Types of College Degrees:
Associate's Degree: This two-year degree is an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.). Some students who earn this degree transfer to a four-year program to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor's Degree: This degree requires completing a 4+ year college program. Most students earn a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.). Other types of bachelor’s degrees include the Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Architecture degree.
Graduate Degree: These are advanced degrees pursued after earning a bachelor’s degree. Examples are a Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.) degree. Students generally can earn a master’s degree after two years of study. A doctoral degree (for example, a Ph.D.) requires four or more years of study.
Professional Degree: Students earn professional degrees to become licensed to work in professions like medicine or law. The M.D. degree is an example. Professional programs generally require a college degree before you start them and then at least three years of study to complete.
Public Vs. Private Colleges:
Cost: Public schools get most of their funding from state governments and private colleges receive theirs from private donations and tuition. Conversely, it’s also imperative to recognize that you cannot go by sticker price alone. While the cost of private college might seem exorbitant to many, these schools often offer generous aid packages to undergrads who demonstrate financial need. And, depending on the aid package received, actual tuition at a private school might well be comparable to (or even lower than) that at a state school. So, if you think that you might qualify for significant financial aid, don’t discount private colleges/universities on cost alone.
Size and Degrees: Another difference between private and public colleges is their size and the number of degrees they typically offer. Private colleges tend to be much smaller than public universities and may have only a few thousand students. Public universities and colleges can be big, and some are huge.
Class Size: Class-size is another major difference. Private colleges keep classes small, with easy access to professors. At public universities, however, 200 students may be enrolled in some classes, especially in lower-division courses.
Graduation Rates: Many students enter college with the assumption that they will graduate within four years. However, that is not the case for a significant number of undergrads. Clearly, there are a myriad of reasons and factors for this, some personal and some institutional. However, generally speaking, private colleges have higher four-year graduation rates than do public schools. This can be attributed, in part, to the more personal attention students often receive at a smaller, private college.
Demographics: You’re likely to find more geographic diversity at a private college. Indeed, private schools don’t tend to favor one area over another. In fact, they typically welcome applicants from all over the country (and even the world). However, it’s also necessary to mention that the smaller a student population is, the more homogeneous it might feel in other ways, such as racial, ethnic or socioeconomic diversity.