Chapter II

Types of Degrees

Four Main Types.-Four principal types of academic degrees— associate, bachelor, master, and doctor-representing different levels of academic achievement, are conferred by hundreds of American institutions of higher education and are generally recognized throughout the collegiate world. A number of other degrees are conferred by a smaller number of institutions but are not as commonly recognized as the four indicated. Consideration will be given in this chapter to the origin, significance, and relative prevalence of each of these four degrees, with briefer mention of the principal "other" degrees. This fivefold classification will also be used in all of the lists classified by subject matter fields given in detail in chapter VIII.

The number of different degrees of each type, without reference to the frequency of their institutional use, is shown graphically in figure 1. This is based upon the alphabetical list of all degrees given in chapter IX, omitting duplicates for degrees used as both earned and honorary degrees, and Latin equivalents of degrees expressed in English. The large circle shows the distribution for all 2,452 degrees listed in chapter IX. It will be observed that bachelor's degrees comprise slightly more than one-third of all degrees listed, master's degrees almost one-third, doctor's degrees less than one-sixth.

The left-hand small circle shows a similar distribution for the 1,620 degrees reported as currently conferred. The proportion of both bachelor's and master's degrees is much larger than in the entire group, as shown in the upper large circle, while the proportion of doctor's and "other" degrees is much smaller.

The right-hand small circle shows the similar distribution for the 832 degrees no longer currently conferred. Here, the proportion of doctor's degrees is more than four times as great as those in current use, the number of "other" degrees almost three times as great. Whereas almost half of the non-current degrees are composed of doctor's and "other" degrees, these two groups comprise only about oneeighth of those currently conferred.

Figure II shows the proportion of the total number of each type of degrees which are currently conferred and not currently conferred.

Figure 1. Types of Academic Degrees Conferred by American Institutions of Higher Education.

It shows at a glance that more than nine-tenths of the associate's degrees listed in chapter IX are currently conferred, that approximately three-quarters of the bachelor's and master's degrees are concurrently conferred, but that less than one-third of the doctor's degrees are in current use.

Collection of Data on Degrees.--Since 1947-48, the U.S. Office of

Education has collected and published annually, in great detail, data on the number of degrees conferred on individuals in different subject matter fields, in three groups: bachelor's and first professional degrees; second level degrees (master's, except first professional); and doctor's degrees. Prior to that date, from 1917 to 1946 data on degrees conferred were collected only biennially and published in much less detail. From 1872 to 1916 data on degrees conferred were collected annually, with one or two exceptions, and published in various forms in the annual reports of the Commissioner of Education.2

The current threefold classification of the U.S. Office of Education in its circulars on earned degrees does not agree exactly with that used in the present monograph, especially since in that classification, professional degrees, including doctorates, are included with first degrees. Nor does the classification distinguish the various types of bacca

1 Latest edition: Earned Degrees Conferred by Higher Educational Institutions, 19571958 (Circular No. 570). Washington: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; Office of Education, 1959. x, 210 p.

The Report of the Commissioner for 1872 (p. 782 f.) gives the number of degrees, of 14 varieties, conferred at the previous commencement by each of 298 colleges.

laureate degrees, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, etc., although some earlier reports did so. It shows (to the nearest thousand), 385,000 bachelor's degrees conferred in 1958-59 in the United States.3

In all cases mentioned above, however, information on degrees was restricted to baccalaureate and higher degrees. No systematic data on associate's degrees conferred were collected by the Office of Education before 1956. Data on associate's degrees have been collected and published quadrennially for accredited junior colleges by the American Council on Education since 1940 (except 1944) and published, by institutions, in the successive editions of American Junior Colleges; and for 4-year regionally-accredited institutions in 1956 and 1960 and published in American Universities and Colleges.

