What is the Hierarchy of academic degrees?

Answer 1

In America:

• An Associate's degree is awarded for completion of a two-year college program. Many college students enroll directly in a Bachelor's degree program, but those who earn an associate's degree can usually earn The Bachelor's degree with an additional two years of study.
• A Bachelor's degree is awarded for completion of a four-year college program. The degrees are usually awarded as Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts.
• A Master's degree is generally a 1-2 year program that follows a Bachelor's program, and is usually in the same subject area.
• The highest degree conferred, the Doctor's Degree (doctorate), comes in several forms.
  • The degree Doctor of Philosophy is open to those who hold a master's degree in the field, although it is not uncommon for PhD programs to accept students who have only completed their Bachelor's degrees. Students for this degree must generally demonstrate the mastery over the knowledge in their field and then write a dissertation that makes a new scholarly contribution to the field. Generally, candidates must orally defend their dissertations. A few other doctorates follow this same model, and are generally considered equivalent to the PhD, including the EdD (Doctor of Education), and the SJD (Doctor of Juridical Science).
  • There are also several professional degrees that are awarded at the doctoral level: the Doctor of Medicine (MD), the Juris Doctor (doctor of law) (JD), the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and some others. These programs, which require at least three years of post-graduate study, are only open to those who have completed their Bachelor's degree.

Answer 2

They are as follows:

* Associates * Bachelors * Masters * Doctorate (highest level of educational attainment)

* First Professional A first professional degree is an academic degree designed to prepare the holder for a particular career or profession, fields where scholarly research and academic activity are not the work, but rather a profession such as law, medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, social work, accounting, engineering, religious ministry, or education. Such degrees are primarily part of the North American educational system. Elsewhere professional education for careers such as law and medicine is mainly undertaken through specialized undergraduate degrees and post-university vocational courses that do not confer academic degrees. Professional degrees may be awarded as graduate or undergraduate degrees. At the graduate level, they are typically awarded as either a professional master's degree or a "professional doctorate" degree.

Answer 3

Typically, there are four levels of college degrees. They are as follows from lowest to highest.

• Associates
• Bachelors
• Masters
• Doctorate (highest level of educational attainment)

The associates and bachelors are referred to as undergraduate coursework. The master's and doctorate are referred to as graduate degrees. Refer to the below.

Associates Degree

The associate's degree is designed as a two year program of study as a full-time student provided the student takes the degree as prescribed by the college. There are some programs of study that may take a bit longer depending on the number of credits required. Usually these are programs within the health related fields. In addition, for students who require developmental course work as a result of basic skills testing, it would take longer. How much longer would depend on the extent of the developmental courses they are required to take. Evidently, those individuals who attend college on a part-time based would also extend their time in school. How much longer would depend on the credit load carried each semester. Typically, an associate's degree takes between 60 and 64 credits to complete depending on the specific school, program of study, and state mandates.

Bachelors Degree

A bachelor's degree in most areas can require between 124 to 128 college credits particular to a specific program of study. This would be based on a college or university that operates on a regular two semester academic year which is the most common. For institutions that operate on a tri-semester or quarter-semester it would be quite different. That being said, the Bachelor's degree - in most cases - is designed as a four year program of study, provided the student is full-time and follows their chosen program of study as prescribed by the college or university, and also provided the individual does not require prerequisite or developmental course work. The minimum credit load for a full-time student is no less than 12 credits per semester. However, to complete the degree within the four years, a credit load of approximately 15 to 18 credits is recommended. For individuals who work or who have other responsibilities that would prohibit them from attending full-time, completion of the degree may take twice as long. Still, some of this time can be cut down by attending summer sessions and/or interim sessions. In addition, the bachelors and associate degrees are referred to as undergraduate degrees with the Masters and Doctorate degrees referred to as graduate degrees.

The masters and doctorate degrees are referred to as graduate level coursework and typically particular to a specific field of study or profession.

Masters Degree

A master's degree can range from 30 to above 70 required credits depending on the specific program of study. The degree can take between two and three years to complete. The degree type covers most subjects and can be course based, research based, or a combination of both.

Doctorate Degree (highest level of educational attainment)

The doctorate would take approximately four years post bachelor's to complete. The degree can run up to 60 credits in coursework particular to a specific field of study. The actual length of time depends much on how long it takes a student to prepare and defend their dissertation which typically follows the prescribed credit coursework. The dissertation is an individual student project advancing an original view point on a topic of the students choosing. It is developed through extensive supporting research and must be approved by the designated committee.