University Language???

[Sarah]

okey so im a pretty simple person...

Bachelor of ______
Masters
Magors
Minor

CAn anyone help me out with termanology ??? im in grade 12 and some how have to figure out what im suppose take... and knowing what the words mean would help alot

[DaveKeane]

OK, hopefully this isn't too different in Canada:
Bachelor - A Starting degree, so you will almost automatically do one if you join straight from school. They take 3-4 years (at least in NZ)
Each one covers a ganeral subject area: Science, Arts, Commerce/Administration, etc.
Masters - A following Degree. It involves more research orinted things, and you do it after a Bachelors.
Major - A major is your primary field of study within your degree.
Minor - A minor is a second predominant area of study. We don't have them here, so someone else will need to cover them.

[Sarah]

Thanks i apperiate some help
so whats
Degree?

[Bright Eyes]

A degree is a certification as a specialist in a certain area of academic study. Generally you get a degree from a university. A bachelor's degree qualifies you, basically, to figure out what else you want to do with your life. Nowadays, it's more of a gateway. Once you go and learn as much as you can about something that really interests you, then you use that and advice you've gotten from other people to turn what you like to do into a career. Sometimes that means more school ... sometimes that means something else.

A degree should not be confused with a diploma or certificate. A diploma or certificate is a certification as a specialist in certain area of technical or practical study. Generally you get a diploma or certificate from a college. Once you get one of these, mostly there is some sort of on the job experience associated with your training course. After you graduate from a college, you are trained (mostly) for a trade.

Whether you want to go get a degree or diploma depends on what you want to do. Check out some websites to see what schools (colleges and universities) have to offer around you. Look at their programs and see if anything catches your eye as something you might be interested in doing. Do some soul searching. Have fun. :)

[CI_Air_Pirate]

One more bit of advice... although the "in" thing nowadays is to go to university, unless you're going into medical, legal, engineering or education, you can likely find more direct and hands-on training that will more practically apply to your chosen field of work in a shorter time and MUCH less cost at a college.

Choose what you want to do in life BEFORE you go to university or you may very well waste 4 years and $40 000 on it. (That being said, Uni can also hold a lot of interesting information. I've been to both. I learned more practical and useful skills and certifications in college than uni).

[Sarah]

Thanks for the info ... im still confused but hopefully ill figure it all out before january ... thanks

[Dick]

(That being said, Uni can also hold a lot of interesting information. I've been to both. I learned more practical and useful skills and certifications in college than uni).
I hear ya! College is much more job-specific learning designed to get you into the workforce. University is a completely different education.

[Svejk]

I have to agree with the Posted Comments on the University Degree (bachelor's). College or Technical School are also valid options (which aren't emphasized enough) if you are better suited for them.

I personally went to University straight from High School without any serious focus so I wasted a lot of years there only to get out with a piece of paper that opened the door but without any experience (save military) couldn't get through the Door to a desk (and salary).

If I were 18 again I would have done university and worked in my prospective field as well even if I wasn't going to school full time.

Sarah, if you are in your first half of Grade 12 and still don't have this figured out you may not be focused enough to get a university education. Your counsellor maybe a bureaucrat on lifelong tenure from the Government but he/she should be able to provide some guidance.

[grass_roots]

These days most college programs also have transfer agreements with affiliated Universities. This allows a student to get a college diploma (2 or 3 years) and then put in an additional 2 years studies and walk out of the deal with a Bac too!!! So you get both the hands on workforce skills and the academic background to prep you for further advancement, it's the best option out there IMO.

I'd recomend any highschool grad consider taking a year off after they've finished before making any sort of decision on thier education. Take the time to travel and/or work, see the world, get a better understanding of the work force and your options, THEN make the decision for what will become one of the greatest financial investments in your life...

...unless mommy and daddy are paying for your education, then by all means, go off and take that general liberal arts program, haha, jokes

[Dick]

These days most college programs also have transfer agreements with affiliated Universities. This allows a student to get a college diploma (2 or 3 years) and then put in an additional 2 years studies and walk out of the deal with a Bac too!!! So you get both the hands on workforce skills and the academic background to prep you for further advancement, it's the best option out there IMO.
Yeah, when I'm done my 2 year program at NSCC I can walk right on over to Dalhousie and get my Electrical Engineering degree in 2 more years hah...

