Degrees
Degree paths
After high school, schooling typically continues in the following order:
College Degrees
Undergraduate degrees, such as B.A. or B.S. (Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Science). Bachelor's degrees are typically 4 years, but often take longer in natural sciences.
You can also get a degree from a community college, typically an Associate's degree. Associate's degrees are typically 2 years. If you want a Bachelor's degree, transfer to a college or university, typically for another 2 years.
Community colleges are often less expensive, have great support, and are amazing for early coursework. You can pursue lots of different fields in college.
Master's Degrees
After your Bachelor's degree, you can apply to a Master's program. They are typically two years. Professional Master's degrees such as MSW (Master of Social Work, MPH (Master of Public Health), Healthcare MBA (Master of Business Administration in healthcare) often have 3-4 letters and qualify professionals to work outside academia. MA (Master of Arts) and MS (Master of Science) degrees can lead to careers in industry, or prepare for a doctoral degree.
Master's degrees are usual for social sciences, and often needed before you can apply to a PhD. They are less common in biological sciences, though more common in engineering fields.
Doctoral Degrees
There are lots of doctoral degrees, with letters based on the field
PhD=Doctor of Philosophy; common degree for scientists
MD=medical doctor; though there are DO (osteopath) and ND (naturopath)
DPharm=Doctor of pharmacy
DNP = Doctor of nursing practice
Many others-look for the letter "D" in the degree
Doctoral degrees typically take 4-6 years depending on the field. Biological and physical science PhDs often pay their students. Health profession doctoral degrees require finding funding, many people use student loans.
Post-doctoral Training
More training after you get a doctoral degree. This may be:
Post-doc=training after PhD; optional funded positions to continue in a program or on a research project.
MD internships and residency programs = after your MD, you will continue mentored training before you can practice medicine on your own.
What might it look like in practice?
There is no "one" degree -- your interests will inform your path, which will be influenced by your experiences and the things you like/don't like across various training environments. For example, if you are passionate about improving health but would rather work with data than patients, you may want to consider biomedical informatics or computational biology. "Big data" is a huge emphasis for the National Institutes of Health. Ultimately, find a path that fits your interests, your timeline, your values, and what you want to do in the future. You don't have to get it right from the start.
Keep in mind that choosing a degree is NOT the same as choosing your field.
Biological and Physical Science Paths
Approximate paths for students interested in biological & physical sciences
Also called bench lab fields or wet lab science: biology, biochemistry, chemistry, related fields.
Careers: usually require spending a lot of time with lab equipment. May require work with lab animals.
Research: mostly quantitative (data=numbers).
Culture: Professionals try to be objective. Advantage: people try to treat everyone the same and not obsess about differences. Disadvantage: people may not know how to deal with differences that can’t be hidden, and may deny social, cultural, etc. differences exist or be uncomfortable talking about them
Other things to keep in mind for biological and physical science paths:
Most PhD programs in bench lab sciences financially support every student they accept. You may need to work as a research assistant or teaching assistant in exchange for tuition.
A PhD is typically required to get a teaching or research job at a university, or to be a PI (principal investigator) on a grant project.
An MS can get a job teaching in a community college, or working for industry. Some K-12 schools will hire an MS or MA to teach science; some also require an education certificate. If you know you can’t stay in school for at least four more years after your Bachelor’s degree, and you are not sure you want to do research, an MS may be a good choice. A PhD is usually the best choice for students in natural science fields.
If you are not going into a PhD program and do not want to teach K-12 school, getting a technical certificate and/or a lab job is quicker and cheaper than a Master’s degree.
If you want a career in research, go from a Bachelor’s degree or post-Bac program to a PhD program. Many bench lab PhD programs think less of applicants who have a Masters’ degree; they believe it means you are not serious about a research career.
Clinical Paths
Approximate paths for students interested in clinical fields
Careers: often involve working directly with patients at least part of the time.
Research: quantitative, qualitative, or both. May happen in labs, hospitals, clinics, or a mix.
