What Does This Degree Mean To Me?
Author: CM Staff | Posted on: April 06, 2018
Acronyms. Jargon. OMG. We all know people with various unexplained letters behind their name. Many times we have no clue what half of them mean. Hopefully, reading this will help you find meaning. There are many types of degrees available in college programs. The most common types are explained below.
- Certificate programs provide a boost to education already earned, but may have no degree requirement. Certificate programs are often associated with technical and trade skills. A certificate symbolizes advanced training in a particular area, or when working with a specific population.
· Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
· Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)
· Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
- Undergraduate degree programs provide a general foundation and basis in a field.
a) Associate’s degree
· Associate of Arts (A.A.)
· Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN)
b) Bachelor’s degree programs generally require choosing a major area of study.
· Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
· Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
· Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Graduate degree programs specialize in a field.
a) Master’s degree programs
· Master of Business Administration (MBA)
· Master of Science (M.S.)
· Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
· Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
· Master of Education (M.Ed.)
b) Doctoral and Professional degree programs (commonly known as Ph.D. programs) usually involve post-graduate professional study.
· Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
· Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
· Juris Doctor (J.D.)
· Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
· Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
- Nursing programs are generally not typical college degrees but involve training in the more complex responsibilities of the nursing profession.
· Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
· Registered Nurse (RN)
- Other degrees
· A.B. is Latin for "artium baccalaureus" and is equivalent to the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree.
· LL.B. is an abbreviation denoting the degree of bachelor of laws, which was the basic degree awarded to an individual upon completion of law school until the late 1960s. The degree has been largely replaced by the J.D., Juris Doctor (or doctor of Jurisprudence) degree.
- Honorary Degrees are bestowed on someone even though they have not fulfilled the requirements to earn the degree (participating in classes, test taking, etc.), and with possibly no connection to the school. The intent of an honorary degree is to honor someone who has made significant contributions to a specific field or to society in general.
Along with the acronyms that accompany a degree, a degree may mean a lot more than we realize as demonstrated by the chart below from the National Center for Education Statistics.
|
Annual Earnings of Young Adults |
2014 |
2015 |
|
|
Median annual earnings for 25- to 34-year-olds1 |
|
||
|
Total |
$40,000 |
$39,900 |
|
|
With less than high school completion |
$24,000 |
$25,000 |
|
|
Who completed high school as highest level |
$30,000 |
$30,500 |
|
|
Who completed some college but did not attain a degree |
$31,900 |
$34,600 |
|
|
Who attained an associate's degree |
$35,000 |
$36,900 |
|
|
Who attained a bachelor’s or higher degree |
$52,000 |
$53,800 |
|
|
Who attained a bachelor’s degree |
$49,900 |
$50,000 |
|
|
Who attained a master’s degree or higher |
$59,200 |
$60,000 |
|
1 Data are reported in constant 2015–16 dollars, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
There are multitudes of other degree programs that we could not fit on this page. However, you can see how people are using these degrees in the Notable Collegiates section of College Matrix.