Understanding U.S. Higher Education: Academic Degrees
Summary
TLDRThis lesson outlines the U.S. higher education degrees, distinguishing between undergraduate and graduate levels. It explains that undergraduate degrees include associate (two-year) and bachelor's (four-year), while graduate degrees are master's and doctoral. The script details the types of associate degrees, the distinction between Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science, and the honors program. It also covers master's degrees, highlighting the research and professional paths, and doctoral degrees, including PhDs and professional doctorates, emphasizing their significance for advanced study and professional practice.
Takeaways
- 🎓 In the U.S., academic degrees are categorized into undergraduate and graduate levels.
- 🏫 Undergraduate degrees include associate and bachelor degrees, typically pursued after high school.
- 📚 Graduate degrees include master and doctoral degrees, pursued after completing a bachelor's degree.
- 👨🎓 Associate degrees are earned after two years of study, often at community or technical colleges.
- 📈 There are three types of associate degrees: AA, AS, and AAS, varying by field of study and career focus.
- 🎯 The AA and AS degrees are often geared towards transfer to a four-year school for a bachelor's degree.
- 🏛 Bachelor degrees are offered by colleges and universities and usually take four years to complete.
- 📘 Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS/BSc) are the two main types of bachelor degrees.
- 🏆 Honors Programs offer challenging courses and benefits for high-achieving students.
- 📚 Master's degrees are graduate degrees that take about two years to complete and are more specialized.
- 🔬 Research master's degrees (MA, MS) require a thesis, while professional master's degrees may substitute a project.
- 👨🔬 Doctoral degrees are the highest academic qualification and may require a master's degree for admission.
- 📖 PhDs are research-focused and lead to a dissertation, while professional doctorates are profession-oriented.
Q & A
What are the two main levels of academic degrees in the United States?
-The two main levels of academic degrees in the United States are undergraduate and graduate levels.
What degrees are typically referred to as undergraduate degrees in the U.S.?
-Associate and bachelor degrees are referred to as undergraduate degrees in the U.S.
What are the common types of associate degrees and what do they represent?
-The common types of associate degrees are Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Applied Science (AAS). AA and AS degrees are usually for students planning to transfer to a four-year school, while AAS degrees are for those wanting to enter the workforce immediately.
What is the primary difference between a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree?
-The primary difference is that BA requires coursework in history and liberal arts, while BS requires coursework in science, math, and engineering.
How many credit hours are typically required to complete a bachelor degree?
-Approximately 120 credit hours are required to complete a bachelor degree.
What is an Honors Program in the context of U.S. higher education?
-An Honors Program is a parallel academic track that offers challenging courses, special perks, and recognition upon graduation for students with very high grades.
What are the different levels of honors a student can achieve upon graduating from an Honors Program?
-The levels of honors are Cum Laude (with honor or praise), Magna Cum Laude (with great honor or praise), Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor or praise), and very rarely, Maxima Cum Laude (with maximum honor or praise).
Why have master's degrees become more popular in the United States?
-Master's degrees have become more popular because more jobs require them and having one usually results in better pay and more opportunities for career advancement.
What is the main difference between a research master's degree and a professional master's degree?
-A research master's degree focuses on advanced study and research, often leading to a thesis, while a professional master's degree prepares graduates for employment in professional fields and may substitute a project for a final thesis.
What is the highest academic degree available in the United States, and what is it sometimes referred to as?
-The highest academic degree available in the United States is a doctorate, which is sometimes referred to as a terminal degree.
What are the two main types of doctoral degrees and how do they differ?
-The two main types of doctoral degrees are the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and professional doctorates. PhDs are research-oriented and require a dissertation, while professional doctorates focus on applied research beneficial to a specific profession and may not require a dissertation.
Outlines
🎓 Overview of U.S. Higher Education Degrees
This paragraph introduces the U.S. higher education system, focusing on the differences between undergraduate and graduate programs. It explains that the U.S. system includes associate and bachelor's degrees at the undergraduate level, and master's and doctoral degrees at the graduate level. Undergraduate degrees are for students who have completed high school, while graduate degrees are for those who have completed a bachelor's degree. The paragraph also outlines the requirements for admission into master's and doctoral programs. It then details the types of associate degrees: Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Applied Science (AAS), explaining that AA and AS degrees are typically for students planning to transfer to a four-year institution, while AAS degrees are for those entering the workforce immediately. The paragraph concludes by discussing the benefits of two-year schools for obtaining a bachelor's degree at a lower cost.
