Degree
Degree, in education, a title or rank given by a university or college to show that a student has satisfactorily completed a program of studies. An honorary degree is one granted as an honor to a distinguished person. No academic work is required for an honorary degree.
Degrees are presented at graduation, or commencement, exercises. Each recipient is given a diploma, a document that indicates the successful completion of a course of study toward a degree. Holders of degrees have the privilege of wearing academic dress (cap, gown, and in some cases, hood) at commencement and other special occasions.
In the United States, most academic fields have three ranks of degrees—bachelor, master, and doctor. (In some fields, such as engineering, these terms may not be used; see table.) Some colleges award an associate's degree for successfully completing two years of collegiate work.
The degree of bachelor is commonly granted after a student completes undergraduate studies. These studies normally take four years but may be shortened through advanced placement programs and summer school attendance. Sometimes this degree is called by its Latin name, baccalaureate.
The degrees of master and doctor are graduate degrees. A master's degree requires at least one year of study after the student has been graduated as a bachelor. The degree of doctor requires from three to five years of additional study. Graduate degrees usually require the writing of a thesis or dissertation reporting on some research project.
Degree requirements vary greatly from one country to another. For example, the only degree awarded by German universities is the doctor's, while the degrees awarded in Great Britain, Canada, and Japan are similar to those of the United States but require a different length of time to complete.
Academic titles appeared in universities in the 12th century. The master's and doctor's degrees were once certificates to teach or practice a profession. Today they have lost this meaning. A holder of a degree of doctor of medicine, for example, must take an examination and be licensed by the state before being allowed to practice.