An Associate Degree is an academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges and some bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years. Common abbreviations are AA (Associate of Arts), AS (Associate of Science), AAS (Associate of Applied Science; or in some cases, Associate of Arts and Sciences) and ABA (Associate of Business Administration).

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. It may also be the name of a postgraduate degree.

A master's degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate (or graduate) course of one to three years in duration.

A doctorate is an academic degree of the highest level. Traditionally, the award of a doctorate implies recognition of the candidate as an equal by the university faculty under which he or she studied. There are three types of doctorates: research/terminal, (first) professional, and honorary.