What’s the difference between undergraduate and graduate school?
When you’re looking into college you hear different terms like undergraduate and graduate school/degrees. If this is the first time you are hearing these terms it can be confusing, but it is actually really simple. When you go to school to earn a degree like an associates or a bachelors degree, or if you are earning a certificate from a university or community college then you are earning an undergraduate degree. These degrees are considered the “lower” level of higher education. Community colleges only offer undergraduate degrees, as they are two year universities. Bigger, four year universities are where you will have the opportunity to earn a graduate degree. You must earn a bachelors degree to become eligible for graduate school admissions. For me, I earned my bachelors in psychology before applying for graduate school- to get my masters in mental health counseling. After graduating with my masters I plan to work as a counselor in my hometown for a while and build up my confidence in the counseling world, before I go back to graduate school to earn a PhD in counseling as well!
If you are a more visual person, like me, maybe this will help explain it better:
Undergraduate School
Associates & Bachelors (And certifications can usually be done at these schools as well)
Graduate School
Masters & MD/PhD/PsyD/E.D./LPD/etc.
To be clear, you do not necessarily have to do each of these steps in order to obtain a graduate degree. What I mean to say is, I did not have to earn an associate’s degree before I got a bachelor’s degree; and I do not technically have to earn my master’s degree before I apply to school for my PhD- these are just personal choices I have made.
What you should do is figure out which is the highest level of education you are wanting to obtain for the job position you have in mind and then figure out what the requirements are to earn that degree. Technically, all I needed was a bachelor’s degree and 18 hours of psychology classes, along with high GED scores and I could have entered graduate school for my PhD already. Personally, that just wasn’t the right move for me and my family. So what I am trying to say is, figure out what you need for your specific degree and then also figure out what you need to do for you personally and weigh your options. As always, it is all about research, research, research and making sure you go into this fully prepared with what to expect!
Just keep your future in mind and I know you’ll do great! And remember- if you ever have any questions that you don’t see answered in my blog then leave a comment below and I’ll happily create one!