After you get a bachelors degree, you can specialize and get a masters degree. A masters degree is usually about 30 hours of classes beyond a bachelors degree. Usually after a bachelors degree, a masters degree takes 1 1/2 to 2 more years to get.

Associate’s–a 2 year/apr. 60 semester hour credit degree from a communtiy or junior college.

Bachelor’s–a 4 year degree/apr.120 semester hour degree. You get an undrgraduate major, like psycholgoy, biology, mechanical engineering (which basically means you tok like 30-40 semester hours of courses in the subject you major in). You can also get minors or more than one major.

Graduate degrees: You must already have a bachelor’s degree before you do one opf these programs

Master’s–a graduate degree. You take a bunch of courses ina field of study–you are more of an expert in a subject than someone with a Bachelor’s degree in the same subject is.

PhD–another graduate degree that makes you even more of an expert in an area of study than a Master’s degree does.

There are others in professional areas, but I am not going to tell you about all of thsoe–this post would be go on forever.

It’s hard to tell you which one would be best. I put the 4 degrees in order from lest to most education. Obviously, the doctorate’s is the most advanced. But most people wouldn’t need to have such high credentials as a doctorate to function in their jobs.

* Bachelors degree (BA, BS, BBA, BEcon, BEng, EdB…) – 4 years of college

* Master’s degree (MA, MS, MBA, EdM, MAcct, …) – 1-2 years after the Bachelor’s

* First Professional (MD, JD, DVM, DDS…) 3-4 or more years after the Bachelor’s (no master’s usually required) for professionals like physician, attorney, veterinarian, dentist… (many consider this lower than a master’s. If a medical doctor goes back to school for a higher degree, he often gets an master’s)

* Doctor of Subject (EdD, DBA, DMA, DTax, DA, …) 1-2 years after Master’s

* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – 2-3 years after Master’s (sometimes as long as 7 years after the Bachelor’s)

The higher the degree, there more knowledge in the field one is expected to have and therefor the more responsibility he can assume. The lower the level of the degree, the more general it is likely to be. For example, an AS in business grad would know very general information about business but at the PhD level, the grad knows all of the general stuff and everything about something specific that is his specialty.

At the master’s and higher level, the graduate is expected to be able to create new knowledge through observation or research. Scientists with master’s and PhD’s in biochemistry search for and discover new drugs for example. Technicians with an associate or bachelor’s degree help them in the lab.

An Associates of Science (AS) degree is a two-year degree that you cannot transfer to a 4-year institution.

For a description between the two degrees see:

http://www.wssu.edu/NR/rdonlyres/A79A519E-B244-47B4-9255-F941F959B347/0/ArticulationAgreement.pdf

A Bachelor’s of Art (BA) degree is a 4 year degree.

A Bachelor’s of Science is a 4 year degree.

For a description between the two degrees see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Arts

A Master of Arts (MA) degree requires a BA undergraduate degree first. This is the first Graduate level course. The courses all pertain to your area of specialty. You are also required to write a Thesis in your area of study to graduate.

A PHD is the next level. Many who hold this degree either teach in a University or are Doctors, Lawyers, Scientists, Artists.

a degree granted esp. by junior colleges after completion of two years of study.

bachelor’s degree (commonly refered to as a BA)

– a degree awarded by a college or university to a person who has completed undergraduate studies. usually completed in 3 years.

Masters Degree (sometimes refered to as an MBA)-

a degree awarded by a graduate school or department, usually to a person who has completed at least one year of graduate study. sometimes 4 years at a university but mostly requires some graduate study.