Climbing the Corporate Ladder of Degrees

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Undergraduate degrees: These are the basics, comprise of general coursework, and typically require 2 – 5 years to obtain

Associate’s Degree

What – The minimum of general degrees.

Where – you can get this degree at a junior or community college, online, or a technical school.

Why – the general education stuff you’ll need for a bachelor’s is fulfilled and it helps to have some kind of degree under your belt.

How – complete associates program of at least 60 credit hours.

Types – Associate of Arts degree (A.A.) and Associate of Applied Science degree (A.A.S.)

Brownie Points – great for graduates that seek career entry or job advancement after 2 years of college study. This degree designation indicates that you have completed a course of study with an extensive foundation in general education, as well as concentration in a particular area. Your degree is often in an occupational area, or in liberal arts.

Bachelor’s Degree

What – The most comprehensive, or broadest, of degrees.

Where – a traditional four-year university or college, online, or a technical academy

Why – this is mentioned in a previous article.

How – complete a bachelor’s program of at least 120 credit hours, which is 4-5 years.

Types – Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) degree and the Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) are the most common ones.

Brownie Points – Individuals with a bachelor’s degree earn over a million dollars more in their lifetime—on average—than people without a degree. In the workplace today, more employers require applicants to possess an accredited bachelor degree.

Graduate Degrees: These are the advanced degrees obtained as a graduate student. They comprise of research-based and in-depth study, specialized concentration, and typically require a minimum of 2 years to complete.

Master’s Degree

What – The most general of advanced degrees.

Where – usually your 4-year university may have a graduate school program

Why – you gain specialized training in your field of career

How – obtain a bachelor’s degree, get into grad school, and complete at least 30-60 semester hours. (It really depends on your grad program)

Types – Academic, Professional, Business Administration, Fine Arts, Science, and many more for specific training.

Brownie Points – Higher salary earned than peers/colleagues without a masters in your field. Going to graduate school can expand you intellectually, and make expanded economic opportunities available to you. If you are looking for a new challenge or want to take your education to the top, a graduate program is a great choice.

Doctorate Degree

What – The highest of advanced academic degrees.

Where – usually your accredited 4-year university may have a graduate school program

Why – Some careers require licensing for qualification, like practicing medicine, teaching, law, etc.

How – Obtain a master’s degree, complete about 90 to 120 semester credits or 30 to 40 college courses, for 4-year doctorate degrees. Most require short residencies or campus visits—such as a week each summer on campus—to satisfy supervision requirements. A research thesis may be optional. Instead, you may be required to complete a capstone paper and/or a supervised placement working in your career area.

Types – Arts, Criminal, Business, and many, many more can be found here.

Brownie Points – Pretty much guaranteed a higher paying scale. Those lovely 3 letters (like “PhD”) beside your name give clout and speak for itself.