Many people
finishing high school and beginning their undergraduate careers have questions
about what the different degrees that can be attained are. People finishing
their undergraduate degrees may be curious as well, about the types of degrees
that can be earned in graduate school. What's the difference between a master's
and a doctorate? Do you need both? Which should you get? So, here's a VERY
brief summation of all the college degrees that can be earned in the United
States.
An Associate’s
degree is one achieved over two years. You can attend a four-year college or a
technical or junior college to earn one. Most people earn a form of Bachelor’s
degree, both of which are “four-year” degrees. The Bachelor of Arts degree
(B.A.) is more focused on academia and general education. If you go to a
liberal arts school, you may be earning one of these. If you’re a geology major
though, you are probably (almost definitely) going for a Bachelor of Science
(B.S.) degree. B.S.’s are focused on practice and are best for careers that
involve field work.
After earning
a bachelor degree, you can continue on to graduate school for your master’s
degree or your Ph.D. It used to be mandatory to earn a master’s before going
for a Ph.D., but it no longer is. The master’s degree, or Master of Science
(M.S., at least for geology), typically takes two or three years to complete.
It is meant to demonstrate a mastery of a topic, so is more specialized than a
B.S. Typically, after earning your M.S., you can then go on to earn your
doctorate. The most commonly achieved doctorate in the U.S. is a research
doctorate labeled, “Doctor of Philosophy”, or the Ph.D. A Ph.D. takes an
average of 7 years to accomplish. It also can overspecialize you, so before
planning on earning one, decide what you want to do with your life. Do you need
a Ph.D. to do it? Fine, then go for your doctorate. But don’t go for it if you
don’t need to!
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