What is a Bachelor’s Degree?

If you are on the verge of graduating high school and don’t know exactly what you would like to do after school, you should definitely consider obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Getting a BA or BS after high school will not only broaden your career options, but would also ensure that you end up getting a career that will be financially rewarding If you aren’t quite too sure of the benefits of obtaining a degree, here is a quick overview of how a BA or BS could benefit you.

So what exactly is a bachelor’s degree

While obtaining this type of degree might vary country by country, typically in the United States a bachelor’s is a four year program offered by undergraduate colleges and universities. Typically in the first two years of a bachelor’s program, students will take a wide variety of courses related to social sciences, humanities, arts, foreign languages, science and history. This is designed for students to be well-rounded and diverse in their understanding of different subjects. After two years, once a student matriculates into their junior year, students will take courses more related to a major. These majors allow students to specialize in different fields that interest them such as finance, accounting, sociology, political science, mass communications, etc. Usually major programs are offered through separate undergraduate colleges, i.e. School of Business, School of Mass Communications, School of Liberal Arts, etc.

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What are the requirements in order to get into a bachelor’s program?

Typically high school students are required to graduate from high school with an acceptable GPA. Most colleges and universities will require that students have at least a minimum of a 2.0 to be accepted into an accredited bachelor’s program. In addition, most colleges and universities will require students to take standardized college tests such as the SAT or ACT. Furthermore, a lot of colleges and universities would want students to submit as a part of their application, letters of recommendation, a personal statement, essays and proof of completion of community service.

How long will it take me to get a bachelor’s?

Typically most bachelor’s programs will take around four years to complete. For some who have come into college with preexisting college credits, bachelor’s programs can be completed in less than three years. However, the average student will generally spend around four years in a program. Certain programs such as engineering or accounting might take longer depending on difficulty of course work.

What kind of salary can I make with a bachelor’s?

This hard to say, but generally, most entry-level college graduates with a bachelor’s will generally make a starting salary of around $35,000 or more. This will greatly depend on your chosen major, location, job experience (internships, volunteer experience, pro bono work, etc.), and overall job market.

In the end, getting a bachelor’s can be worthwhile if you are looking to jump-start a career and earn a great living. Going through an undergraduate degree program at a good college or university will open up so many doors and many opportunities across the world. Just do your research and make sure that you find the right major and degree program the is suitable for your needs. Whatever you decide, just ensure that the prospective bachelor’s degree program you are interested in is accredited.