Culture: professionals focus on fixing bodies and solving problems. Disadvantage: workloads may be high, professionals often have a lot of responsibility and little free time. At worst, can treat people (and other animals) as machines. Advantage: work-life balance is taken seriously. At best, wholistic, supportive of individual achievement and teamwork, keeps a sense of wonder in science. Interdisciplinary approaches and teams with members from different fields are common.
Other things for clinical paths:
Options exist for doing MD (or MD first) with other degrees, like MPH (public health) or PhD (any field). For example:
MD (or MD first)
Competitive, 4 years (+ residency)
Person will want to work with patients. May also want to work on research
Research and clinical experience both helpful
Usually not funded
Jobs easy to find and pay well: geographically flexible across hospitals, clinics, private practice
Average 80-95% completion rate
MD/PhD
Most competitive, 7-10 years (+ residency)
Only for people who know they will get both MD and PhD; want to work in both fields
Research and clinical experience both required
Fully funded (they pay your way)
Jobs easy to find and pay well: less geographically flexible (PhD side), though MD still can practice in hospitals, clinics, private practice
Average 80-95% completion rate, less for PhD side
PhD (or PhD first)
Competitive, usually 5-6 years
Person knows they want to do research. That research may or may not involve patients.
Research experience needed
Funding depends on PhD field/program
Jobs are findable, pay is good but not as consistently high as MDs; academic faculty jobs are rare
Average 40-60% completion rate
Social Science Paths
Approximate paths for students interested in social science fields
Social Science Paths
Also called human sciences or soft sciences: sociology, social work, psychology, geography, public health, community health, and related fields that do not require a clinical degree.
Careers: usually require spending time with people and/or computers and statistical data.
Research: often qualitative (data=words). Can also be quantitative or a combination.
Culture: Professionals try to be socially aware. Advantage: difference is discussed and understood as normal. Disadvantage: people may expect you to study your own group, or focus on your differences.
Other things to keep in mind for social science paths:
Graduate programs in social science fields often do not fund their students. Some do, or partly do. Scholarships exist.
An MA or MS degree is best for people who plan to stay in school until they have finished a doctorate (unless it is the only Master’s degree in your field).
Many fields also have a terminal (sometimes called clinical) Masters’ degree. Terminal Masters’ degrees usually have 3-4 letters: MSW (Master of Social Work), MPH (Master of Public Health). These allow you to work in professional settings.
Some programs like Public Health also offer a combined clinical Master's degree (e.g., MD/MPH). There are also dual degrees with other social science programs, like MPH/MSW (public health & social work) or MPH/MURP (public health + urban planning)
Terminal Masters’ degrees qualify you for professional-level jobs outside academia. To work directly with clients or patients, you may also need to get a professional license after graduation. These degrees are a much better choice than an MA or MS if you want to work directly with clients or patients, or know you will get a job after the Master’s degree and may return to school later.
Terminal Masters’ degrees may qualify you to teach in community college or a terminal Masters’ degree program. To be a university professor or a PI on a grant project requires a doctoral degree.
An MA, MS, or terminal Masters’ degree will qualify you to apply to a doctoral program. Some doctoral programs look down on applicants with terminal Masters’ degrees. Some prefer them.
About gap years and post-baccalaureate programs
We are learning more that scholars may need additional time before pursuing graduate school. This is completely understandable. Many graduate programs look favorably on this time since it gives additional experience, often in the field.
Gap year - time after college graduation that you can spend working in a desired field, getting additional experience, or simply paying the bills. The goal is to use this time to continue heading in the direction you want to go. The number of gap years is completely up to you.
Post-bacc programs -- Formal programs exist to help students get to graduate school. There are ones in medicine, specific fields (like neuroscience and many others), and diversity-focused. Some programs are funded, some aren't. Most are 1-2 year in length.
Explore more in Gap Years
Preparing for Next Steps
What do you need?
Explore more about creating your resume, CV, personal statement, getting letters of recommendation, cover letters, and more in Professional Self
When do you need it?
Explore scholarships and loan repayment options (HRSA, NIH) in
Funding your Education