3.3 Planning Your Degree Path
Questions to consider:
- What types of college degrees or certifications can I pursue?
- What is the difference between majors and minors?
- How do preprofessional programs differ from other majors?
- Do some majors have special requirements beyond regular coursework?
Now that you have explored possible careers that would be a good fit for you, it is time to map out the education that is needed to reach your career goals.
To set goals for your academic and career path, you must first understand the options available for you to pursue and the requirements you will need to meet. The next section provides an overview of academic programs and college degrees that are common among many colleges and universities in the United States. Please note that each institution will have its own specific options and requirements, so the intention of this section is both to help you understand your opportunities and to familiarize you with language that colleges typically use to describe these opportunities.
Types of Degrees
Whereas in most states high school attendance through the 12th grade is mandatory, or compulsory, a college degree may be pursued voluntarily. There are fields that do not require a degree. Bookkeeping, computer repair, massage therapy, and childcare are all fields where certification programs—tracks to study a specific subject or career without need of a complete degree—may be enough.
However, many individuals will find that an associate or bachelor’s degree is a requirement to enter their desired career field. According to United States Census data published in 2017, more than one-third of the adult population in the country has completed at least a bachelor’s degree.
Not every job requires a bachelor’s degree, and some require even higher degrees or additional specialized certifications. As you develop your academic plan, it is important to research your field of interest to see what requirements might be necessary or most desirable.
Associate’s Degrees and Certificates
To enter an associate degree program, students must have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree programs are intended to help students enter a technical career field, such as automotive technology, graphic design, or entry-level nursing in some states.
Other associate degree programs are intended to prepare a student with the necessary coursework to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program upon graduation. These transfer-focused programs usually require similar general education and foundational courses that a student would need in the first half of a bachelor’s degree program. Transfer-focused associate degrees may be called Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT), or Associate of Science (AS), or other titles, depending on the focus of study. Transfer Advising Guides (TAGs) inform students what classes to take while enrolled at the Alamo Colleges, so that their classes not only transfer but also count toward their intended four-year degree program at their desired university.
An associate degree is typically awarded when a student has completed at least 60 credits, about 20 courses, meeting the requirements of a specific degree. Some technical associate degrees, such as nursing, may require additional credits to meet requirements for special certifications. You may find that your college or university does not offer associate degrees. Most associate degrees are offered by community or junior colleges, or by career and technical colleges.
In addition to associate degrees the Alamo Colleges District also offers certificates that are part of the career and technical offerings at the colleges in the Alamo Colleges District. The certificate programs require fewer semester hours than an AAS and most can be applied toward an AAS degree. The types of certificates available are:
- Marketable Skills Achievement Award: 9 to 14 semester hours. Courses that may lead to immediate employment or add to the student’s marketability
- Level I Certificate: 15 to 42 semester hours
- Level II Certificate: 30 to 51 semester hours
Source: San Antonio College Schedule Catalog 2022-2023
General Education
General education, also called core curriculum, is a group of courses that are often set as requirements by your state or by your individual college. These courses provide you with a foundation of knowledge across a breadth of fields and are also intended to help you further develop college-level critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities. For many of the subject areas, you will have a selection of courses to choose from. At San Antonio College, the Core Curriculum consists of 42 credit hours. By taking all the courses in the Core Curriculum, you are considered “core complete” and this block of courses will transfer to any state college or university in Texas. Below is a listing of the Core Curriculum.
| Credit Hours Required | Subject Area |
|---|---|
| 6 | English composition |
| 6 | American History |
| 6 | Government/Political Science |
| 3 | Social and Behavioral Science |
| 6 | Life Sciences |
| 3 | Mathematics |
| 3 | Creative Arts |
| 6 | Language, Philosophy and Culture |
| 3 | Speech |
Bachelor’s Degrees
A bachelor’s degree is usually completed with at least 120 credits, or about 40 courses. When someone mentions “a college degree,” they are often referring to the bachelor’s degree, or baccalaureate degree. Because it takes four years of full-time attendance to complete a bachelor’s degree, this degree is also referred to as a “four-year degree.” Both associate’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees are considered undergraduate degrees, thus students working toward these degrees are often called undergraduates. A student with an associate degree may transfer that degree to meet some (usually half) of the requirements of a bachelor’s degree; however, completion of an associate degree is not necessary for entry into a bachelor’s degree program.
Major Courses
Major courses are courses in your field of interest and provide you with the foundational knowledge required for further study in that field or with the skills necessary to enter your career. Major courses often have a series of prerequisites, or courses that must be taken in sequence prior to other courses, starting with an introductory course and progressing into more depth. Colleges and universities usually require students to select a major by the time they have completed 30 total credits.
Electives
Electives are free-choice courses. Though you may have a choice to select from a menu of options to meet general education and major requirements, electives are even less restricted. Some students may be able to take more electives than others due to their choice of major.
Graduate Degrees
Whereas associate’s and bachelor’s degrees are considered undergraduate degrees and require high school graduation for entry, advanced degrees called graduate degrees require prior completion of a bachelor’s degree. Some professions require graduate degrees as a minimum job qualification, such as pharmacists, lawyers, physical therapists, psychologists, and college professors. In other cases, students may be motivated to pursue a graduate degree to obtain a higher-level job or higher salary, or to be more competitive in their field. Some students are also interested in learning about a subject in greater depth than they did at the undergraduate level. Because graduate degrees do not include general education or free elective courses, they are very focused on career-specific knowledge and skills. Graduate degrees include master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees. Master’s degrees often require 30–60 credits and take one to two years of full-time attendance to complete. Some master’s degrees, like those for counselors, require supervised job experience as a component of the degree and therefore require more credits.
Doctorate and professional degrees are the highest level of advanced degrees. Very few careers require this level of education for entry, so fewer individuals pursue these degrees. Doctorates are offered in many subjects and primarily prepare students to become researchers in their field of study. This in-depth level of education often requires an additional 90–120 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree and may or may not require a master’s degree prior to entry.
Professional degrees are a specific type of doctorate-level degree that focus on skills to be applied in a practical, or hands-on, career rather than as a researcher. The most common professional degrees are Doctor of Medicine (MD) for aspiring medical doctors, Juris Doctor (JD) for aspiring lawyers, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) for aspiring pharmacists, and Doctor of Education (EdD) for aspiring school and college or university administrators. If the career you are pursuing requires a graduate degree, you should keep this end goal in mind as you plan for the timeline and finances required to meet your goals.
Quick Quiz 3.3
- What are the types of degrees you can earn?
- What is core curriculum?