Four year BA and BS Bachelor of Arts (Artium Baccalaureus) Bachelor of Science (Scientiæ Baccalaureus)

1 – Freshman

2 – Sophmore

3 – Junior

4 – Senior

MA – The Master of Arts (Magister Artium) and Master of Science (Magister Scientiæ). In the United States of America and Canada, the master’s is normally a one to two year course entered after four years of undergraduate study (leading to the bachelor’s degree), and is similarly required for licensing in many professions, or in preparation for the doctorate.

BA means Bachelor of Arts and is a 4 year degree. BS means Bachelor of Science and is also a 4 yr degree. The only difference between a BA and a BS is the number of liberal arts vs. science/math courses that you take.

MA means Master of Arts and is a graduate degree that you get after getting a BA or BS. MS means Master of Science and is also a graduate degree like a MA. A MA or MS usually takes an additional 2-3 years after you get your BA or BS.

PhD means Doctor of Philosophy, but is usually called a Doctorate degree and can be earned in any subject. It usually takes about 4 years, but requires a long-term research project and can take longer than 4 years depending on how your research goes. You can earn a Masters and then go on for another year or two to get your PhD, or go directly into a PhD program after getting your BA or BS. You do not have to have a Masters to get your PhD. A PhD is the highest level of education in the US.