When one says college degree, the first thing that strikes the mind is the bachelor’s program that runs for almost four years. However, there are several forms of college degrees which are meant for distinctive academic profiles. The type of program you pick is based on factors like personal purpose, professional ambitions, and qualifications. Here’s are four types of college degrees which are usually offered by universities across the country.

Associate degree: Offered in two disciplines, i.e. arts and science, an associate degree is a two-year long college program. Frequently known as a transfer degree, one can finish this program with a goal of transferring to a four-year long regular degree in a university. However, this isn’t mandatory. A student has an option of seeking a job after an associate degree is over. The associate program is mostly facilitated by community colleges, professional institutions and also certain traditional universities.

Bachelor’s degree: Popularly denoted as a college degree, a bachelor’s degree is a four-year long undergraduate degree which is offered by a myriad of colleges across the nation. Apart from opening several entry-level employment prospects for an individual, a bachelor’s program is also a chief qualification for advanced degrees like masters and doctorate programs. Today, this type of college degree comprises of a wide variety of subjects like science, math, arts, business, law, etc.

Master’s degree: A type of graduate degree, a master’s program mostly functions on the niche dynamics of a subject. It only lasts for two years, and it can be a useful addition to an academic profile. This is because it hones a student’s skills on an advanced and a professional level. This kind of degree typically emphasizes on enhancing applied skills.

Doctoral degree: A doctoral degree is the most prestigious and highest academic qualification to secure. To be eligible for this kind of degree one needs to finish a master’s degree first and might also require a certain amount of professional experience. Unlike a master’s degree which stretches over two years, a doctoral degree might take 2 to 6 years to accomplish. Commonly, there are two kinds of doctoral degrees that one can be observed, i.e. professional and research.

Tag – college degrees