What Does “Undergraduate” Mean?

Both Associate and Bachelor’s Degrees Are Undergraduate Degrees

Yes, you read that right: an associate degree is an undergraduate degree, and a bachelor’s degree is also an undergraduate degree. Because both degrees fall under the undergraduate umbrella, if someone tells you only that they hold an undergraduate degree, you might have to ask a follow-up question or two to figure out which type of college degree they mean.

These two undergraduate degree types can be broken down even further. An associate degree may be conferred as an Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), Associate of Applied Arts (AAA) or Associate of Applied Science (AAS). A bachelor’s degree may be conferred as a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). (More on this below.)

College Majors and Minors

What Is a Major in College?

A college major is what we call the specific area of study that an undergraduate student focuses on. Some examples of majors in college are business administration, criminal justice and information technology. Within a given major or area of study, it may sometimes be possible to choose a specialization, which is essentially a focused area of study related to/within the broader major.

Some institutions allow students to double major, but not all do. And even among the ones that do, limitations or restrictions may be placed on what a student’s second major may be. Interestingly, if you double major, you do not get two degrees—those who complete a double major are conferred a single bachelor’s degree reflecting two areas of study.

What Is a Minor in College?

A minor in college differs from a specialization in that it is a secondary area of study that does not have to be related to the student’s major. The number of credits required for a minor are a fraction of the total credits required for a major. How many minors you can have in college depends on the institution—and not all institutions offer students the option to minor in something.

Undergraduate vs. Graduate Degree Programs

Just as there are different types of undergraduate degrees, there are also different types of graduate degrees—i.e., master’s and doctoral degrees. The following are a few notable differences between undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

• Level of advancement: Graduate degrees are more advanced than undergraduate degrees. It is not possible to pursue a graduate degree program unless you have graduated from a bachelor’s degree program (despite its being an undergraduate degree, an associate degree does not meet the minimum level of education required to enter graduate school).
• General education requirements: Master’s degree and doctoral degree programs do not have general education requirements, while associate degree and bachelor’s degree programs do. Graduate program coursework is typically more specialized and focused on the student’s chosen area of study.
• Thesis or dissertation requirements: Undergraduate students do not need to complete a dissertation or thesis to fulfill their graduation requirements. Master’s degree students may or may not be required to develop a thesis. PhD candidates must develop and successfully defend a dissertation based on original research, while applied doctorate candidates often need to develop not a dissertation but rather an applied doctoral project (an applied doctoral project focuses on the practical application of knowledge in a field of study rather than on original research).
• Program length: Another significant difference between undergraduate and graduate degree programs is their relative lengths. Traditional bachelor’s degree programs are typically designed to be completed in four years, and master’s degree programs in two to three years. Doctoral program lengths tend to vary, but their time to degree completion typically takes over 5 years.¹ However, the flexibility of online degree programs could potentially make it easier for undergraduate and graduate students to complete a degree program in less time than it would take to do so in a traditional, on-campus program.
• Cost: Undergraduate versus graduate degree program per-credit costs tend to differ. Often, the cost of an undergraduate credit is less than the cost of a graduate credit. Despite this, total tuition for a master’s degree program may end up being lower than total tuition for a bachelor’s degree program because master’s degree programs tend to require earning fewer credits overall.

What Are the Different Types of College Degrees?

There are four main types of college degrees: associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate.

Associate Degree (“Two-Year Degree”)

An associate degree is sometimes referred to as a two-year degree or junior degree. The courses taken in an associate degree program for a particular area of study tend to align with the first two years of a bachelor’s degree program in the same area of study. Associate degree programs may be pursued at community colleges, traditional four-year colleges and universities, and online colleges and universities.

There are four types of associate degrees: Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), Associate of Applied Arts (AAA) and Associate of Applied Science (AAS). While earning an associate degree is sometimes considered the first step of one’s academic journey (it can lay the foundation for earning more advanced degree(s) down the line), certain associate degrees may be terminal (a terminal degree is the highest degree that can be conferred in a field of study). Of the four types of associate degrees, the Associate of Applied Science is the one most likely to be a terminal degree. This is because AAS degree programs are very career-oriented, with curricula that are typically designed to help students prepare to pursue a specific career path rather than for future academic study.

Bachelor’s Degree (“Four-Year Degree”)

A bachelor’s degree is another type of undergraduate degree. It typically takes two times as long to earn a bachelor’s degree versus an associate degree (four years versus two years), which is why bachelor’s degrees are often referred to as four-year degrees.

There are a few main types of bachelor’s degrees: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). In general, BA degree programs involve more humanities-based coursework (e.g., history, philosophy), BS degree programs involve more math- and science-based coursework (e.g., information technology, computer science), and BFA degree programs are focused on the fine arts (e.g., painting, fashion design, sculpture).

According to a May 2024 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the most popular bachelor’s degree in 2021–22 academic year (the most recent year for which data is available as of the time of this writing) was business. More specifically, “[o]f the 2.0 million bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2021–22, some 58 percent were concentrated in six fields of study: business (375,400 degrees); health professions and related programs (263,800 degrees); social sciences and history (151,100 degrees); biological and biomedical sciences (131,500 degrees); psychology (129,600 degrees); and engineering (123,000 degrees).”²

Master’s Degree

Unlike an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree is a type of graduate degree. In most cases, a master’s degree may be considered the first level of graduate-level education; however, the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a notable exception. Because the MFA is the most advanced degree that can be conferred in the fine arts, it is considered a terminal degree.

Among the more well-known or popular master’s degrees are the Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Master of Laws (LLM, which stands for “Latin Legum Magister”).

Traditional, in-person master’s degree programs typically take two or perhaps three years to complete (compare this to online master’s degree programs such as those at American InterContinental University, which, depending on various factors, could be completed in 12 months or less).

Holding a bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for any master’s degree program. Aspiring graduate students may not have to hold a bachelor’s degree in the same area of study as the master’s degree program they wish to pursue (as is often the case with MBA degree programs, for example). However, sometimes holding a bachelor’s degree in the same area of study is required, as is commonly the case with computer science, for example.

Doctoral Degree

A doctoral degree, or doctorate, is a terminal degree. There are two main types of doctoral degrees: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and applied/professional doctorates. Applied or professional doctorates are generally named according to the area of study, for example, Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) or Doctor of Medicine (MD).

Typically, aspiring doctoral students must hold a master’s degree in the same or related field as the doctoral program they wish to pursue. In the United States, however, some institutions offer programs that accept doctoral students straight out of undergrad, essentially allowing them to earn their master’s as part of pursuing a PhD. But this pathway is less common.

What Will Your Next Step Be?

If you are thinking about pursuing a degree or completing one you have already started, AIU offers a number of convenient online degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, from associate to master’s. Explore our full range of online degree program offerings, request more information or apply now.

¹ National Science Foundation (NSF), Survey of Earned Doctorates, “Table 1-12. Median years to research doctorate, by trend broad field of doctorate: Selected years, 1973–2023,” https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf24336/table/1-12 (last visited Feb. 21, 2025).
² National Center for Education Statistics, Condition of Education, “Undergraduate Degree Fields,” https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cta (last visited Feb. 21, 2025). This data represents national figures and is not based on school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.

American InterContinental University cannot guarantee employment, salary, or career advancement. Not all programs are available to residents of all states. REQ2108082 2/2025