When you begin your studies for an undergraduate degree in the United States, you do not have to choose your field of study immediately. When I say, field of study, I am referring to a student's chosen major or concentration. Degrees in the United States are not usually as structured as they are in many other countries, as associate and bachelor's degrees include a number of electives. This allows students to explore a variety of options before choosing their major or concentration. Students who are uncertain about what they want to study can generally take a year or two to make that decision. During those first years students often concentrate on completing any general education requirements, and start taking a few courses in fields in which they have an interest. General education, or general studies courses, are those that the institution, or sometimes the state have decided are essential studies that are required for students to earn a college degree. General education usually includes courses that assure that a student has a college level ability in writing and communication, and at least a minimal knowledge of college level math. Students are also encouraged to explore a variety of fields that may be unrelated to their professional interests. Such as history, humanities, social or natural sciences, the arts and foreign languages. Some institutions may also want to assure computer literacy skills. And faith-based institutions may require courses related to their religion. These courses contribute to completing the liberal credit requirements for a degree and contribute to developing analytical and critical thinking skills. Students are often surprised by the connections they later make between their general education courses and the courses in their field. Upon completion of your undergraduate studies, colleges, universities, and technical or polytechnic institutes will confer a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree usually represents the completion of around 120 to 124 credits of undergraduate course work. A full time student usually completes a bachelor's degree in about four years. A full time enrollment is considered 12 to 15 credits per academic term. Associate's degrees, which were mentioned earlier, represent the completion of about half of the credits needed for a bachelor's degree, that is 60 to 62 credits. Associate's degrees are usually completed by full time students in about two years. Both bachelor and associate degrees may be awarded in arts or science, that is a bachelor of science or bachelor of arts abbreviated BS or BA. Or, an associate of science or an associate of arts, abbreviated as AS or AA. Both arts and science degrees are considered equivalent and one is not better than the other. Degrees in the arts generally include a broader base of liberal studies such as the humanities, the arts, and social science courses that explore more theory. Even a degree in a natural science like biology could be a BA. Degrees in the sciences include more studies related to practical or technical skills, while still including some liberal studies. The BS may be followed by another initial indicating a specific field. Such as BSN, or bachelor of science in nursing. There is also a bachelor of professional studies, BPS, which focuses almost exclusively on technical skills. It is important to know that some graduate schools will not accept BPS degrees, as they require that their students have more exposure to writing and critical thinking skills, which are typically developed through liberal studies. If you are thinking of continuing on to graduate school in the future, it is recommended to pursue a BA or a BS. To give you an example, at SUNY Empire State College, students need a total of 124 credits for a bachelor's degree. Students interested in a BA must complete at least 94 liberal credits. Students pursing a BS need 62 liberal credits. While a BPS only requires 32. When you graduate, your degree or your diploma may simply say bachelor or associate of science, or bachelor or associate of arts without mention of your major or concentration. This is very common. Your major or concentration is found on your college transcript. Students who want to continue their studies after completing a bachelor's degree, may choose to pursue a master's degree. Master's degrees typically represent another 32 to 48 credits of advanced study. Usually master's degrees focus on a specific field of study. More and more students are pursuing master's degrees to make themselves more competitive in the job market. While there are degrees awarded as a Master of Science or a Master of Arts, at the Masters Degree level you find more career specific titles, such as Master in Business Administration, or MBA, or MFA, Master of Fine Arts. There are also more general master's degrees called Master of Arts and Liberal Studies, MALS. Full time students usually complete a master's degree in about two years. The next step after a master's degree is a doctorate. Either a PhD, which means Doctor of Philosophy, or a Professional Doctorate, both of which typically represent another 50 to 60 credits of advanced study, for a total of about 90 credits beyond the bachelor's degree. The time it takes to complete a doctorate degree depends more on how much time the student takes to prepare his or her dissertation, which is a final, publishable work. Not all PhDs study philosophy. Most PhDs are interested in academic work or research, and focus their advanced studies on understanding the theory or philosophy in their field. Professional doctorates study more practical applications. No matter what their field, PhDs use those same initials, while professional doctorates have initials indicating their field like EdD, Doctor of Education. Or, DBA, Doctor of Business Administration. The most commonly recognized professional doctorate is probably the MD, or medical doctor. I should also mention another difference you may find between the educational system in the United States and your home country. In the United States, students do not start studying for careers in the fields of medicine or law immediately after secondary school. If you are interested in one of those fields, first you must complete a bachelor's degree in a related field. For example, students interested in studying medicine may get a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. After completing a Bachelor's Degree in Biology, a student may apply to medical school. Another opportunity for study is certificate programs. Certificate programs usually consist of three or four related courses that give you a certificate at the end as a credential of your learning. Certificate programs offered by colleges and universities can often be used for credit towards a bachelor or master's degree. If you are interested in a certificate for credit towards a degree, be sure to look for one offered by a college or a university. Completing a certificate does not guarantee your acceptance into a degree program. But getting good results in those courses certainly helps. It is important to note that in the United States, some students may not begin to practice their professions immediately after graduating. Some professions require further testing and, or internships to become licensed before one can practice. Some examples of this are engineers, teachers, and nurses. I hope that you found the information in this video to be helpful. As you proceed through the module, you will find links to additional resources that will provide more information about degrees and certificates in America.
