Bachelor’s degree

The bachelor’s degree, usually representing completion of a four-year course of study on a collegiate level, is the oldest and best-known academic degree, particularly under the designation of Bachelor of Arts. Some
varieties of bachelor’s, or baccalaureate degree is currently offered by about 750 institutions, most of which offer a Bachelor of Arts degree. Next in frequency and availability is the Bachelor of Science, of which the most frequent variety is the Bachelor of Science in Education. Other baccalaureate degrees offered by a large number of institutions are Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of
Divinity, and Bachelor of Home Economics. Most institutions offer more than one variety of baccalaureates, but about one tenth report use of the Bachelor of Arts only, regardless of the particular curriculum completed.

Currently about 900,000 baccalaureate degrees are awarded annually, about 46 percent to women. It is estimated that more than 12 million degrees have been conferred to date.

Master’s Degree

The earned master’s degree in general represents one year of work
beyond the baccalaureate, but in a few institutions or in a few fields it
requires two years of graduate work. The most frequently awarded master’s degrees are Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Music, and Master of Fine Arts. The Master of Philosophy degree is conferred on those who have completed all requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree except the doctoral
dissertation. About 45 varieties of Master of Arts and 40 varieties of Master of Science degrees are reported. Currently 317,000 individuals receive the master’s degree annually, about 47 percent of them women. Nearly 3 million master’s degrees were awarded from 1880 to 1972.