🏫 Bachelor and Master Degrees in Depth
This paragraph delves deeper into bachelor degrees, which are offered by colleges and universities and typically take four years to complete. It contrasts the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees, with BA requiring coursework in history and liberal arts, while BS focuses on science, math, and engineering. Both require approximately 120 credit hours. The paragraph also mentions honors programs, which offer challenging courses and a senior research paper, leading to special notations on diplomas such as 'cum laude', 'magna cum laude', 'summa cum laude', and 'maxima cum laude'. It then discusses master's degrees, which are graduate degrees that take about two years to complete and are more specialized than bachelor degrees. Master's degrees are classified as research or professional, with research master's requiring a thesis and professional master's often substituting a project for a thesis. The paragraph highlights the increasing popularity of master's degrees due to job requirements and potential for better pay and career advancement.
👨🏫 Doctoral Degrees and Their Significance
The final paragraph discusses doctoral degrees, which are the highest academic degrees and are sometimes called terminal degrees. It notes that most doctoral programs require a master's degree for admission, but some admit students with only a bachelor's degree. Doctoral programs vary in length and requirements, with some requiring 60 credit hours and others up to 120. The paragraph differentiates between research doctorates, such as the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which involves several years of coursework, a comprehensive exam, and a dissertation, and professional doctorates, which are aligned with specific professions like medicine, law, and education. Professional doctorates focus on applied research and are beneficial for state-licensed professions. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the value of doctoral degrees for research positions and state-licensed professions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Undergraduate
💡Graduate
💡Associate Degree
💡Bachelor's Degree
💡Honors Program
💡Master's Degree
💡Doctoral Degree
💡Research Master's
💡Professional Master's
💡PhD
💡Professional Doctorate
Highlights
The United States higher education system includes associate and bachelor degrees at the undergraduate level, and master and doctoral degrees at the graduate level.
Undergraduate degrees are for students who've completed high school, while graduate degrees are for those who have completed a bachelor's degree.
To be admitted into a master's program, a bachelor's degree and a minimum 3.0 GPA are typically required.
An associate degree is awarded after completing a two-year study program, often at community or technical colleges.
There are three main types of associate degrees: Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Applied Science (AAS).
AA and AS degrees are usually for students planning to transfer to a four-year school, while AAS degrees are for those entering the workforce immediately.
Bachelor degrees are offered by colleges and universities and typically take four years to complete.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) are the two main types of bachelor degrees, with BA focusing on liberal arts and BS on science and math.
Honors Programs offer challenging courses and perks to high-achieving students, with special notations on their diplomas.
Master's degrees are graduate degrees that take about two years to complete and are more focused than bachelor degrees.
Master's degrees have become increasingly popular due to more jobs requiring them and the potential for better pay and career advancement.
Research master's degrees, such as MA and MS, require at least 30 credit hours and often a thesis, while professional master's degrees prepare graduates for specific professions.
Doctoral degrees, or terminal degrees, are the highest academic degrees and may require a master's degree for admission.
PhDs are research doctorates that require several years of coursework, a comprehensive exam, and a dissertation.
Professional doctorates, such as MD and JD, focus on applied research and are awarded in fields aligned with specific professions.
Doctoral degrees are beneficial for research positions and professions requiring state licensing.
Transcripts
hi there and welcome back to another
lesson in our understanding u.s. higher
education section if you're not familiar
with the different type of academic
degrees in the United States this lesson
is for you in it I'll explain the
difference between undergraduate and
graduate programs of study and tell you
all about different degree types let's
begin academic degree types vary
significantly around the world in the
United States we have a system that
includes associate and bachelor degrees
at the undergraduate level and master
and doctoral degrees at the graduate
level associate and bachelor degrees are
the next step for students who've
completed secondary or high school in
the u.s. we refer to them as
undergraduate degrees and students
pursuing them as undergraduates or just
undergrads
by contrast master and doctoral degrees
are graduate degrees and we refer to the
students taking them as graduate or grad
students you need to complete a
bachelor's degree program and have
strong grades usually at least a 3.0
grade point average to be admitted into
a master's program and in most cases
complete a master's degree before you'll
be admitted into a doctoral program
alright now let's have a quick look at
the different types of degrees an
associate degree is awarded after
completing a two-year study program this
degree is most commonly earned at
Community College's technical colleges
and vocational schools but is sometimes
also awarded by four-year colleges and
universities there are three main types
of associate degrees Associate of Arts
AAA Associate of Science AAS and
associate of Applied Science AAS AAA
degrees are earned for coursework in
social science humanities and business
fields AAS degrees are awarded for study
in scientific and technical fields
and AAS degrees are awarded to students
who complete technical and vocational
programs such as digital arts or
physical therapy the main difference
between these degree types is that a a
and a s degrees are primarily completed
by students planning to transfer to a
four-year school to complete a
bachelor's degree
the AAS degree on the other hand is for
students wanting to enter the workforce
immediately after graduating it's very
common for two-year schools to have
agreements with nearby four-year schools
that allow a a and AAS students to
easily transfer into bachelor programs
if they do they arrive at the four-year
school with advanced standing and then
only need to complete two additional
years to complete their bachelor degrees
given the difference in cost between two
and four-year schools many students
domestic and international have
discovered that this represents a much
less expensive way to get a bachelor's
degree at go study we definitely
encourage students we advise to consider
this option bachelor degrees are offered
by colleges and universities they are
meant to be completed in four years of
full-time study although some programs
like engineering or nursing often take
longer there are two main types of
bachelor degrees the Bachelor of Arts BA
and The Bachelor of Science BS or BSC
the main difference between them is that
the BA requires students to complete a
certain percentage of their total
coursework in history and the liberal
arts liberal arts subjects include
literature language humanities and
Social Sciences on the other hand the BS
requires students to complete a certain
percentage of their total coursework in
subjects related to science math and
engineering despite these different
requirements both degree types require
students to complete approximately 120
credit hours to graduate
for both bachelor degree types many u.s.
