Bachelor’s Degree
The Bachelor’s degree is the first degree towards one’s vocational training after completion of the high university diploma or the 12th grade. In India students of the Arts, Commerce and Science faculties generally pursue a 3-year degree. In the United States however all degrees are spread over 4 years. Hence whether one decides to pursue business studies; computer science; biology; or engineering a bachelor’s degree is earned after four years. The Architecture course however is a five-year program.

The term Bachelor’s degree is interchangeable with the term undergraduate degree. The first year of the undergraduate program is termed as the Freshman year; the second year is known as the Sophomore year, the third is called the Junior year and the final year is called the Senior year.

The Bachelor degree maybe of two types – a BA degree or a BS degree. A BA degree refers to the Bachelor of Arts program while the BS refers to the Bachelor of Science program. In the United States some Universities may offer the same major / program but with different degrees. For example Computer Science may be offered both as a BA and as a BS degree. It is preferable that the student opts for a BS degree, as it is more intensive than a BA degree and generally covers more of mathematics and science related courses. The BFA degree refers to the Bachelor of Fine Arts. Students pursuing a degree in fashion designing for example earn a BFA degree.

Students generally apply for the Bachelor’s degree immediately after completion of the 12th grade. However, some Indian students may have already covered a part of their undergraduate degree here and may still want to apply to colleges in the United States. In this case you can apply as a ‘Transfer Student’. A transfer student simply means that you have completed some prior college work and wish to continue your Bachelor’s degree in the United States.

As a transfer student you do not need to start your bachelor’s degree right from scratch. In the United States, students who have completed some courses may seek a transfer of credits. Each academic year in the US, is made up of 30 credit hours. As a transfer student you must send the college that you apply to, a copy of your attested syllabus and mark sheet for college work that you have already completed. After a review of your grades and the topics covered in the syllabus, the college will offer you transfer credits. Other than this, the number of transfer credits you are awarded also depends on the match between the courses you have completed and the pre-requisite courses that you need to complete.

Some colleges in the United States do not evaluate transfer credits themselves. They may require you to get your credits evaluated by an agency that specializes in the evaluation of credits. Some such agencies are the World Evaluation Services (WES); Education Credential Evaluation (ECE).

Students can cram up the 4 year Bachelor’s degree in 3 to 3 and a half years by gaining credits through the summer course sessions offered by the university or college.

Associate Degree
The Associate degree in the United States is similar to the Diploma that is awarded in India. The associate degree is generally awarded at the end of the two to two and a half-year technical oriented program. Students who are oriented towards a vocational program, and do not wish to complete their undergraduate degree pursue an Associate degree. Example- students who are pursuing their Fashion Designing, Interior Designing, or other vocational courses. The Associate degree is denoted as an AA degree.

Most students who pursue an Associate degree return back to college to complete their 4-year bachelor’s degree. If you have completed your associate degree you may be eligible to apply as a transfer student. In most cases colleges accept the credits earned in an associate degree as transferable into the bachelor’s program. In India too, students who pursue the 4-year engineering diploma course after their 10th grade, are eligible to transfer into the second year of the bachelor of engineering degree. This is similar to the transfer you can expect after the associate degree.

Masters Degree
A few decades ago a Bachelor’s degree was sufficient to gain access to some of the best jobs in the market. However, with the arrival of the Information Age, the need for white collared workers with specialized knowledge skills has grown tremendously. In order to be well placed in life both monetarily and in terms of professional accomplishment a Master’s degree has become imperative.

Students who have completed their Bachelor’s degree must consider graduate university very seriously. The Master’s degree in the United States is a one and a half to two years program. This is similar to the 2-year pattern of Master’s degrees offered in India.

In the US, the Bachelor’s degree is a 4 year degree. In India, however, the Bachelor’s degree in the Arts / Commerce/ Science faculty is a three year degree. Students with a 3 year bachelor's degree from India are required to complete the Master’s degree Part 1 to be eligible for a Master's degree in the United States. In some cases colleges and universities in the United States may even require you to complete part 2 of the Master’s degree, before applying to their Master’s program. If you have completed an Engineering degree you will have a 4-year bachelor’s degree in India and hence are eligible to apply for a Master’s degree immediately.

