It’s a common question. Usually, it takes the form of:
What is an associates/bachelors/masters/professional/doctorate degree?
How do I earn a degree? 
Why should I get a post-secondary (i.e. earned after high school) degree?
Is a degree worth it?

Associates
What is an Associate’s Degree?
An Associate’s Degree can be your first step in post-secondary education in the United States. Associate’s degrees take two years (64 semester hours) to complete if you are going full time (12 hours of class time or more a semester) and are offered by junior colleges, community colleges, and some smaller universities. 
There are usually three types or tracks of associate’s degrees offered at a college: 
-Associate of Arts
-Associate of Science
-Associate of Applied Science

An Associate of Arts degree (AA) is a liberal arts degree that is designed to prepare a student to transfer to a bachelor’s program. Liberal Arts is a phrase used to mean that you are studying academic subjects such as math, social science (history, psychology, sociology, and philosophy), and literature.
An Associate of Science degree (AS) is much like the Associate of Arts degree except there is more emphasis on science, math, or technology, with correspondingly fewer classes in literature, history, or other liberal arts subjects.
An Associate of Applied Science (or Applied Technology, Applied Business, etc)is a degree (AAS) that is technical and is designed to train the student for a specific field for immediate employment such as welding, bookkeeping, computers, construction, HVAC, or LPN to name a few.

Why earn an Associate degree? 
A little over 45% of people in the United States earn an associate’s degree or higher. 
First, junior and community colleges are significantly less expensive than universities. 

Second, junior and community colleges generally provide more assistance to students that might find some subjects challenging or did not have a good high school experience.

Third, many careers do not require anything beyond an associate’s degree.

Fourth, you can transfer the hours you earn in your Associate’s degree to a Bachelor’s degree. As was previously mentioned, junior and community colleges are much less expensive than colleges and universities, which can save you a lot of money on earning your degree.

Finally, while I hate to point out that more education can improve your income (IMHO, expanding your knowledge and understanding of the world around you is enough of a reason), those with an Associate’s degree typically earn $798/week compared to $678/week for just a high school diploma. Over your lifetime (40 years of earning), that amounts $249,600 more income, not counting the possibilities of promotions, and lower unemployment rate*.

How to earn an Associate’s degree
To earn an Associate’s degree, you will first need to earn a high school diploma, complete the GED, or complete the foreign equivalent. Frequently you will also need to complete the SAT or ACT exam. It is usually easier to be admitted to an Associate’s program than a Bachelor’s program.
Classes are on a MWF or TTh schedule – ie, classes meet either three days a week for 1 hour (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) or they meet twice a week for 1 hour and 30 minutes on Tuesday & Thursday (3 hours total a week = 3 credit hours). Some colleges have moved to a MW and TTh schedule, leaving Friday for labs, work, or a nice 3 day weekend.
You can also choose to have night classes which meet once a week in the evening for 3 hours. Night classes tend to be more intense, so only choose a night class if you are good in the subject.
Classes are usually made up of lecture from your professor, assignments, major projects, and exams. It is a lot like a continuation of high school without all of the high school drama.. except you have to get yourself out of bed, do your own laundry, and make sure your homework is turned in on time.

Humorous Story (with a lesson)
I once had a group of incoming Freshmen that were convinced that MWF or TTh meant that they only had to attend on either Monday, Wednesday, or Friday (not all 3 days), so they tried to schedule all their classes for 10 AM. They were disappointed to learn that they could only schedule 1 class at 10 AM on MWF, not 3.

Things to watch for: 
Like anything else, there are some colleges that offer quality programs and some that do not. Do not believe the recruiter or admissions people at the college. If you are considering an associate’s program, make sure that the course credits will transfer to other colleges or universities. Speak with potential employers or others in the field you are planning on majoring in and see if they would hire someone who has completed the program you are considering.
If you have questions on if a course will transfer to another college or university, check for course compatibility. Texas uses the Texas Common Course Numbering System. Also, if a course isn’t listed, that doesn’t mean that it won’t transfer, it means that the course has been evaluated between the colleges. Ask an advisor at the college you wish to transfer if the classes you have completed can be evaluated to transfer.

Bachelors
What is a Bachelor’s Degree?
When you see a movie about going off to college or hear others talking about going to college, they are usually referring to earning a bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree is (usually) earned in 4 to 5 years if you attend full-time. This amounts to 120 to 128 semester credit hours, taking 15 hours per semester (with most courses being 3 credit hours or 5 classes per semester). 
Like the associate’s degree, there are many types of bachelor’s degrees with the most common being
-Bachelor of Arts 
-Bachelor of Science.

A Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) is liberal arts focused. The majority of your courses will be in languages, literature, history, or the social sciences. Many BA degrees require that you complete 2 years (or 4 courses) in a foreign language.

A Bachelor of Science degree (BS) is math, science, or technology focused. A BS degree will usually not have a foreign language requirement but will have additional science or math classes that you will be required to complete.

Why earn a Bachelor’s degree?
A little more than 34% of American’s earn a bachelor’s degree. Many fields require a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree to be considered for employment (teachers, registered nurse, social workers, accountants, and game designers, to name a few). Most people who go off to college reflect back on the challenges and growth that occurred during those years as some of their best memories. Also, it’s not uncommon to meet your future partner at college.

Someone with a Bachelor’s degree can earn a median of $1,137 per week compared to the $798/week of an Associates or $678/week of a high school diploma. This amounts to $705,000 more than an Associates and $954,720 over your lifetime with a high school diploma*.

