Surprisingly, many successful businessmen and entrepreneurs never earned an MBA. There are many educational paths and choices to consider. Below we'll outline and discuss the different types of college degrees and help you begin exploring your options. Earning a college degree isn't always the answer. Sometimes a professional certificate makes a lot more sense — especially if your decision to pursue a higher education is based on economics.
Career success can often be obtained as easily with a professional certification as it can with a traditional college degree — especially in highly technical fields where employers are more concerned with your skill set than your college credential.
Earning a professional certification is also a lot less expensive. Unlike undergraduate degree programs, many of which focus on liberal arts education, professional certification programs focus almost exclusively on skills development — skills that are directly relevant to performing a specific job or function.
On the downside, some certification programs are so narrow in focus that they miss the depth and well-rounded education provided by a college degree.
Still, one educational path is not necessarily better than the other — they simply offer different benefits. If you want to become an electrical engineer, a college degree makes more sense than a professional certification.
If you want to become an electrician, all you need is a professional certification. A professional certification is typically a lot more economical than a college degree.
On a dollar for dollar basis, a professional certification may make a lot more sense. The economics of earning a professional certification make even more sense when you consider that many professional certifications these days can be completed in just a year or two and can prepare you for a career just as effectively as a more expensive "traditional" four-year college degree.
In many trades, certification or "licensing" is a requirement of employment. In some vocational occupations, professional certification and licensing are synonymous. Certification and licensing requirements are regulated on a state by state basis.
In many states, professional certification is a prerequisite for licensing. In others, it's part of the licensing process itself. When people loosely refer to a "college" degree, more often than not they're referring to a four-year, undergraduate bachelor's degree. However, there are several categories of undergraduate degrees, which also include associate degrees.
Undergraduate degrees are also referred to as post-secondary degrees. That is, they are degrees earned after completely a secondary education ie. Undergraduate degrees — bachelor's degrees in particular — usually have a general education, elective and core major component. General education curriculum focuses on a breadth of higher education subjects and skills including writing, mathematics, history and science.
Core curriculum includes major coursework required to become proficient in a specific area of study. Elective curriculum, while in line with a student's major, is chosen independently by each student. Undergraduate students attending the same college, regardless of their major, are typically required to complete the same general education courses.
Major courses are determined by individual departments and academic colleges. Elective courses are chosen by each student under the guidance of their major department and an academic advisor. There are two types of undergraduate degrees recognized in the United States: Associate and Bachelor. Associate degrees are offered primarily through community colleges.
There are however a few vocational schools and four-year colleges that also offer associate degrees. Earning an associate degree typically requires two years of full-time study. Associate degrees are designed to prepare students for a career, or qualify to pursue a bachelor's degree. Associate degrees designed to prepare students to pursue a bachelor's degree at a four-year college or university are known as transfer degrees or academic degrees.
Associate degrees designed to prepare students to pursue career opportunities upon graduation are sometimes referred to as occupational degrees. Bachelor degrees are offered by major colleges and universities and are four-years in duration.
Bachelor's degrees can be career focused or designed to prepare students for graduate school. BE — Bachelor of Engineering. Usually 30—50 credit units. The original idea was that people would earn more and more honors as they got more focused and specialized in one area of study. PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy. A PhD. Before a doctoral degree is awarded, there is usually a review by a group of doctoral peers. A few fields have lower terminal degrees; in law, a Juris Doctor is a terminal degree, and there usually is no PhD.
Usually 60— credit units. Individuals with an associate degree can also enter a bachelor's program, often transferring as many as 60 credit hours into the degree. The first two years of a bachelor's degree consist of general education requirements and introductory classes for a student's major. During the second two years, students take advanced courses in their major.
Learners may complete a cumulative capstone project, paper, or practical requirement. With a bachelor's degree, learners can enter careers in business, information and computer technology, education, and healthcare.
Depending on the field, a bachelor's degree is sufficient for mid-level and managerial positions. Typical Required Credits 30 credit hours.
The variety of master's degrees attests to the unique requirements, outcomes, and opportunities associated with earning a master's degree. Master's programs blend coursework, projects, and research requirements. Programs typically end with a thesis, capstone project, or cumulative examination. Applicants to master's programs need at least a bachelor's degree. Working professionals and individuals who want to move into managerial and administrative roles benefit from earning a master's degree.
A master's degree also leads to doctoral work in a specific discipline. Students can apply for scholarships to help pay for their master's degree. More than half of these degrees were concentrated in just six fields of study. Plentiful job opportunities and high entry-level salaries make certain fields more attractive. For example, business and health degrees account for nearly one-third of all undergraduate degrees.
Both fields continue to experience strong employment growth, making it easier for students to secure jobs after graduation. Business majors are among the most popular undergraduate degrees in the U. Nearly 1 in 5 bachelor's degrees , or ,, was awarded in business in Business programs explore fundamental business principles and practices that enable companies to run efficiently.
Students pursuing a business major often study multidisciplinary concepts so they can develop strong communication, leadership, and critical thinking skills. As the population ages and people become more reliant on healthcare, the demand for health professionals is projected to rise. This demand may help explain why health-related majors are among the most popular degrees. Each healthcare career path requires different training and coursework.
For example, nurse practitioner programs require clinical practice i. Nearly all healthcare programs cover basic topics like wellness, anatomy, and physiology. To help meet the growing demand for life, physical, and social sciences professionals, more students are pursuing social sciences majors.
NCES data shows that , degrees in social sciences and history were awarded by colleges in
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