5

Language of Degrees.-In the early American colonial colleges, following the European practice, degrees were expressed in their Latin forms, the universal international language of scholarship. This practice continues to the present day in a few but decreasing number of American institutions, particularly those under private control. With the great proliferation of degrees as shown in this monograph, however, most degrees are now awarded, and practically all are referred to, in their English form.

For reference purposes, however, the Latin forms of 124 degrees are given in chapter VIII. These are necessary, in some cases, to explain currently used abbreviations which otherwise would be unintelligible; for example, D. Ch. for Doctor of Surgery, from the Latin form Chirurgiae Doctor.

It may be noted that the Legislature of Illinois provided by statute in 1877 that for the University of Illinois, "All certificates and diplomas shall be in the English language, unless the student entitled to the same shall prefer otherwise."

1. Associate's Degree

The associate's degree is the youngest in the family of major academic degrees, but even so its origin goes back almost a century.

In 1937-38 there were 98 institutions that conferred the doctorate and 303 that conferred the master's degree. The number today, more than 20 years later, is about double that number. (U.S. Office of Education, Biennial Survey, 1938-40, vol. 1, p. 44.) • Organized Occupational Curriculums; Enrollments and Graduates, 1956. (Circular 1956.) Washington: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; Office of Education, 1956. 237 p. Planned as an annual publication for following years.

Latest edition: American Junior Colleges, Washington: American Council on Education, 1960. (Fifth edition) xil, 564 p.

Latest edition: American Universities and Colleges (Eighth edition), Washington: American Council on Education, 1960, xiv, 1212 p.

E. C. Elliott and M. M. Chambers, Charters and Basic Laws of Selected American Universities and Colleges. New York: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1934. p. 233.

Normally it is conferred to indicate successful completion of 2 years of collegiate work, above the level of the secondary school.

The first use of the associate's degree may be traced to England. The degree of Associate of Physical Sciences was authorized at the University of Durham at least as early as 1865. The associate's degree was first conferred in the United States at the University of Chicago which began the practice, under the influence of President William Rainey Harper, in 1900 when 83 associate's degrees were granted. This action followed several years of consideration by faculty committees during which the designations Literate and Companion were also considered for the degree needed to mark the completion of the 2year course of study in the newly established junior college of the University. The new plan of organization of the University of Chicago provided for groups of curricula in liberal arts, literature, science, and practical arts, with appropriate junior college and senior college degrees for each. The degree, Associate in Arts, was selected for the first group, Associate in Literature for the second, and Associate in Science for the third and fourth at the junior college level. During the next two decades more than 4,000 associate's degrees were conferred by the University of Chicago.

The U.S. Commissioner of Education in 1900 commented favorably upon this pioneer decision of the University of Chicago to institute the new associate's degree and quoted President Harper's reasons for adopting it. Part of his succinct statement of the expected benefits from use of the new degree follows:

It is believed that the results will be five-fold: (1) Many students will find it convenient to give up college work at the end of the sophomore year; (2) many students who would not otherwise do so will undertake at least two years of college work; (3) the professional schools will be able to raise their standards for admission and in any case many who desire a professional education will take the first two years of college work; (4) many academies and high schools will be encouraged to develop higher work; (5) many colleges which have not the means to do the work of the junior and senior years will be satisfied under this arrangement to do the lower work."

The past 20 years has shown an increasing use of the associate's degree, not only by junior colleges but by universities, liberal arts colleges, teachers colleges, and various technical and specialized institutions, to mark the completion of a course of study of collegiate grade less than four years in length.10 Table 1 shows the number of institutions, classified by control and type, which in the present study reported use of the associate's degree.

8 For its use as a 4-year degree at Harvard University, see p. 22.
U.S. Commissioner of Education, Annual Report, 1898-99. p. 1562.

10 For additional information on history of the associate's degree, see Walter C. Eells, Associate's Degree and Graduation Practices in Junior Colleges (Terminal Education Monograph No. 4). Washington: American Association of Junior Colleges, 1942. 126 p.