A Master’s degree in the United States will equip you with specialized skills in a particular area of interest. For example, you may have completed your Bachelor’s in the field of Electrical Engineering. At the Master’s level, you can specialize in any one of the branches of Electrical Engineering such as Telecommunications, Digital Signal Processing or Power Systems. In the field of Pharmacy one can specialize in the field of Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy Administration or Pharmacy-economics.

At the graduate level you must be able to decide on your area of specialization. Choose Universities that will offer you your area of specialization. Carefully review the research work that is being carried out at the University. At graduate university you will be assigned to a graduate advisor from the department’s faculty members based on your area of interest.

There are various types of Master’s degree. The Master of Arts degree is offered by faculties such as Economics, Sociology or let us says History. The Master of Science degree is offered by several departments such as Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Engineering and so on. The MBA degree is the Master of Business Administration offered to students who wish to pursue a business major, offered by the Graduate Universities of Business. Often the Business programs have a different name, such as the University of Pennsylvania is host to the Wharton university of Business, or New York University's university of Business is called The Stern university of Business.

When you apply for a Master’s degree you will have an option to choose between a thesis and a non-thesis program. In the thesis option students can choose to present a paper on the research work that they have conducted in front of a panel of faculty members. At the end of the presentation the faculty member will ask you various questions pertaining to your research. You will be graded on your ability to maintain the argument that you have presented in your research paper. In rare cases when a student’s thesis is extremely good the professor and the student may jointly publish the article in American science journals. In a non-thesis option students do not work towards any research paper.

A thesis option is more favorable than a non-thesis option. For one, you learn to do rigorous research. You will need to familiarize yourself with previous work that has been carried out, propose a theory and then work towards proving its validity through observation and statistical tests, sample populations or any other form of methodology. If your research area is an area that is of interest to a particular interest to a company an offer of employment may be made.

As a graduate student you will have a heavy workload at college. You will attend lectures, prepare for weekly tests, submit assignments, and work on various projects both independently and in a group. If you have been awarded a scholarship, fellowship or an assistantship you will have to work hard at maintaining your grades to keep the award. As a teaching or research assistant you will need to complete the work assigned by the professor who has employed you.

Despite all the hard work graduate university is definitely an investment worth making. Graduate university will enable you to broaden your job prospects. For some professions such as law, medicine and managerial positions a Master’s degree is a necessary qualification. If you are looking for job placements in the top rungs of the corporate ladder a graduate degree will enable you to get there faster than your Bachelor’s degree would. With a graduate degree in hand you would earn much more money than if you would have if you just had a Bachelor’s degree. The practical experience that you will have gained through the research work and internships that you complete will provide valuable experience that makes you attractive to prospective employers.

Above all, the sense of achievement and accomplishment that you will experience as you receive your first paycheck after graduate university will be worth all your efforts.

While most Master’s programs will accept students directly from the Bachelor’s degree the top 50 Business Universities at the master’s level will require the candidate to gain plenty of work experience.

Doctoral / Ph.D. Degree
The Ph.D. degree or the Doctor of Philosophy or Doctoral degree is the most advanced and research intensive course that is offered. The length of the program varies from four years to eight depending on the intensity and complexity of your research.

The choice of the research topic is left to the student. However, the research that you carry out must be original. At the end of the degree the student is expected to present his research findings along with a detailed analysis of his observations, advantages and drawbacks of his work in the form of a dissertation.

As a Ph.D. student you will have a much higher work load, which is both intense and demanding. You will be conducting research in a particular area; you may teach undergraduate students, attend seminars and conferences or participate in field research. Your advisor or academic mentor (referred to as a 'major professor' will guide you in the right direction. However, he will only show you the path, you will be the one to find the solutions, the alternatives to a problem and overcome the obstacles that you will face in the course of your work. As a Ph.D. student your research work will be expected to make a contribution to the department. You will need to be completely dedicated and focused on your work.

Being a qualified Ph.D. is preferred in professions such as teaching or research. In most other cases a Master’s degree may be sufficient to give you a boost in your career. Students may decide whether they want to work towards a Ph.D. degree after completing the first year of their Master’s program. In exceptional cases students who have extremely high academic grades and test scores maybe accepted into the Ph.D. program directly after their Bachelor’s degree. In this case the student may spend the first year developing his skills towards a Ph.D. degree. Most Ph.D. students are fully funded as they are awarded a research assistantship that pays them a stipend.