Lets do the math:
years at NSCC = about $5000
2 years at Dalhousie = about $13,000

So instead of doing 4 years at Dal for $26,000, I can get an engineering degree between the two schools for $18,000. That's if I decide to continue after my program at NSCC.

[Sarah]

...unless mommy and daddy are paying for your education, then by all means, go off and take that general liberal arts program, haha, jokes


If only mommy and daddy were paying... ahh dreams... anyways i mean i dont know what i want to be one of those people who always say im going to school and never do... and i need to get off this blasted rock that i call home... the only EXIT i can see is through school... damn pei

[Insane Power Pilot]

I'd recomend any highschool grad consider taking a year off after they've finished before making any sort of decision on thier education. Take the time to travel and/or work, see the world, get a better understanding of the work force and your options, THEN make the decision for what will become one of the greatest financial investments in your life...

That's good advice, but occasionally, the year off after high school turns into 2 years off, then 3 years off, then 4, and so on. Excerpt from a blog I follow:

"...I went from being very reserved and self conscious around new people to more of the “me” personality, how I truly am. Its striking to think back that I’ve already made some friends this year because I just said “Hi, What do you think of…X?”… The response has proved for me that humans are social creatures because only one person didn’t talk to me…The change was made really noticeable when I met up with a friend this weekend from high school. He was my best friend in EDM at the time but we’ve drifted apart over the time since we graduated. Where’s I’ve gone onto university and taken on the responsibilities and friendships, he’s pissed his life away. He had the marks and money to go to school but always said “I’m going to enjoy life first.” And he did, I envied him when he’d drop an email from somewhere talking about the good times he was having and how he pitied me being cooped up in University. Yet I realized this weekend that where I’ve changed as a person he’s still stuck in GoodTIME USA…though it’s not so fun when you are poor and unemployed. I think the worst part is I don’t feel sorry for him at all…actually I feel disgusted because he wasted all his gifts and the ability to make himself better for a fleeting good time…Ce le vie I suppose…."

I do think that the best time to travel is right after high school...I probably won't get to have a decent holiday until I'm 30. Luckily, I got the travel bug out of my system for awhile in high school...I went to Europe twice that year. :p

[Insane Power Pilot]

I hear ya! College is much more job-specific learning designed to get you into the workforce. University is a completely different education.

First of all, you're right that college training is much more job-specific. Absolutely correct. However, generally speaking, it is specific to only a handful of different jobs. For example, once you get your diploma in aircraft mechanics, it's difficult to get a job as an auto mechanic, or heavy duty mechanic for example. So I'd say you shouldn't go to college unless you're absolutely certain what you want to do! A university degree can open up many more doors.

Example: My father holds a B.Sc (Advanced) from the University of Saskatchewan. He took 3 and a half years in the Faculty of Education before switching to science and after 5 years total, got a double major in biology and history. His degree average was somewhere close to 2.0. Since graduating, he has held jobs in a variety of different fields: Microbiology, food science, chemical engineering, chemistry, and biochemistry. He never gets asked what he majored in, or to see his transcript. He failed introductory organic chemistry once, yet still scored jobs in all those fields! He advertises his degree in one line in his resume: B.Sc (Advanced), University of Saskatchewan (1976). Of course, he's had other training and a few short courses at various technical schools specific to current jobs, but only after he'd been hired.

Point: It doesn't matter what you major in, or what your GPA is. Once you have your degree in your hand, there are many posibilities.

[Juice]

Point: It doesn't matter what you major in, or what your GPA is. Once you have your degree in your hand, there are many posibilities.

GPA doesnt matter unless you want to go into Graduate Studies (ie. Teacher's College, Law School, Medical School, any Master's programs or Doctoral studies)

[Insane Power Pilot]

GPA doesnt matter unless you want to go into Graduate Studies (ie. Teacher's College, Law School, Medical School, any Master's programs or Doctoral studies)

Actually, for medical school, GPA only counts for 35% of the admission process. This is substantial in such a highly competitive program, but it will not make or break you. Someone with 40 consecutive A+'s who has the personality of a cardboard box and no references will have a seriously hard time getting into any of those post-grad programs.

