College Degrees and Certifications Explained

Do you know the exact degree or certification you need for the job or career you want?  If you plan on moving into a certain employmet sector or career path, it important for you to know what you will require in terms of education.  Here you will find descriptions of the major degrees and certifications needed for most employment.   

High School: 

High school diploma or recognized equivalent: A document certifying the successful completion of a prescribed secondary high school program, or the attainment of satisfactory scores on the Tests of General Educational Development (GED) or a similar state (or province) specified examination.

General Educational Development (GED) Diploma: The certificate students receive if they have passed a high school equivalency test.

College or University:

Degree: An award conferred by a college, university, or some other educational institution as official recognition for the successful completion of an academic or vocational program.

Associate's degree: The standard degree awarded by a two year college or institute that normally requires at least two but less than four years of full-time equivalent college work. The associate’s degree prepares graduates for the workforce or for progression toward a bachelor’s degree.

Bachelor's degree: The traditional degree given by American (as well as many other counties) colleges and universities. It normally requires at least four years but not more than five years of full-time equivalent college-level work. The bachelor’s degree prepares graduates for entrance into the workforce or for progression toward a higher degree (such as a graduate degree) or certification.

Master's degree: A post-bachelor's (or graduate) degree program that requires completion of a program of study of at least the full-time equivalent of one academic year but not more than two academic years of work. The best known degrees are Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Science (M.S.).  Some master’s degrees are designed to lead to an eventual doctoral degree. Many other master's candidates are in professional programs preparing for a special kind of work, such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Social Work (MSW), or the Master of Architecture (MArch).

Doctoral degree: The highest degree you can earn for graduate study. The doctoral degree classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Doctor of Public Health, Doctor of Nursing Science (D. NSc.), Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in any field (agronomy, arts, business, education, engineering, humanities, public administration, ophthalmology, radiology, sciences, etc.).

Post-baccalaureate certificate: A focused and professionally oriented program of study that requires completion of additional credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. These programs are designed for persons who have completed a baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of master's degree programs. Examples include refresher courses or additional units of study in a specialty or subspecialty.

Post-master's certificate: A focused program of study that requires completion of additional credit hours beyond the master's degree but does not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. Examples include refresher courses or additional units of study in a specialty or subspecialty.

Professional degree: An earned degree in one of the following fields: Agrology (PAg), chiropractic (DC, DCM), dentistry (DDS, DMD), medicine (MD), optometry (OD), osteopathic medicine (DO), pharmacy (Pharm.D), law (LLB, JD), rabbinical and Talmudic studies (MHL, Rav); or veterinary medicine (DVM).

Other Programs & Certificates: 

Certifications: A document that certifies that you have met a certain standard in educational degree, continuing education, experience, and testing. Certifications vary by type and industry. Many professions (such as account and teaching) require ongoing certification while many technical-vocational fields require certifications based on a set of core courses (and often not requiring a college degree)

Courtesy of: The Job Helper

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