Universities in the United States offer associate degree, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Except for associate and graduate degrees, the standard length of study is four years. The associate degrees, which are usually taken in community colleges, are generally completed within two years. Degrees in the United States can be classified into two according to nature namely: academic (emphasizes research) and professional degree (for specialization purposes). Furthermore, American universities award honorary degrees. This particular is conferred not on the basis of academic achievements but on outstanding contribution to the community.

The highest degree awarded by American universities is the doctorate. Students who major in natural sciences, social sciences or literature are conferred with the title Doctor of Philosophy. A doctorate of philosophy emphasizes academic research projects, focusing on different application of professional specialization.

     The requirements for a doctorate among institutions have differences and commonalities. Firstly, the students are normally required two-year program in professional courses, during which students not only have learned to increase the overall understanding of the professional education, but also have the initial orientation and mastery on academic research methods. Some institutions, however, require a two-year graduate program before the student can be admitted to the doctorate program while other universities admit students directly to the PhD program even without obtaining a two-year graduate program.

     The doctorate as a postgraduate program emphasizes not only enhancement of research skills but also a tool to reflect mastery of the English language. Usually, s tudents are required to enroll at least two elective language courses such as French, German or Russian Foreign. Recently, some Oriental languages like Chinese have been included in the list of compulsory foreign language. Some institutions require students to take two foreign language courses. The requirements also differ among institutions such that some universities require students to take foreign courses in preparation for stringent examinations which are in English or students are required to take professional courses such as mathematics or statistics to replace foreign language courses.

     The students pursuing doctoral degrees, in addition to completing all the required courses and foreign language requirements, must also pass the comprehensive examination. The final stage of the doctoral study is the writing of the dissertation. Most American universities require students who pursue PhD to apply for full-time program so as to not exceed three or four years.

     Professional degrees such as legal and medical professions reflect high level of academic standards. For example, Doctor of Medicine is a professional degree, which is awarded to students who completed the academic requirements of the said major, while the Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine is conferred upon students who have completed research in the field of medicine. In other words, the former degree is for practicing doctor, while the latter is for competent scientific teaching.

     Postdoctoral Education does not conform to the usual teaching process rather; it provides a flexible curriculum wherein the students may pursue their postdoctoral degree while in work or outside the United States. Accordingly, the postdoctoral students are categorized into three levels: Junior students are those who are in the first two years of their program. Intermediate students are those who are in their three to five years in the program; while the senior students are those who are beyond five years in the postdoctoral program. The current post-doctoral education has become an important higher education component.  

     In some institutions, there are majors which require five years to complete. Students are required to pass examinations, must pass the foreign language course as well as elective courses, and must submit graduation thesis. Some majors however, only take two to three years to be completed. For instance, the master’s program in business management usually takes two years while the master’s program in arts and other higher professional degree such as pharmacology and architecture take three years to be completed. .

     The graduate program can be generally divided in to two categories: the master’s program and the master of professional education. The master’s program includes Master of Arts and Master of Science, which are difficult to distinguish since different graduate schools use them differently. The master’s in liberal arts and science generally require 24-30 credits for postgraduate courses, most of which are field-based professional courses. Students who have completed post-graduate courses from other universities can be transferred to the new school the student is currently studying. Graduate programs generally take a minimum of two to three years and the maximum of five years to complete.

     The Master of Professional education on the basis of its definition, is rarely recognized in other places. Its curriculum is more compact and more stringent management. Nevertheless, those who take this program gets higher reputation especially in business management, engineering, fine arts and other professional degrees. For instance, most state education authorities are requiring secondary school teachers to take master of arts in Professional education. This degree is one of the requirements for promotion and professional enhancement.

     American universities require the secondary school diploma to be admitted. Liberal arts and science degree courses are usually completed within four years with two semesters per year. However, some universities have three semesters per school year: spring, summer and fall.  The United States usually confer the degree Bachelor of Arts to students who took language, literature, and history as their major while those who took social sciences, and natural science are awarded the degree Bachelor of Science. In addition, community colleges also confer professional degrees.

     Students who, after graduation from high school, enrolled a four-year degree in a university but only able to finish two years may still be awarded Associate Degree of Science. This is different from the associate degree, which is awarded to those students who took vocational courses in technical or community college. Moreover, those students who are awarded the associate degree of science may still continue their four years degree some time later and would be admitted to their third year study.

     The MBA education is a business management graduate education, which is regarded as the most meaningful and relevant of all the business graduate programs. The MBA started in 1910 when the Harvard University offered it for the first time where the research focused on social and economic development of western countries and some developing countries as well.

    At present, MBA program in the United States can be obtained from the three different types. The first one can be from the famous School of Management of Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania and New York University. The MBA program in this type is favored by many businesses as an ideal program for senior positions. Its teaching arrangement also gives full consideration to senior management positions, with particular emphasis on strategic management. The second type is the General College of Management. The MBA program in this type has an advantage of being flexible, which is very ideal in catering to the different needs of the students in the teaching-learning set up. The third type is the Executive MBA (EMBA) offered at the University of Chicago, School of Managements. This program is intended mainly for business senior executives. The business company including financial assistance must recommend those who wish to attend the EMBA. The program curriculum covers a wide range of theoretical and practical instruction.

     In addition to professional knowledge of teaching and management, MBA program is also aimed at instilling among the students the spirit of the business administration. The so-called spirit of the MBA refers to advocating free competition and personal struggle. It emphasizes responsibility in taking business ventures and entrepreneurship, and encourages the pursuit of a cause by stressing hard work to create a rich and meaningful life. Moreover, MBA stresses on individual ability, perseverance, wisdom and determination to focus on rational analysis, and a practical and effective work ethic. In short, the MBA in the United States aims to inculcate among the students the Americans values and attitudes.