[Sarah]

what does undergraduate mean???

[Chief Hoult]

Bachelors -- your first degree.

However, some other degrees that require previous study are also considered 'undergraduate' depending on the place (notably: medicine & law).

CH

[Dick]

what does undergraduate mean???

It means your working on your bachelor, but have not yet completed it. (not quite a graduate)

[Bright Eyes]

Right. So graduate degrees would be masters, doctorate and other random diplomas and certifications.

However, Colin's right. Some undergrad degrees require that you already possess one undergraduate degree already. (For example, Bachelor of Education requires you already have a Bachelor of Arts/Science/Music)

[wb256]

An undergraduate dosn't mean you haven't completed your bachelor yet, a bachelor is called an undergraduate degree.

Like BL said, undergrad degrees are your general 3 year degrees (usually with a major and a minor, plus electives), a 4 year advanced bachelor (4 years with a major/minor) and a 4 years honours degree (4 year degree with just a major, a very specific direction of study as well...generally in preperation for grad studies), and other shorter degrees that require a preliminary bachelor (like education).

Graduate studies include things such as medical school, law school, masters programs and phd programs.

A masters program is generally entered after achieveing a 4 year honours bachelor, and is a very specific study in your field. Generally you have to write a thesis. A phd is similar, but more specific and bestows the title "doctor" upon you. Generally both masters and phd porgrams require you to do some form of field research, or come up with some form of new development or idea in your field. That seems to be the major distinction between undergrad and graduate work in my field...is the shift from learning to discovering.

I'm currently working on a 4 year advanced bachelor degree in geography with a minor in history. Once I'm done I'll either go into grad studies, or get an internship in a development agency (hopefully in the arctic, but in any less developed region would be great). Then again, maybe I'll get an education degree.

Also, as for the college vs university debate, it all depends on what you study in university and what you study in college. You can't really use sweeping generalizations like everyone is, because it really dosn't work. I do a lot of hands on training in my field (in terms of research equiptment, interpreting ariel photographs, working GISs, composing maps and charts using cartographic software, etc), while I still get a considerable amount of theory related studies (involving enviromentalism, and a TON of social science related classes dealing with culture, politics, economics and development).

The major difference (as outlined before) is college (in canada, these generalizations will NOT work elsewhere) is basically trade school. You learn a job...it's work training. University is acedemics...you go there to learn, become smart and (if you continue into graduate studies) help add to the pool of knowledge the world has.

[N. McKay]

Like BL said, undergrad degrees are your general 3 year degrees (usually with a major and a minor, plus electives)

Where can you get such a degree, and in what? I've never heard of a three-year degree before.

[Juice]

Where can you get such a degree, and in what? I've never heard of a three-year degree before.
The program that I am in, BA(Honours) History, is a 4 year program. Conversely, there was also a 3 year BA for history that is just considered a concentration degree. I had the choice of doing honours or not, and I chose to do honours. The three year required only 90 credits as opposed to the 120 I need for honours (3 credits per class at 5 classes per sememster), and would not require me to take any 4th year classes.

[Chief Hoult]

From what I know, it's a fairly Ontario thing (as Ontario used to hae OAC). Now, in all fairness, do no confuse an Honours degree in Ontario with an Honours Degree from (what I gather) most East Coast University.

Honours in Ontario is another year of courses. Here at least, it's a Thesis, in addition to 4 years of courses, with some seminars, etc.

CH

[Juice]

From what I know, it's a fairly Ontario thing (as Ontario used to hae OAC). Now, in all fairness, do no confuse an Honours degree in Ontario with an Honours Degree from (what I gather) most East Coast University.

Honours in Ontario is another year of courses. Here at least, it's a Thesis, in addition to 4 years of courses, with some seminars, etc.

CH
In Ontario, 4th years have to sit in on seminars and have to write a thesis too I believe. As far as I know, it is not just "another year of courses."

In any case, it wouldn't be wise to get any provinces mixed up in their degrees, as education is a provincial thing and each province does things differently.

