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Academic credits: the unit of measure for a student’s progress toward graduation. A typical university-level bachelor’s degree class is worth three credits. Normally, to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, students need to earn between 120 and 133 credits, which equals 40 to 44 classes.
Accreditation: six regional and dozens of program-specific groups, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, that permit colleges to operate as educational institutions.
Associate degree: the first academic degree possible after completing secondary school. This two-year degree program has an academic focus in one area with a number of other classes in the liberal arts. Associate degrees are normally completed at two-year community colleges.
Bachelor’s degree: typically a four-year degree completed at post-secondary colleges and universities.
College: a post-secondary institution in the United States. It can be a two-year institution for either academic or vocational studies or a four-year academic institution. Within universities, the academic divisions may be called colleges (e.g., College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, etc.).
Community college: a two-year post-secondary educational institution that primarily offers associate degree programs.
Doctoral degree: often called a PhD (doctor of philosophy) or EdD (doctor of education), this is the highest academic level of study offered in the United States. Doctoral programs are available to students who have either completed a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in a related subject. The length of the program depends on whether students already have a master’s before entry and the time it takes after completion of coursework to write a required dissertation (between one and four years).
GPA: the academic grade point average students receive from their various classes taken in college or university. Generally, students are graded in each course on a 4.0 scale (4 being high, 0 low). In the US education system, a 4.0 GPA equals an A, 3.0 is a B, 2.0 is a C, 1.0 is a D, and 0.0 is an F.
Graduate studies: academic programs that start after completing a four-year undergraduate degree and generally lead to master’s or doctorate degrees.
Liberal arts: areas of study covering humanities subjects like history, English literature, foreign language, mathematics, social studies, and natural sciences.
Liberal arts college: post-secondary institutions that focus primarily on academic programs in the humanities and social sciences.
Major: the primary focus of an undergraduate student’s degree studies. Majors are similar to the term “course of study” for international students. In US colleges and universities, the major represents anywhere from 33-50% of the total number of classes a student takes to graduate.
Master’s degree: normally a one- to two-year graduate study degree with an intensive focus in a particular academic subject. A master’s thesis or project is often required.
Quarter: An academic calendar variation that divides the year into four 10-week-long periods, with only three required (fall, winter, spring).
School: a US institution that educates students; often refers to places with K-12 learners. Within colleges and universities, “schools” can be considered a sub-division of a university’s academic areas (e.g., School of Engineering, School of Business). It can also be used as a slang term (e.g., “How many schools are you applying to?”).
Semester: a common measurement for an academic term. Typically, colleges and universities have two semesters (fall and spring) in a required academic year. Each semester is approximately 16 weeks long. Many universities also offer a summer semester for students who do not start in fall or for those who may want or need to take additional courses to accelerate or stay on track with their academic programs.
State university: a public four-year institution, funded in part by the state in which it is located. Public state universities tend to have large student body sizes.
Transfer credits: credits for students who have already completed some academic work at a different university that is then applied toward a degree program at a new university where the student is enrolled.
Trimester: an academic calendar that follows three terms–fall, winter, and spring. Each trimester is 12 to 13 weeks long.
Undergraduate studies: the first level of academic studies students take after completing secondary school. Undergraduate studies lead to either associate’s or bachelor’s degrees.
University: a four-year post-secondary educational institution. These institutions can offer all levels of post-secondary degrees (associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate).
To learn more about the value of enrolling in a
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