Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is an undergraduate academic qualification conferred by colleges and universities upon students who complete a designated course of study, typically lasting four years. This degree can be attained in a variety of majors, resulting in either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science, depending on the field of study. It serves as a foundation for entry-level employment and is often a prerequisite for further education, such as pursuing a master's or doctoral degree. The coursework usually combines liberal arts education with specialized subject matter, requiring around 120 credit hours, which often includes a mixture of general education and elective courses.
Historically, the bachelor's degree emerged from medieval European academic traditions, where it indicated a level of educational achievement. In the modern context, obtaining this degree can lead to significant financial benefits and enhanced job prospects, with median incomes for bachelor's degree holders substantially higher than those with lower educational qualifications. Institutions may also offer online bachelor's degree programs, increasing accessibility for diverse learners. Overall, the bachelor's degree represents a vital step in both personal and professional development in a wide range of fields.
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is awarded by colleges and universities to students who have completed a specific course of advanced studies. The degree can be achieved in a wide range of concentrated fields of study called majors and are generally awarded as a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science, depending on the area of study. The bachelor's degree is an undergraduate degree and is a prerequisite for the highly specialized and more advanced studies of a graduate degree.
The purpose of a bachelor's degree is to prepare students for entry-level employment in a chosen field or for advanced study in the pursuit of a graduate-level degree such as a master's or doctoral degree. Many colleges and university also offer online bachelor's degree programs.
Requirements
The requirements for earning a bachelor's degree can vary depending on the subject of the degree, the institution awarding it, and the country in which it is being earned. Most bachelor's degrees take four academic years of study to achieve. Some, however, have requirements that take more than four years to complete because of the technical nature of the material that must be learned. In addition, students who pursue an education part-time can take longer to complete a bachelor's degree, while some students can complete the degree in as few as three years by taking more courses per semester, earning credits when school is not in session, or demonstrating subject matter competence through an exam and "testing out" of certain class requirements.
Institutions in different countries structure their academic semesters and assign credits in different ways, but in most cases, a bachelor's degree takes four years of study to achieve. In general, earning a bachelor's degree in the United States requires the successful completion of 120 credit hours, or about 40 different classes. Some institutions of higher learning use what is known as a quarter system. Achieving a bachelor's degree in this system requires the successful completion of 180 quarter credits.
Bachelor's degrees always require a mixture of liberal arts courses in subjects such as history, language arts, psychology, and critical thinking in addition to the specific subject matter courses of each major. In most cases, such general education courses account for more than half of the credit requirements for a degree; in many instances, as few as ten to twelve classes will be advanced classes in the desired major. Course requirements for a bachelor's degree are generally designed to require a blend of liberal arts classes that will complement the subject matter of the student's major. For example, the requirements for a political science major might include more liberal arts credits in foreign languages, while a chemistry major would benefit from more general courses in math and science. The degree requirements also allow for electives, or courses purely of a student's choosing.
History
The concept of academic degrees appeared in medieval Europe. In this context, "degree" referred to a level of achievement in education. Around the thirteenth century, the centers of higher learning in Europe included individuals at three degrees, or levels, of learning: the Scholar, who attended classes and was at the starting point of an academic career; the Bachelor, who served as a student teacher and was engaged in further work in the pursuit of teaching; and the Master, who was a professor at the university.
The qualifications for reaching these levels varied over time and from country to country. In some areas, such as France, a bachelor's degree was achieved by successfully passing an examination, while the degree was accorded much more weight in England and was correspondingly more difficult to achieve. Over time, these differences evened out until the levels of education became equal regardless of the country.
The medieval period also gave rise to the custom of various forms of academic attire. Medieval processions in universities involved the staff and students walking in a prescribed order and with appropriate garments to differentiate their levels of achievement and even their subjects of study. Over time, this was formalized in some areas. In 1895, the American Council on Education adopted the Academic Costume Code to set standards for academic attire in the United States. Today, individuals participating in certain functions at colleges and universities, such as a graduation ceremony, wear specific types of gowns based on the highest degree they have achieved. The gown for a bachelor's degree is usually black, has long plain sleeves, and is worn closed. It is accompanied by a cap known as a mortarboard, which has a square, flat top. The tassel on a bachelor's cap and the border on the hood of the gown are a specific color to designate the topic of study. As a result, it is possible to know the level of education and area of specification for graduates simply by looking at their academic attire.
Advantages of a Bachelor's Degree
In addition to the intellectual benefit, a bachelor's degree can provide a number of other advantages, including greater financial rewards as well as increased employment opportunities, benefits, job satisfaction, and job stability. According to the results of the 2022 U.S. census, the median income for someone with a bachelor's degree was $66,600 per year as opposed to $49,500 for someone with an associate's degree and $41,800 for someone with a high school diploma. There are some exceptions to this. In cases involving technical skills such as nursing or computer fields, someone with an associate's degree can earn nearly the same as someone with a bachelor's degree; however, in most instances, the higher the level of education, the greater the earning potential. Someone with a bachelor's degree could expect to earn an average of $2.8 million over his or her employment career, as opposed to $1.6 million for someone with a high school diploma.
Bibliography
"Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment.” National Center for Education Statistics, May 2024, nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
Hargreaves-Mawdsley, W. N. A History of Academical Dress in Europe Until the End of the Eighteenth Century. Clarendon Press, 1963.
“How Does a College Degree Improve Graduates’ Employment and Earnings Potential?” APLU, www.aplu.org/our-work/4-policy-and-advocacy/publicuvalues/employment-earnings/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
“Graduation & Academic Regalia.” Academic Dress Hire, www.academicdresshire.co.nz/FAQs/What+to+Wear/History+of+Academic+Dress.html. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
Killorin, Matt. “What a Bachelor Degree Means in the US: A Comprehensive Guide.” Shorelight, 6 Sept. 2024, shorelight.com/student-stories/what-is-a-bachelors-degree-in-the-us/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
“What Is a Bachelor's Degree? Requirements, Costs, and More.” Coursera, 22 Nov. 2024, www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-a-bachelors-degree. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.