What's the difference between Associates, Bachelor, Master, Doctorate?

Question

I know this is a huge question, but roughly, is this the order it goes in? How many years for each title? What more could you do with each title? If you get a doctorate, do you get to put Dr. at the end or beginning of your name or something?

Answer 1

In general.

AS or AA 2yrs
BS or BA 4 yrs ( it can be 2 years if you combine the year of AA )
MS or MA 2 years
PHD 2 year

From day one to PHD graduation is 8 years, some can be faster, some slower.

Answer 2

Yes, this is the usual order. An associate degree takes the equivalent of two years of full-time study, often at a community college. Some of these degrees allow you to transfer to a 4-year college afterwards, so that you could get a bachelor's degree.

Bachelor's degrees are often referred to as 4-year degrees, although some people do them somewhat faster, and many take longer.

A Master's degree can take between a year and two of full-time work. You have to have a Bachelor's degree before you go on for the Master's. For some degrees, your bachelor's degree has to be in the same field, but in some others it is an independent degree and doesn't require any prior study in that field, although you do have to have SOME bachelor's degree.

Doctorates are considered higher degrees than master's degrees, but you don't usually have to have a master's degree before going on for the doctorate. The course of study differs a lot, depending upon the field. There are some, like the J.D. (Juris Doctor, or doctor of law) which are based upon coursework only, and can be done in three years. You do not, by the way, call yourself Dr. if you have a J.D. Medical school takes four years, and then you are Dr. The Ph.D., which can be taken in many fields, is a research degree, and you generally spend about two years taking classes, followed by a major research project called a dissertation. Most of the Ph.D. projects I know of are designed to last four years - two years of classwork and two years on the dissertation. However, the dissertation is a relatively independent project, so many people take quite a bit longer to finish. Most Ph.D.s who work in academia call themselves Dr., but there are people who don't have doctorates at all who complain that they aren't "real" doctors, because their only experience with the idea of a doctor is one who provides medical care. There are lots of other doctorates as well - dental degrees, theology degrees, education degrees, etc.

Answer 3

Assuming we are talking about attending full time…

Associates = two years college at community college (Degree is AA)
Bachelor = 4 years college after high school or additional two years after AA degree.
Master = usually 2-3 years after Bachelor degree
Doctorate = 4-5 years after Master degree (the time depends on completion of research thesis, which in cases may take longer).

Answer 4

A lot of WORK. And yes, you can use Dr. in front of your name, if you get that far. But don't do it for THAT reason. That is the wrong reason. Think about it.