An academic degree is the state of recognized completion of studies at a school or university. A diploma is generally issued in recognition of having satisfactorily completed the prescribed course of study.
The four types of college degrees include an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and finally a doctor of philosophy
These degrees are based on various educational programs and curricula. Each type of these degrees plays its own set of critical roles in career advancement, intellectual fulfillment and personal satisfaction for different people. The degree you choose will largely be based on the type of career you wish to have, and what the requirements are for the job you want.
A.A.(Associate of Arts)
A.S. (Associate of Science)
A ssociate degrees
A.A.S. (Associate
of Applied Science)
A.E. (Associate of Engineering)
A.A.A. (Associate of Applied Arts)
A.P.S. (Associate of Political Arts)
ASSOCIATE DEGREES
A.A. (Associate of Arts)– This degree requires students to complete a
coursework of 60 hours , including courses in general education and other
courses related to the degree program.
A.S. (Associate of Science)– It focuses on science and requires
students to complete many hours of coursework in general
education. Common A.S. program include biology and chemistry.
ASSOCIATE DEGREES
A.A.S. (Associate of Applied Science)-It is designed to ready students
to join the working world.
A.E. (Associate of Engineering)–focuses on engineering
A.A.A (Associate of Applied Arts)–deals with applied arts.
A.P.S. (Associate of political Science)–mainly focuses on political science.
B.A.(Bachelor of Arts)
B.S. (Bachelor of Science)
Bachelordegrees
B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts)
B.B.A. (Bachelor of
Business Administration)
B.Arch. (Bachelor of Architecture)
BACHELOR DEGREES
B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) – It is considered as the widest bachelor’s degree.
The BA degree focuses on arts but also require the students to take some
general education classes.
B.S. (Bachelor of Science) – It usually covers majors such as engineering,
physics, accounting or business or any of the sciences.
B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts) – Professional actors, dancers, singers,
sculptors and painters are perfect candidates for this degree. BFA degree is
also offered in fields such as digital media and web design.
BACHELOR DEGREES
B.B.A. (Bachelor of Business Administration) – BBA degree often covers
courses in management strategy, decision making and
even organizational psychology.
B.Arch. (Bachelor of Architecture) – This is a degree program that future
architects must complete.
M.A.(Master of Arts)
M.S. (Master of Science)
Master degrees
M.Res. (Master of Research)
M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy)
L.L.M. (Master of Laws)
M.B.A. (Master of
Business Administration)
MASTER DEGREES
M.A. (Master of Arts) or M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts) – It can cover various
graduate studies. These include education, communication, social sciences
and music.M.S. (Master of Science) – This degree could be earned in a wide range of
science, health and even social science professions.
Major focus is on research, though a
few courses can have a combination of research-based
courses and class-based courses.M.Res. (Master of Research) – It’s designed to offer training on
how to carry out
a research.
MASTER DEGREES
M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy) – It’s a research-only degree and is often a
precursor to PhD. Most PhD students register for this degree in their initial
1-2 years of study and must produce a report after this period to change their
registration status to that of a PhD student.LL.M. (Master of Laws) – This degree usually takes one year as a full time
program or 2-4 years as a part time course.M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) – These degrees are
often designed for management professionals with some
experience. MBA focuses on creating
future successful business leaders.
PHD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Doctorate degrees
M.D. (Doctor of Medicine)
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
J.D. (Juris Doctor)
DOCTORATE DEGREES
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) – These are research-based doctorate
degrees often awarded to recognize peer-reviewed
published academic research.M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) – This is the most advanced degree for medical
students and must be completed to professionally practice medicine. M.D.
students often choose a specialty area.Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) – This is the highest level degree of
education in the education field. People who hold this degree often
work in administrative,
research or academic positions related to education.
DOCTORATE DEGREES
J.D. (Juris Doctor) – This degree is the most advanced one available to
lawyers in the US. A thesis is typically not required in J.D. degree program.
In this stiff competition of job opportunities and the eligibility
of qualifying for a given profession, these degrees do play an important role.