An Associate's degree is one that requires 60 credit hours and is usually completed in two years. These degrees can be completed at community colleges, but are also available at some universities. This degree can prepare you for a career in a wide variety of fields, such as being an electrician or cosmetologist. Alternatively, an Associate's degree can be used as a stepping stone to a four-year degree.
A Bachelor's Degree is traditionally a four-year program, and can prepare you for work in a wide variety of fields. There are two types of Bachelor's Degrees: the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science. Majors that can achieve Bachelor of Arts degrees may include journalism, creative writing, history, literature, and politics. Bachelor of Arts degrees are achieved through coursework in the social sciences, rather than physical sciences.
A Bachelor of Science degree is useful if you are pursuing a career involving the physical sciences or medicine. Majors that would attain a Bachelor of Science degree include: biology, chemistry, public health or nursing.
To pursue a Master's degree, you need to first complete the coursework required for a Bachelor's degree. Students usually pursue Master's degrees in a field related to their Bachelor's degrees. There are a variety of Master's degrees available, such as Master of Arts, Master of Business, Master of Science and Master of Education. These degrees require one to two years to complete. Before pursuing these degrees, you will be required to take the GRE, an exam that tests your verbal and quantitative reasoning skills as well as your analytical writing and critical thinking skills. (See References 6 for new information)
A Doctorate is an advanced degree that requires the completion of a Bachelor's degree, but not necessarily a Master's degree. Examples of this type of degree include the Doctor of Education, or EdD and Doctor of Philosophy, commonly abbreviated as a PhD. You may also obtain a PhD in fields such as Art History and Psychology.
Professional degrees are upper-level degrees that are tailored to specific career paths. Such degrees can be obtained by completing a program through specialized schools. Examples of professional degrees include the Juris Doctorate, or JD, for law; the Medicinae Doctor, or MD, for doctors; and the Master of Business Administration, or MBA, for business professionals.