two years of study for a typical four-year Bachelor's Degree.

- Examples of Associate's Degrees:

• Associate of Arts Degree - Usually given to people who intend to go on to pursue a four-year Bachelor's Degree with a major in the humanities or social sciences.

• Associate of Science Degree - Study focuses in the areas of mathematics, natural sciences, or technology, depending on what the individual pursuing the degree plan to do with it.

• Associate of Fine Arts Degree - Given to students who study areas associated with Music, Theater, and Art.

• Associate of Arts in Teaching Degree - Allows students interested in becoming teachers to test their interest early in their academic careers and, by later transfering credits earned to a four-year school, decrease the amount of time required to earn a Bachelor's Degree.

• Associate in Applied Science Degree - This degree program tends to relax some of the general education requirements so the student can focus more on their area of interest. Usually obtained by students who plan to enter the work force once the degree is obtained.

• Associate in Industrial Technology Degree - While this degree can be used by those who plan to transfer to a four-year institution later on, it is most often used by students planning to work after graduation. This degree focuses on fields such as Electronics, Engineering, Radio and Television Broadcasting, and Computers.

• Associate in Business Administration Degree - Can either be used to enter the work force after graduation or to continue on to a four-year college or university, typically in pursuit of a business major.

• Associate in Occupational Studies Degree - Generally, this degree has no liberal arts requirements. It is intended primarily for those students who want to enter the work force once they graduate.

2) The Bachelor's Degree:When most people think about a college degree, the type of degree they have in mind is the Bachelor's Degree. This degree is the standard degree offered by the majority of colleges and universities. While, typically, a Bachelor's Degree takes four years to complete, in some areas of study, it can actually take five or six years to obtain.

- Examples of Bachelor's Degrees:

• Bachelor of Arts - In some cases, this is the degree given out for all "academic" based subjects, but most often it is reserved for students who have studied fields related to the humanities.

• Bachelor of Science - This degree is generally given to students who have taken courses in the natural sciences, though it is sometimes reserved for "professional training" courses of study.

• Bachelor of Engineering

• Bachelor of Architecture

• Bachelor of Business Administration - Students who are awarded this degree usually major in a spcific field of business administration such as marketing, entrepreneurship, economics, finance, management, or public administration.

• Bachelor of Divinity/Theology - This degree is most often pursued by those individuals who want to do something related to religion or ministry.

• Bachelor of Fine Arts - Awarded to students who have completed a course of study in the fine and/or performing arts. It is considered a professional degree, as recipients have generally received four years of study and training in their field.

• Bachelor of Journalism

3) The Master's Degree:A Master's Degree is, typically, the next step in the degree process after one has earned a Bachelor's Degree. It usually takes around two years to earn this degree, after a Bachelor's Degree has been obtained, and provides a higher qualification for employment along with the preparation necessary for later doctoral studies. In general, coursework for this degree can be either classroom or research-based, though, more often than not, it is a combination of the two. While admission to a Master's Degree program normally requires someone to have already earned a Bachelor's Degree, in some cases, relevant work experience may qualify a potential candidate.

- Examples of Master's Degrees:

• Master of Arts - In general, students pursuing this degree are studying subjects in the Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Theology.

• Master of Science - This degree is typically awarded to students studying the sciences and, occasionally, the social sciences.

• Master of Education - Used by education professionals to progress in their field. Specific categories of this degree include Counselor Education, Educational Administration, Adult Education, and Academic Enrichment.

• Master of Divinity - In many Christian denominations, and a few other religions, this degree is a standard requirement for ordination ot the priesthood, pastorship, or other appointments.

• Master of Business Administration (MBA) - This is one of the most popular of the Master's Degrees available. After the first year, in which a wide breadth of courses are usually covered, students attempting to obtain this degree generall concentrate on a specific area, such as accounting, human resources, corporate strategy, or marketing.

• Master of Health Administration - This degree provides training in health policy, economics, and project and program implementation. It is designed to give students of health disciplines a greater understanding of management issues as well as preparing them for senior management roles later in life.

• Master of Public Administration - Students studying for this degree learn about public policy as well as project and program implementation. It can focus on local, state/provincial, national/federal, and supranational levels, as well as in the nonprofit sector.

• Master of Engineering - This degree program is usually takes two-years to complete and is offered as a coursweork-based alternative to the more traditional research-based Master of Science Degree.

4) The Doctorate Degree:In most cases, a Doctorate degree is considered to be the highest level of degree one can earn. To earn a Doctorate, a person must prove that they are an expert in their particular field. This usually is done with the publication of research in peer-reviewed journal or other professional publication. With the research, the person in question must also present and defend a thesis or dissertation, though this can sometimes be waved in view of a large amount of quality, published work. In any case, a person attempting to earn a Doctorate must, in at least a modest way, contribute to human knowledge.

- Examples of Master's Degrees:

• Doctor of Philosophy - Better known by the abbreviation Ph.D, this degree has become the most commonly presented Doctorate Degree over the last century. It is given to students who have studied any of a number disciplines in the sciences and humanities.

• Doctor of Dental Surgery - The DDS degree is one of only a few that are awarded to students who wish to practice denistry.

• Doctor of Computer Science - This degree enables a student to enter into one of the fastest growing career fields today. It includes studies of such subjects as distributed computing and networking, optimization, natural language processing, computer graphics, and neural networks.

• Doctor of Chiropractic - In order to practice chiropractic medicine, this is the degree that must first be obtained.

• Doctor of Juridical Science - This is the highest law degree attainable in the United States.

• Doctor of Optometry - This degree is necessary for a graduate to become certified as an optometrist.

• Doctor of Medicine - Usually refered to as an MD, this is the degree needed to become a practicing Medical Doctor. Even after this degree is earned, there are still several more requirements to complete before a graduate is awarded full doctor status.

• Doctor of Social Work - This degree is usually reserved for already experienced social workers who want to further their careers by gaining a higher level of education and training in advanced practice, teaching and supervision, reasearch, and policy analysis.

For more information about college degrees, careers, and higher education, visit the Zcareer website.