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There are too many types of degrees to exhaustively list here. We shall therefore concentrate on the four main types of degrees recognised by most worldwide institutions which are; the Bachelors or undergraduate degree, the Masters degree, the Doctorate or PhD and the Professional degree. If a complete and detailed list of degrees is what you are after you can refer to the Wikipedia website; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_degree.
Bachelors/Undergraduate Degrees
A Bachelor degree is usually the first degree undertaken by an individual after leaving school, although any person in any country and of any age can apply for one. They are available at most academic institutions, and thanks to student loans and scholarships are now widely available to a large percentage of the UK population. Many young people leaving school decide to study for Bachelor degrees to increase their employability.
An example of a Bachelors or undergraduate degree would be, for example, a BA in English Literature, which would typically last three years. The first two years would consist of lectures and seminars in different aspects of English Literature, followed by an essay question which students would have to complete and submit to their tutors at a deadline. Typically in the last year students are asked to write a ten or fifteen thousand word dissertation on a subject of their choice after validation from their tutor or course director.
For a detailed course description of a typical English Literature Bachelor degree (BA Hons), refer to the Lancaster University website; www.lancs.ac.uk/coursesearch/course. Here you will see that a Bachelor degree in English Literature is not the only available option. Indeed, with this institution alone, a student has fifteen types of undergraduate English Literature degrees to choose from.
Masters Degrees
A Master degree usually last from one to two years, depending on the institution. A Masters degree candidate is required for the most part to have already completed a Bachelor degree or equivalent. A Masters is not generally comprised of seminars and lectures like a Bachelor degree, but rather a period of independent research overseen by a personal tutor who advises on subjects and reading lists for the student.
An example of a Masters degree would be, for example, an MA in Political Science (MSc). University College London runs an MSc in Global Governance and ethics, the details of which you can peruse through this website: www.ucl.ac.uk/spp/teaching/masters-programme/Global-Ethics-and-Governance. For this degree as for any Masters, you a required to pick a reasonably specific subject title for your dissertation, which will amount to approximately thirty thousand words, and research it thoroughly. It is all-in-all a more demanding degree than a Bachelors, as the dissertation standard will be higher, as will your tutor’s expectations of your analytical ability.
For more information on the complexities of a Masters degree, as well as how to navigate your way through this qualification, a good book to refer to is Allen Brown’s Gaining a Master's Degree: How to Invest in Your Own Future .
PhDs / Doctorates
The abbreviation PhD stands for ‘Doctor in Philosophy’ (DPhil). It is one of the most advanced university degree qualifications you can obtain, and is a requirement for teaching at university level. Like a Bachelors and a Masters, a Doctorate can be obtained in a wide variety of disciplines ranging from the humanities to the sciences. PhDs usual take at least three years while working full-time, but there is no official minimum or maximum time frame for their completion, as they can be worked-on over a decade by someone in part-time education.
Writing a thesis, which is in fact an extended dissertation, is a requirement for the completion of a PhD. This thesis when finished must be of a publishable level, and indeed can signal the beginning of an academic career comprising many published articles in books and journals. In Europe and the UK in particular, coursework is not a requirement for completion of a PhD, but in the United States for example, certain lectures and classes are compulsory for certain degrees.
An example of a PhD degree would be, for example, a Doctorate in Psychology (PsyD), such as the course offered by Bangor University. Details of this course can be found on their website; www.psychology.bangor.ac.uk/postgraduate/doctorate. Similarly, if you are thinking of embarking on the long, intense process that is a PhD, the following books might be of some help; Your PhD Companion: A Handy Mix of Practical Tips, Sound Advice and Helpful Commentary to See You Through Your PhD by Stephen Marshall and Nick Green, and Achieving your Professional Doctorate by Nancy-Jane Lee.
Professional Degrees
We must not forget a very important form of training that many students choose, which is the Professional degree. These degrees are in place to help students who wish to place more importance on their practical skills, rather than follow the strict and sometimes rigorous academic environment of traditional degrees such as Bachelors and Masters.
It is not however simply because a Professional degree is less academically rigorous than a traditional degree that the career prospects at the end of it are less exciting or rewarding. Accountancy (MaCy), for a specific example, is a highly specialised degree much in demand with employers at the moment. It is comprised of a course which prepares candidates for the Chartered Public Accountant exams. All Professional degrees are different but this particular one lasts only a year and is includes lectures and coursework.
Other examples of Professional degrees are, for example, a degree in performing arts, teaching assistant, computing, electronics, plumbing, nursing, pharmacy and religious ministry. It is important to keep in mind however that not all Professional degrees can be used in other countries, contrary to more traditional degrees, as the knowledge and experience acquired is often specific to the country you are taught in. Professional and Vocational Degree Course Offers by Brian Heap is a book which can help you make sense of all the different Professional degrees available.
Other degrees
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