EDUCATOR’S PAGE
University Life: A Few Things You Ought to Know
Michael J. Urban, MEM-1910
Whether you are new to college, or a returning student, you may want to learn a bit more about how the university you attend functions. You may already have a major and be on track to complete your degree in four or five years, a feat that is becoming more challenging with each passing year it seems. In any case, go ahead and read on for a glimpse into the inner workings of higher education.
There is, of course, a difference between 2-year and 4-year colleges, and the present discussion will be con- strained to traditional 4-year under- graduate and graduate institutions of higher learning (referred to, typically, as colleges, universities, schools [e.g., school of mines], institutes [e.g., institute of technology], seminaries, or academies). The broadest classification separates these institutions into public, private, or military.1 The Carnegie Classification system further describes post-secondary institutions based on size and type; for example, doctorate-granting research universities (extensive, intensive), master’s level colleges and universities (small, medium, large), baccalaureate colleges (e.g., liberal arts), and spe- cialized schools (e.g., Medical Schools, Theological Seminaries), are some of the designations.2 And, the degree you are able to earn depends on the type of institution you attend: undergraduate (e.g., bachelor’s) or graduate (e.g., mas- ter’s or doctorate).
What Are the Kinds of Degrees?
For purposes here, I will assume you may be considering a career in geology or a related field of science. Unless you are seeking a position as some kind of technician, you will likely need to earn at least a bachelor’s degree, but depending on your ultimate career goals, a master’s or doctoral degree may be in your future. The traditional four-year undergraduate degrees are a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S or
B.A.Sc.), or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), and each moniker might denote a slight difference in focus; for example, a B.S. degree characteristically recognizes a focus in one of the sciences, engineering, or technology, whereas a B.A. degree may more than likely recognize a focus in the social sciences or humanities.3 The bachelor’s degree is considered to be the entry-level requirement for most professional careers.
Once an undergraduate degree is in hand, you may opt to pursue graduate studies toward either a master’s degree or doctorate (or both). There are similar types of master’s degrees to bachelor’s degrees, for example both a Master of Science (M.S.) and Master of Arts (M.A.) exist, and these degrees more often than not require about two years of full-time coursework. The pathway to completing a master’s degree routinely ends with a formal research project – or thesis – and a comprehensive exam. A new alternative
1. Military academies will be excluded from this discussion. 2. For more details about the Carnegie Classification system, see the references.
3. There are exceptions to this general description. It is possible to earn a B.A. degree in one of the so-called “hard” sciences (i.e., chemis- try, physics, geology, etc.),but typically there is more freedom to select elective classes than in a standard B.S. program, which would include more required courses in the major. The word “hard” is used here to contrast with the “soft” (or social) sciences, and is not a reflection, per se, on the complexity of the program of study.
4. The Council of Graduate Schools is a national organization dedicated to leadership and research in graduate education in the United States (it also includes members outside the U.S.). Visit their website:
www.cgsnet.org
5. Some discipline areas may end at the bachelor’s or master’s level and there would be no equivalent doctorate, in which case, such a degree would be “terminal.”
6. Philosophy heralds from the original Greek “philos” (love) and “sophis” (wisdom), and literally means “love of wisdom” – in the sense that someone studies the knowledge, or wisdom, in a specific discipline area, like maybe geology.
master’s degree, the Professional Science Masters (PSM), has been authorized by the Council of Graduate Schools.4 These degrees typically focus on science or technical content (50% of the course- work), professional skills (such as com- munications, accounting, organizational management and the like), and include an applied internship at a company or agency. Though research might be a part of the degree, a thesis is typically not required. There are over three hundred of these degrees available now (see the references for a web link).
A doctoral program may be entered into directly after earning an under- graduate four-year degree, or after com- pleting a master’s degree, and in most discipline areas, is referred to as a ter- minal degree or the highest attainable academic degree in a field of study.5 Finishing a doctorate generally exceeds three years, and almost always entails writing a dissertation – an original research investigation of considerable rigor – and successfully passing a set of comprehensive examinations. The most common type of doctorate earned in academia is the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), but there are other types as well (e.g., Doctor of Education, Ed.D.). The Ph.D. is so-named not because it focuses on “philosophy” as a discipline – as a few too many people mistakenly believe – but because it accentuates research in a specific discipline.6
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