How do degrees work?

Question

I know that when you are in college for 4 years as an undergraduate you are getting your bachelor's degree. But how do the rest work, such as master's and doctorate. How many years are they and how do you go about it, and what are they all called?

Answer 1

You earn your Masters after your Bachelors, either immediately after or years later. It can be at the same school or a different one.

A Masters can vary in time; depending on your major, it can take between 30-50 credits to complete. If you went full-time, you could complete 24-36 credits per year; however, since the courses are harder, and many students work while achieving their Masters, it can often take longer.

A Doctorate (also called a PhD) is additional credits after the Masters. Depending on your major, it often takes 2-4 years to complete. Many universities are 4-year schools, which means that they do not offer Doctorate programs, in which case you would need to switch schools.

Each progressive degree becomes more specialized than the last. For example: I am an English major. I am earning my BA in English. My next step might be to earn a Masters in, say, Poetry. After that, perhaps I could become even more specific, and earn a Doctorate in thirteenth century Irish poetry. Make sense?

At my school, you must apply to the Masters program. You are required to write some papers, and maintain a certain GPA while working on your Bachelors. Admission to a PhD program would be even more strict.

Medical degrees might be different (I have no experience with these.) I do know that, at my school, you earn a Bachelors in Pre Med, and then apply to a 4-year medical school.

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

Master degree is usually another two years, but it depends on the program and whether you attend full or part time. Doctorate is anywhere from a year or more, and it relies heavily on some type of professional research. You may have to write a book in order to obtain a doctorate degree, since it is a professional degree you have to solve an extensive problem, or complete some rigorous research to answer a question. It shows your abilities to be called a professional. Masters and Doctorates, are called graduate degrees. The more you learn, the more you can earn.