[Chief Hoult]

I heard otherwise (re: what happens in fourth year). I know some of the OD's at my moms Office have a BSc(Hons) from Waterloo and Guelph, and I don't think they had to write a thesis (but I'll confirm next time I'm home).

CH

[Juice]

I heard otherwise (re: what happens in fourth year). I know some of the OD's at my moms Office have a BSc(Hons) from Waterloo and Guelph, and I don't think they had to write a thesis (but I'll confirm next time I'm home).

CH
Perhaps it varies from program to program and university to university. As far as I know, for U of O, for my program, I will have to write a thesis and go to seminars. I am 100% sure of the seminars bit, and almost 100% sure of the thesis bit.

[Bright Eyes]

Some programs require a thesis and some don't. For example, a friend of mine just graduated with an honours in International Relations. She did not have to write a thesis. However, I believe she was the last class of IR grads that didn't have to write a thesis for their honours.

For some programs you just have to take a specific course requirement consisting of mostly upper level courses. You're taking history, so it is natural that you would have to write a thesis. For science, (I would assume) you could do lab work and other things instead of writing a formal thesis. Varies department to department, university to university.

As for the 3 year degree thing, I hadn't heard of it, but University of Manitoba offers the 3 year arts degree. I don't know much more about it than the fact that it exists.

[Insane Power Pilot]

A degree in three years? Good lord, I wish! That would mean I'd only have one more semester! :cool:

[Kass]

In Australia most bachelors are 3 years, exceptions being science and law which are 4.

Double degree for 2 3 year courses takes 4 years, and a 3 and a 4 take 5 years.

[sailor_baby]

For some programs you just have to take a specific course requirement consisting of mostly upper level courses. You're taking history, so it is natural that you would have to write a thesis. For science, (I would assume) you could do lab work and other things instead of writing a formal thesis. Varies department to department, university to university.


As far as I know, For pretty much any Honours program (4 yrs). A student must do a thesis. For science students this would also include an honours project as well as a thesis and seminar. I think it's like that across ontario, and maye even in some other provinces (with regards to science).

[wb256]

I believe that varies in ontario between schools. I'm quite sure lakehead offers a 3 year degree program, brock as well perhaps.

Also, I know my rather did an honours year at brock, and did another assignment as an alternative to a thesis.

[Bright Eyes]

Lakehead also offers a 1 year Bachelor of Education program. Most schools in Ontario do.

However, practically no schools outside of Ontario offer the 1 year program. Coincidentally, in those provinces teachers with a 2 year degree are more likely to get jobs.

[N. McKay]

That would be *****in

UNB still does, doesn't it? (You have to have a bachelor's degree in something else first.)

[Bright Eyes]

Look it up. It's very true in most Ontario universities and some scattered around Canada.

[DA Wright]

There are many differences between schools, provinces and countries when it comes to degrees. Undergraduate programmes earn you a Bachelor degree. They are introductory programmes that last 3-4 years and tend to introduce students to researching and presenting ideas in a formal academic fashion. They provide an overview or sampling of what is known and what is studied within a given academic field. Some Bachelor programmes are 3 years, while others are 4. Normally, to get an "Honours" degree, you must study 4 years and acheive a minimum average both overall, and within your area of "major". The 4th year is normally based on completing a thesis or project and attending advanced seminars, rather than traditional classes. If you pass 4 years, and don't meet the average, you earn a 4-year general.

Some Bachelor programmes (B.Ed. is an example at some schools) require you to have a previous degree, while other schools may not require this for the same programme (B. Ed. at Brock can be your first degree). For some advanced areas of study (Law & Medicine are examples) you also often need a Bachelor degree, but can also apply directly to some Law Schools or Medical Schools after 2 years of undergraduate studies, without a degree.

Graduate studies consist of any programme that leads to a Masters or Doctoral degree.

College vs. University can be a challenging choice. With a 4yr honours degree, it took me a while to find a job in my field as a Child and Youth Worker, because I didn't have "experience" with youth (cadets helped HUGE in the end, and I got a break at one place, and an awesome job at a Young Offender custody facility). On the other hand, all the CYWs I worked with who had taken youth worker diploma programmes at college found it easy to get jobs, but started lower on the scale than me, and could not get promoted above supervisor without a degree. So most of them were studying for degrees part-time while they worked.