How to earn a Bachelors degree
Like the Associate’s degree, a Bachelors requires that you first earn a high school diploma, complete the GED, or complete the foreign equivalent. You can also transfer your Associate’s degree credit into your Bachelors. Additionally, you must also need to complete the SAT or ACT exam.
Like the Associates, classes will be on a MWF or TTh schedule – meaning that classes meet either three days a week for 1 hour (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) or they meet twice a week for 1 hour and 30 minutes (Tuesday Thursday). Meeting for 3 class hours total a week = 3 credit hours. Some colleges have moved to a MW and TTh schedule, leaving Friday for labs, work, or a nice 3 day weekend.
You can also choose to have night classes which meet once a week in the evening for 3 hours. Night classes tend to be more intense, so only choose a night class if you are good in the subject.
Classes are usually made up of lecture from your professor, assignments, major projects, and exams. It is a lot like a continuation of high school without all of the high school drama.. except you have to get yourself out of bed, do your own laundry, and make sure your homework is turned in on time.

Masters
What is a Master’s Degree?
A Masters is a two or three-year degree that you can complete AFTER you have finished your Bachelor’s degree. Master’s programs do not have general studies or liberal arts requirements; you are focused on a specific field of study for 36 or more credit hours.
To be admitted to a Master’s program, you must complete a Bachelor’s degree. You may also be required to complete a standardized text for admission.
There are many types of Master’s programs. The most common are:
-Master of Arts (M.A.)
-Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A)
-Master of Science (M.S.)
-Master of Business Administration (MBA)
-Master of Education (M.Ed.)
– Master of Divinity (M.Div)

A Master of Arts degree is a program that is in a liberal arts field: literature, foreign languages, history, etc, and may require a foreign language. They are usually 30 to 36 credit hours.

A Master of Fine Arts is a terminal degree (i.e. there are no degrees beyond) in the Arts (painting, sculpting, music, theatre, etc). Since they are terminal degrees they usually require more college credits (72 hours is common).

A Master of Science is for science, technology, or other fields that do not include a foreign language component. They are usually 30 to 36 credit hours.

A Master of Business Administration is specifically for Business. These degrees range from 36 to 72 credit hours.

A Master of Education is for, you guessed it! Education. Teachers are generally required to earn a Masters degree to continue in their field.

A Master of Divinity is a religious master’s, focusing on preparing students for scholarly research in a field of religion.

Important Information about Masters
Thesis or Major Research Project
Most Master’s degrees require a thesis or major research project to complete the degree. Depending on the degree, 3 to 6 credit hours might be dedicated to this project and the accompanying paper. 

Exam to be Admitted
At one time, all master’s programs required that you complete a standardized test to be admitted: GRE and GMAT were the two most common. It has become more common that if you had a good GPA when you graduated with your Bachelor’s degree to waive the exam requirement.

How Many Classes a Semester
Most people who are working on the Master’s are also full-time employed. Being a full-time student in a Master’s program is 9 credit hours a semester or more. Part-time is considered 6 credit hours.

Leveling Work
If you are changing fields of study (i.e., you were a Psychology major and now want to study Business), you might be required to take a few leveling classes. These classes are to ensure that you have the basic skills and vocabulary to be successful in the degree.

The Workload of a Master’s Program
The reading, research, and writing requirements are significantly higher for a Master’s program. You can expect to submit a research paper for every course. While the normal is 3 hours for every hour of class time at the bachelor’s level, you should expect 5 to 10 hours for each hour of class at the masters level.

Income Difference
The median income for someone who earns a master’s degree is $1341 (2018 dollars) per week compared to $1,137 per week compared to the $798/week of an Associates or $678/week of a high school diploma. The pay bump from a master’s amount to a median of $69,732/year; approximately $10,500/year more than someone who has a Bachelors*.

Professional Degree
What is a Professional Degree?
A professional degree is used to designate degrees for the medical or law professions (i.e., lawyers and doctors). Professional degrees require the completion of a bachelor’s program (usually designated as pre-med, pre-law, or pre-dental) and the completion of an admittance exam.
Professional degrees are the highest median earners with a weekly income of $1,730, or $89,600/year*.

Doctorate Degree
What is a Doctorate Degree? 
Doctorate degrees are different from Professional degrees in that they are focused on research or scholarship instead of medicine or law. A doctorate degree is usually designated as Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) or Ed.D. (Doctor of Education). 
To be admitted to a doctorate program, you must have completed a master’s degree and usually a standardized exam (GRE or GMAT, the same exam used for masters).
Just as master’s classes are more difficult than bachelor’s courses, doctorate classes are more challenging than masters classes. While the format is roughly the same, lecture, research, and papers; the level of research and writing required is higher. 
Most Ph.D. programs are full-time, with the student expected to be a Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant at the University. 
A doctorate degree ends with the completion of a dissertation or major project and defense or presentation of that project. A dissertation is a major research project, usually spanning several years, that is designed to bring new knowledge or understanding to the field.

Ph.D. & Ed.D.s earn a median income of $1,623/week, or $84,396/year*.

Have any questions about the different types of degrees in the United States? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below!

*Income data is from the Smartasset website 2018

Dr. Burton is a teacher and professor with over twenty-five years of experience, teaching Information Technology, Game Design, CGI, Computer Science, and MIS.

© 2019 – Brian Burton, Ed.D.  Dr. Professor-Dad