Degree

A degree (alternatively called a diploma because of its associated document) is a college or university diploma awarded in recognition of its recipient having satisfactorily completed either a prescribed course of study or having completed a scholarly endeavor deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree.

Degrees granted
There are three major types of degrees granted: undergraduate, graduate and professional.

Undergraduate
The most common undergraduate degrees are the bachelor's degree and the licentiate. They are obtained after a first program and usually last three or four standard years.

Graduate
A graduate degree (or advanced degree) is a research-oriented degree earned from a graduate school. They commonly exist in two tiers:


 * Master's degree, which normally lasted for two years
 * Doctorate, which had an indeterminate duration but normally lasts between 3 and 7 years

Professional
A professional degree is a second-entry degree earned in order to prepare its holder for a particular profession, i.e. medicine, law or pharmacy.


 * Doctor of Medicine
 * Doctor of Pharmacy
 * Juris Doctor

Entry into professional programs varied from race to race.