Academic Terms:

• Higher Education  
  Education provided by universities, vocational universities (community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and technical colleges, etc.) and other collegial institutions that award academic degrees.
• Certificate of Achievement (CA)
  Focuses on job-specific skills. A certificate of achievement is typically half the credits of an associate degree.  With this certificate, students typically take very limited general education courses (maybe only English and math).  Later, if a student wants, they can go on to get an AAS degree.
• Associate of Arts (AA) 
  The associate of arts degree is designed for students who are planning to transfer to a university to complete a bachelor's of arts degree. With an associate of arts degree, students are qualified to transfer to a four-year college or university with junior standing.
• Associate of Science (AS) 
  The associate of science degree is designed for students who are planning to transfer to a university to complete a bachelor's of science degree. The associate of science degree provides the math and science background students need to transfer to a four-year college or university with junior standing.
• Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
  An associate of applied science (AAS), generally attainable in two years, is considered a “terminal” degree.  In other words, it is a degree someone might get if  they have no intention of continuing on to get a bachelor’s degree.  (Not all the credits will transfer into a bachelor’s degree program.)  It is also considered “vocational”, meaning that at the end of this degree a person will be ready for their chosen career, with no further degree necessary.
• Bachelor of Arts (BA)/Bachelor of Science (BS)
  A bachelor’s degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases, five or six years.
• Master of Arts (MA)/Master of Science (MS)
  A master’s degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded after the completion of a program of one to three years in duration. This acknowledgment comprises about four to six years of university study in total.
• Postgraduate Education
  Often known as graduate education, involves studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or bachelor’s degree is required, and is normally considered to be part of tertiary or higher education. In North America this level is generally referred to as graduate school.
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
  An advanced academic degree.