What's the difference between a masters and a bachelors degree?

Question

Well, I wanted to know what the difference between a university and a college was, and when I searched similar questions, the answer was that universities are generally larger and give masters degrees and that colleges give bachelors degrees.....So, I was just wondering what the difference was.

Thanks

Answer 1

Universities and 4-year colleges both grant bachelors degrees.  These are equivalent degrees; colleges just tend to be smaller and don't offer as many programs.  Many universities and some colleges also offer masters degrees, which is a 2-year advanced coursework degree you can get after the bachelors.  You don't need to go to the same school for both the bachelors and masters; in fact, it's discouraged.

Answer 2

Actually, if you get your masters where you got your bachelors its not necessarily bad (what if it was Stanford??? Are you gonna transfer!!).  Its just that most people want to pick a graduate school/program that may be more prestigious or better suited to their masters.  It just depends.  A masters degree requires more advanced classes that usually require more critical and independent thinking; and are less lecture oriented, but more discussion & research oriented, and involve more participation, research etc.  They are conducted at a higher level as well.  Lastly, there is either a THESIS required, or some sort of large original research a project, or a comprehensive exam to receive the degree. That is held to rigorous standards (no types, no spelling error, no grammatical errors etc).

And it is true that some colleges also grant masters but never PhDs (which universities grant).  Some places use the term "college" for its historical content (as well as the historical usage of the term) ie Harvard College, Claremont College, etc.