Higher Education: Awards & Degrees

• Awards & Certifications
  • ✔️  Certificate or Diploma
  • Teacher Certification
• Two-Year Degrees
  • Associate's Degree
    • Transfer Programs
• Undergraduate / Four-Year Degrees
  • Bachelor's Degree
    • Preprofessional Programs
• Graduate / Post-Graduate Degrees
  • Master's Degree
  • Terminal Degree
  • Doctorate Degree
  • Professional Degree

Awards - Academic awards are granted for the completion of a program of study.

✔️ Certificate or Diploma - Awarded to students who complete non-degree programs that usually take one year or less. A certificate or diploma is most often offered in technical or vocational fields of study.

Certifications - Sometimes referred to as Graduate Certificates, certifications consist of courses that help you develop career competency in a single subject (professional skill or specialization). There are many options for jobs that only require a certificate. Opportunities can be found in almost anything from business and healthcare to criminal justice and media arts.

• Teacher Certification - Vary by state but, all colleges that prepare students for [elementary & secondary school] teaching must be accredited by the state in which they are located. In addition to bachelor's degree requirements and state certification requirements, most states require that students also pass an exam in the field they plan to teach.

Office of Teaching Initiatives - Types of Certificates and Licenses - View types of teaching certificates and licenses currently available in New York State. Site maintained by NYSed.gov .

Certification Finder - Find certifications using a search engine compiled and maintained by CareerOneStop [.org].

Associate's Degree - Most often associate's degrees are offered at community colleges but they can also be offered at some four-year colleges; associate's degrees are usually completed in two years. The most common is the associate's of arts (A.A.) within the humanities.

• Transfer Programs - (ie: two-year associate's degree) Programs are designed to provide the first two years of a four-year bachelor's degree (Note: not all earned credits transfer!).

 Click on the link below to search the library's online catalog.

Transfer students    United States    Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Bachelor's Degree - Also known as a baccalaureate degree, the bachelor's degree usually takes four years to complete but some can take three or five. The bachelor of arts (B.A.) and the bachelor of science (B.S.) are the most common. The bachelor's degree includes general education courses - also called core courses - a major and electives and may or may not require a final thesis / project.

• Preprofessional Programs - Advisory programs or "tracks" in bachelor's / undergraduate programs that prepare the student for a professional degree (ie: lawyer, doctor, pharmacist, dentist, physical therapist).

Master's Degree - A graduate level degree intended for students who have already completed a bachelor's degree, usually completed in one to three years. The master's degree may or may not require a final thesis or project. In some degrees the master's degree follows the professional degree (ie: J.D., M.D.).

Terminal Degree - When a degree is considered terminal, it means that it is the highest degree awarded in a given field. In most fields, the terminal-level degree is the doctor of philosophy, or Ph.D., but in some fields it's a professional degree, such as a doctor of medicine or a law degree.

Doctorate Degree - The most common type of doctorate degree is the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.). Doctoral programs usually consist of course work and independent research culminating in a dissertation or other formal presentation, the results of independent study.

Students may share classes with other graduate level students, including master's level students.

While the student is completing their course work they may be referred to as a doctoral candidate. Once the course work is completed, before the dissertation has been defended, candidates are often referred to by the phrase All But Dissertation (A.B.D.). Only after the candidate successfully defends their dissertation or formal presentation are they considered a doctor in their field. The length of study for a doctorate degree varies widely and is usually self-determined. -- Some countries grant honorary doctorate degrees, however, the U.S. is generally not one of them.

Professional Degree - Advanced study programs that provide the academic prerequisites to become licensed in a recognized profession (ie: Chiropractic - D.C., D.C.M., Dentistry - D.D.S., D.M.D., Divinity / Ministry - D.D., M.Div., Law - L.L.B., J.D., Medicine - M.D., Optometry - O.D., Osteopathic medicine - D.O., Pharmacy - Pharm.D., Podiatry - D.P.M., Rabbinical / Talmudic studies - M.H.L., Rav., Veterinary medicine - D.V.M.). At least two years of prior college-level study are required for entrance into a professional degree program. The total registered time of study may equal six academic years.

OnlineMastersDegrees [.org] helps students learn about online master's degrees that allow them to advance their education while balancing work and other responsibilities.

Earning a master's is a major investment, read the article Online Master's Degrees That Pay: Top Fields for Great Salaries showcasing 25 master's degrees that lead to the highest paying jobs.