What is the difference between degrees

So, based on facts like these, how much education should a high school graduate seek to attain in order to work within the professional field of their choice? A closer look at each type of degree offered will go a long way in answering this question. An associate's degree is an undergraduate program which takes two years for a full-time student to complete. This degree offers several advantages to a person entering the workplace over those who only have a high school diploma.

The credentials associated with this type of degree have been reported the U. The bachelor's degree is by far the most popular type of program college students seek to attain.

Also known as an undergraduate degree, these programs can take anywhere from three to seven years to complete while most contain 40 college courses adding up to a total of hours and are completed in four years by students taking full-time coursework. Liberal arts courses are a large part of the course content within an undergraduate degree.

With only 10 to 12 courses concentrating on a student's minor at this level, the post-graduate degrees offer more specialized training than a bachelor's program. Or, are you interested in the changing climate?

This, as you might have already surmised, is a big choice you make some time in your college career. You do not pick your degree like you pick a major. All majors fall into degree categories, which are divided by discipline. There are three types of bachelor degrees: arts, science and fine arts.

A Bachelor of Arts degree—commonly abbreviated as B. One who receives a B. What sets a B. Though you will of course have to complete a certain amount of credits in your given major, you will also be expected and encouraged to take a wide range of courses in other fields of study. You will likely receive a B. That said, majors available within a B. For example, you might be able to major in biology—a science—within a B. More on that in the Bachelor of Science section below.

Curious what other majors are available to you in a B. Check out this list of majors available to B. Most colleges and universities will have a list of their majors divided by bachelor type on their websites.

A Bachelor of Science degree—commonly abbreviated as B. That said, the largest differentiator in in a B. Yes, the majority of Bachelor of Science degrees are in sciences and technologies, such as chemistry, neuroscience and environmental science, but not all. For example, Northeastern University offers a B. If a student wants to major in music with a minor or double major in some other category, they will receive a B. This B. For a deeper dive into the breakdown of majors offered under a B.

Not to be confused with a B. Unlike with B. You will receive a B. Check out more comprehensive lists of majors within B. It is all about preference: Do you want to be a specialist or a generalist? A specialist will focus intensively on one topic and therefore likely get a Bachelor of Science.

A generalist will want to take classes of all varieties while still majoring in a discipline that interests them the most and therefore will probably end up receiving a Bachelor of Arts.

S or two B. Take Brown University for example: If you would like a B. As discussed above, getting a B. Every school will have a determined list of what majors are offered in their B.

The most important thing for you to do is to pick your major. If the major you love and want to specialize in is only offered as a B. Many schools let you create your own interdisciplinary major if you have a good plan. There is never any harm in asking for the degree that matches your goal of a broad or specialized education. Major often matters less in the workplace than having that degree.

An associate degree is a postsecondary degree that is completed with two years of full-time enrollment. This can be a good alternative to students who need at least some education for their career path, but are looking for a less expensive and shorter-term experience. Associate degrees are most often available at only community, technical and junior colleges.

Most students get an associate degree for a purpose. Those with an AA or AS tend to use their degrees to transfer into bachelor programs. Alternatively, you can earn an AAA in automotive technology or construction supervision—very specific majors for very specific jobs. What is the difference between a degree vs. Do you have to have a major in order to get a degree?

Editorial Listing ShortCode:. With the confusion surrounding the definition of a major vs. Universities want to make sure that you receive a broad education that includes history, government, composition, natural sciences, ethics, and so on. Typically, you spend your first two years in college completing these General Education requirements. I completed all my general education classes like history and math, plus all the classes required in my college major like business law, economics, accounting, and so on.

So, your college major is biology and when you graduate in four years, your college degree will be: Bachelor of Science in Biology. Once you finish all your general education requirements, you get the opportunity to really focus on your college major.

Your college major is usually about 12 classes. Most classes are 3 credit hours, so your college major will be about 36 credit hours. A major is made up of 36 credit hours with a predetermined number of required courses in higher-level courses. These courses are usually numbered in the to range.

For example, if your major was biology, the course BIO would be a high-level biology course that would fulfill one of the requirements of your Biology major. There are a wide variety of majors available to study during your undergraduate career, as you can see in this list below of some of the most popular majors. A major sets the focus and direction of an undergraduate degree, with all the other courses aligning around this core. A degree and a major work hand-in-hand, with the major providing the focus while the degree provides an overarching structure and direction for your undergraduate studies.