What is a "Degree"?

The following question keeps popping up: "What is a degree?"

A degree is earned through a certain number of years of education from a college. Of course, before college comes high school. People who graduated from high school can further their education via traditional college education or distance education from online college courses.

Colleges and universities in the United States (USA) offer a four level approach to education which are:

1. Associate of Arts Degree (A.A., often via community colleges)
2. Bachelor's Degree (B.A., via traditional college, also called undergraduate degree)
3. Master's Degree (M.A., also referred to as graduate degree)
4. Doctorate Degree (Ph.D., the highest degree)


To sum it up in simple terms, the A.A. degree is the least rigorous. It takes about 2 years to get. Next comes the B.A. which can take up to 4-5 years to achieve. The M.A. is awarded to students who have obtained their bachelor's degree. It can take another 1-2 years after the B.A.! After that comes the doctorate degree, which is the highest degree awarded in the U.S. and takes the longest to achieve. It is the most rigorous and indepth of all other degrees.


Prospective college students should keep in mind that different colleges have different graduation requirements. Also their cost can differ greatly. And before embarking on any college degree program it's a good idea to also check on their college credit transfer policies and (as mentioned) their graduation requirements.

To see our top 10 featured onine schools that lead to allied health professional diplomas such as in clinical and administrative medical assisting, or medical coding and billing, and higher degrees in the health care arena visit Medical Assisting Career Schools!


To learn more about educational requirements, and practical tips for handling emergencies, and proper documentation visit Medical Assistant Net on the Web. There is lots of additional "scope of practice for medical assistants" info at that web site.

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