Pre-Tertiary/Undergraduate:
* Certificate: Often vocational or focused on a specific skill set, typically shorter than a diploma.
* Diploma: A more comprehensive program than a certificate, often requiring a higher number of credits or coursework. May lead to further study.
* Associate Degree (A.A., A.S.): A two-year degree typically from a community college or junior college, often used as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree.
Tertiary/Postgraduate:
* Bachelor's Degree (B.A., B.Sc., B.Eng., etc.): A four-year (or longer) undergraduate degree that is a common requirement for many professions. The specific abbreviation varies depending on the field of study.
* Post-Baccalaureate Certificate: A program taken *after* a bachelor's degree, usually focused on a specific area of specialization. Doesn't always lead to a higher degree title.
* Master's Degree (M.A., M.Sc., M.Eng., MBA, etc.): A postgraduate degree that typically requires a bachelor's degree for admission. Represents advanced study in a specific field.
* Doctoral Degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., D.M.A., etc.): The highest academic degree, requiring extensive research and a dissertation. Focuses on original contributions to knowledge. The specific abbreviation varies depending on the field of study (Ph.D. is common in many disciplines, while Ed.D. is for education and D.M.A. is for musical arts).
* Professional Doctorates (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., J.D.): These are terminal professional degrees, meaning they are the highest degree in a given profession (medicine, dentistry, law, etc.). They often require extensive practical training in addition to coursework. While technically doctoral degrees, they're often considered distinct from research doctorates like the Ph.D.
Beyond the Formal Hierarchy:
It's important to note that:
* Honorary degrees: These are awarded by universities in recognition of achievement but are not earned through coursework or research. They don't fit neatly into the hierarchy as they don't represent academic achievement in the same way.
* Postdoctoral fellowships and research positions: While not degrees, these are crucial steps in the career paths of many doctoral degree holders.
This hierarchy is a guideline. The relative prestige and value of a degree depend heavily on the institution awarding it, the specific program, and the field of study.