Higher education

American higher education is based on the principle that almost anyone with a secondary school diploma should be able to follow a higher education programme. To establish the value of a degree or diploma from the United States, it is important to establish at which institution and what level the person studied.

There is no distinction between HBO i and WO i . American higher education institutions can offer both types of higher education. This often means that for each diploma we have to determine whether it is HBO or WO. On this page, we describe the diplomas that we often see.

Students can obtain an associate degree from a two-year college (junior college or community college), a four-year college or a university.

• Duration i : 2 years.
• Content: there are generally 2 types of associate degree programmes:
  • A terminal/vocational program prepares students for employment. Students take profession-oriented subjects.
  • A ‘transfer program’ prepares students for access to the 2nd or 3rd year of a bachelor’s programme. Students take profession-oriented or research-oriented subjects or a combination of both.
• Admission requirements: usually the admission requirements are not that strict (open doors admissions policy), but there is often some form of selection for technical study programmes, nursing and transfer programs.
• Function of the diploma:
  • Terminal/vocational programs prepare students for employment.
  • Transfer programs prepares students for access to the 2nd or 3rd year of a bachelor's programme.
• Diploma: an associate's degree, such as:
  • Associate in Arts (AA);
  • Associate in Applied Arts (AAA);
  • Associate in Applied Science (AAS);
  • Associate in Science (AS).

Students can obtain a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or a university.

• Duration: usually 4 years.
• Content: usually introductory subjects in various fields (liberal arts), electives, a major (usually starting in the 2nd year) and sometimes a minor. In Year 4, where appropriate, a research methodology module and a research project (occasionally a bachelor’s thesis). Sometimes a work placement or internship, which is often no longer than a few months.
• Admission requirements: a high school diploma + additional requirements, where appropriate.
• Function of the diploma: access to master's programmes or work.
• Diploma: a bachelor’s degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS).

Students can obtain a master’s degree from a graduate school of a college or university.

• Duration: usually 1-3 years; 2-3 years for a professional master’s programme.
• Content: research or professionally oriented.
  • Research programme: a thesis or capstone project (often case studies or ‘program evaluations’).
  • Professional programme: emphasis on practising a profession (at a high level), programme may include a thesis and/or comprehensive examinations.
• Admission requirements: a bachelor’s degree in all cases, plus extra requirements such as:
  • GPA i score;
  • required subjects; and
  • entrance exams ( GRE i / GMAT i / LSAT i / MCAT i ).
• Function of the diploma: access to PhD programmes or work.
• Diploma: a master’s degree, such as:
  • Master of Arts (MA);
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA);
  • Master of Public Health;
  • Master of Science (MS);
  • Master of Social Work.

Students follow a PhD programme at the graduate school of a university.

• Duration: 4-6 years.
• Content: at least 1 year of instruction; having passed extensive oral and written examinations (qualifying exams), students are given final approval to conduct research as well as to write and publicly defend a dissertation.
• Admission requirements: a good master's degree, although the more selective research universities sometimes admit promising students with a bachelor’s degree.
• Diploma: PhD (written as Ph.D. in American English).

Advanced professional degree programmes form a separate category. These programmes prepare students for specific careers, e.g. in medical sciences and law.

• Duration: 1 to 5 years; for example: 3 years (law), 4 years (medical professions).
• Content: a combination of theoretical subjects (e.g. basic science courses, advanced theory courses, seminars), practical subjects (professional development courses, clinics, mock trials) and work placements (e.g. internship, externship, field experience, clinical clerkships, directed research project).
• Admission requirements: usually a bachelor’s degree with a number of compulsory subjects, such as a pre-medicine, pre-engineering or pre-law programme, supplemented with entrance examinations and the selection criteria for master’s programmes specified above.
• Function of the diploma: work. These diplomas are required for admission to a licensing examination, which enables students to obtain a ‘professional license’ in one of the states. Students can only be officially permitted to practise the profession in that state if they have obtained this ‘license’.
• Diploma: one of the following degrees:
  • Doctor of Dental Surgery, D.D.S.;
  • Doctor of Medicine, M.D.;
  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, D.V.M.;
  • Juris Doctor, J.D. (law).
    Please note: in this case, the term Doctor is a professional title, not an academic doctorate as in a PhD.