In the United States, it usually takes a student four years, or eight academic semesters, of study to earn a university degree, with some exceptions. Some students, through early college course work completed in high school, may graduate sooner. Certain schools and programs also offer advanced and fast-paced programs in which students can complete their course work in less time.
The opposite is also true. Some students take longer than four years to complete their course work for many reasons. For example, a student may have failed classes and had to repeat them or the student was not able to take all the classes he needed in order to complete his study within four years. In addition, some degree programs require an extra year of course work.
To earn a degree, a student usually must take classes in required subjects and a certain number of elective classes. Many four-year degree programs require students to take some classes in core subjects such as math and English. But the majority of a student's course work will be in the area of study he wishes to earn a university degree in -- called his major. For example, if a student was trying to earn a degree in biology, the majority of his classes would be science-based. The exact required courses to earn a degree varies by college or university and major.
Many U.S. colleges and universities also have grade requirements, that is, students must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) to graduate with a degree. Additionally, some competitive majors may require a student have a certain GPA before he can begin course work for his major concentration of study.
A minority of schools and academic majors also have additional non-course work requirements, such as student teaching or completing an internship program.