A Bachelor's degree, sometimes referred to as a Baccalaureate degree, is an undergraduate college degree. It's the second degree you can receive in your academic career, although an Associate's degree is not a prerequisite to earn your Bachelor's degree. This degree may be awarded after earning a two-year degree, though it's often the first degree that is earned. Whether or not you earn an Associate's degree first depends upon the area of study you choose.
You can typically earn your Bachelor's after completing four years of full-time study. This amounts to approximately 40 - 50 courses, or 120 - 180 credit hours, depending on the school. Engineering and architecture degrees may take up to five years to complete. As a college student, you must declare a major halfway through, or by end of your second year. Oftentimes, you also will be able to choose an academic minor to accompany your major.
Some four-year programs can be expedited to three years if you're ambitious enough to make it happen. For example, if you take high school advanced placement courses, you'll finish sooner. Also, you may be able to take college summer courses to complete your degree faster. This often takes careful planning, and you'll have a full class load.
Certain colleges and universities have a separate academic track, commonly known as an "honors" or "scholars" program, which is generally only offered to the highest percentile of students based on GPA. This route offers more challenging coursework. For example, you may be able to take more individually-directed seminars or perform research projects in lieu of the standard core curriculum.
There are several types of four-year degrees. The most commonly awarded are the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees. If you decide to get a BA, you'll complete coursework in the area of humanities and the arts; while if you choose a BS, you'll take more science-based classes. Other popular ones include the Bachelor of Applied Science, the Bachelor of Economics, the Bachelor of Business, the Bachelor of Fine Arts and the Bachelor of Medicine.
If you lean towards humanities classes, such as English, literature, history or foreign languages, you'll more than likely pursue a BA. With this degree, you'll take about half your credits as generals and half as electives. BA grads can choose to enter the workforce, or continue your education and earn a Master's or higher.
As a science-related major, such as biology, psychology, technology and nursing, you'll earn a BS. The majority of this coursework is geared toward the student's major. You'll probably enter the field shortly after graduation, although some students decide to attend a professional advanced degree, such as medical school.
The name "Bachelor" is used because of the English word meaning "young apprentice." Although there aren't too many apprenticeships available in this day and age, you'll find your four-year degree is a great tool to help you in your career quest. Earning it puts you in a better position in the marketplace by helping you secure employment or advance in your chosen career quickly. You can even earn an online Bachelors degree by taking online classes! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natasha_Bright |
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