All about Diplomas, Degrees and Certificates

You have to consider the type of result or award you are looking for when surveying post-secondary schools and the education they offer. The following information outlines the most common types of certificates, diplomas and degrees.

The certificates, diplomas and degrees are in two areas

1. Undergraduate
2. Graduate

Undergraduate certificates, diplomas and degrees

Certificate

A training certificate is awarded for the successful completion of a program of study at a college, university, or private training provider or after passing a standardized industry test, such as A+ or Novell Network certification.

Prerequisites - High school diploma or GED for certificate programs at colleges and universities or a certain skills set to pass the required test for industry certificates.

Typical Length - Up to 30 credits for a certificate

Example - Administrative Assistant, Cosmetologist, Book-keeping clerk, Microsoft Certified Engineer

Diploma

A diploma is similar to a certificate but is often awarded for the successful completion of a program for specific employment skills beyond a certificate.

Prerequisites - High school diploma or GED

Typical Length - Up to 70 credits for a diploma (up to 2 years)

Example - Legal Secretary Diploma, Truck Diesel Mechanics

Associate Degree

An associate degree is awarded for the successful completion of a roughly two-year education program at a post-secondary education institution, such as a community or technical college or a private career school but also universities

Prerequisites - High school diploma or GED

Typical Length - Minimum of 60 semester credits is required (approximately 2 years)

Example - Associate of Arts (A.A), Associate of Science (A.S.)

Bachelor's Degree

A bachelor's or baccalaureate degree is awarded for the successful completion of a roughly four-year education program at a post-secondary education institution, such as a four-year college or university

Prerequisites - High school diploma or GED

Typical Length - A minimum of 120 semester credits is required (4-5 years)

Example - Bachelor of Arts (B.A,)

Graduate Certificate

This certificate is awarded for the successful completion of a professional education program typically beyond the bachelor's degree without the requirement of a thesis project.

Prerequisites - Often a bachelor's or master's degree

Typical Length -Up to 30 credits

Example - Educational Technology, Gerontology.

Master's Degree

A Master's degree is awarded for the successful completion of a roughly two-year education program beyond the bachelor's degree at a university

Prerequisites -Bachelor's Degree

Typical Length - Around 24 semester credit hours (2 years)

Example - Master of Arts (M.A.)

First Professional Degree

A first professional degree is awarded for the completion of a program that meets all of the following criteria:

1. Completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession
2. At least 2 years of college work prior to entering the program
3. A total of at least 6 academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including prior required college work plus the length of the professional program itself.

Although first professional degrees often have the word "doctor" in their title, they are not research doctorates

Prerequisites - High school diploma, 2 years of college work or bachelor's degree

Typical Length - At least 6 years

Example - First professional degrees may be awarded in the following 10 fields:

1. Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)
2. Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.)
3. Law (J.D.)
4. Medicine (M.D.)
5. Optometry (O.D.)
6. Osteopathy (D.O.)
7. Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
8. Podiatry (D.P., Pod.D., or D.P.M.)
9. Theology (M.Div., M.H.L.)
10. Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)

Doctoral Degree

A doctoral degree is the highest attainable academic degree. This degree is awarded for mastery of field of knowledge and demonstrated ability to independently perform scholarly research.

Prerequisites -Bachelor's or Master's Degree

Typical Length - 48 semester credit hours or more beyond the Master's degree (3-5 years)

Example -The best-known research doctorate title is the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), but the National Science Foundation recognizes 50 other doctoral titles, for example: Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

The length of a certificate, diploma or degree program depends on two major aspects:

The specific education program, and The time a student can commit to his or her studies. Students, who work part time, for example, may require more time for program completion than indicated in this overview.