colleges and universities have a
parallel academic track known as an
honors or Scholars Program you need very
high grades to qualify to be an honors
student students who do then get special
perks such as access to honors only
courses and events more attention from
faculty and lodging in an Honors
dormitory honors courses are typically
more challenging than regular courses
and honor students usually have to
complete a senior research paper often
called a thesis before graduating
when graduating honors students have two
special notations printed on their
diplomas incur sue an Orem which is
Latin for in a course of honors and the
level of their honor in ascending order
of importance these levels are Combe
Loud which means with Honor or praise
magna laude with great honor or
praise summa laude with highest
honor or praise and very rarely Maxima
laude with maximum Honor or praise
needless to say honor students are
highly sought after by potential
employers
so being accepted by an Honors Program
is to every student's advantage a
masters is a graduate degree that
follows completion of the bachelors they
typically take two years to complete and
are more focused in demanding than
bachelor degrees the idea behind a
master's degree is to master a
particular subject and improve your
analysis and critical thinking skills
they've become increasingly popular and
common in the United States in recent
years the result of more and more jobs
now requiring them and because having
one usually results in better pay and
more opportunities for career
advancement master's degrees are
classified as either being research or
professional in nature there are two
main types of research masters the
Master of Arts MA
and the master of science ms/s with
bachelor degrees the MA focuses on
coursework in the liberal arts and the
MS focuses on coursework in the sciences
both require completion of at least 30
credit hours in a major and one or more
minor subject areas and often a thesis
completion of a research master's is
usually required for doctoral study and
at many schools master's programs are
designed so that you can easily
transition into a doctoral program after
graduating if you possess the necessary
grades knowledge skills and research
abilities professional master's degrees
sometimes also called postgraduate
master's prepare graduates for
employment in professional fields like
business engineering nursing or
journalism there are a wide variety of
professional masters programs for
example a master's of communication
income a masters of engineering M Eng
and perhaps best known of all the
Masters of Business Administration MBA
some of these programs are structured
like research master's programs while
others have a more applied focus and
substitute a project for a final thesis
in the United States a doctorate is the
highest academic degree available in a
field of study because of this they are
sometimes referred to as a terminal
degree most doctoral programs require a
master's degree for admission although
in rare cases a few do admit students
with just bachelor degrees the time
needed to complete a doctorate depends
on your educational background and the
field of study some require completion
of this view of 60 credit hours while
others require up to 120 as with
master's degrees they are research and
professional doctorate programs the
Doctor of Philosophy or PhD is the most
common research doctorate
phd's usually requires students to
complete three or more years of
full-time graduate coursework a
comprehensive exam and a research
project called a dissertation
some people say thesis dissertations are
typically prepared under the close
supervision of one or more academic
advisors and are expected to be original
and make a significant contribution to a
particular subject area completing a PhD
qualifies the degree holder to teach in
their subject area at a college or
university or to work in a specialized
position related to their field
professional doctorates are awarded in
fields where Advanced Study is aligned
with a specific profession such as
psychology medicine engineering
education and law they lack the academic
research component that defines the PhD
focusing instead on applied research
that is a direct benefit to their
profession these types of doctorates are
very common in the United States
examples include medicine doctor MD
Doctor of Dental Medicine DMD Doctor of
Veterinary Medicine DVM and URIs dr. JD
which is what lawyers get in order to
practice as with master's research and
professional doctorates are growing in
popularity research positions at
universities government agencies
corporations and private research
facilities often hire professionals with
doctoral degrees in addition in
professions where state licensing is
required such as teaching engineering
and psychology doctorates are highly
beneficial if not mandatory all right
everybody that will do it for this topic
I look forward to talking to you again
in the next one
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