Black Intelligentsia Libraries
The New Way Of Thinking
Education Levels
Post-Secondary (After High School) Certificates, Licenses, and Degrees
A Professional Certificate, Trade Certificate, or Professional Designation (Certification or Qualification), is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Certification classes range from a few days or weeks to approximately a year, are practically offered across all industries and trades, and are taught at community colleges, at trade schools, and at private companies throughout the country.
A Non-Post-Graduate Licensure is a license which gives a "permission to practice." Occupations that come into physical contact with the public (barbers, cosmetologists, massage therapist, etc.) are restricted by licensure as well as those that bring a worker into the home (plumber, electrician, HVAC mechanic, etc.). Training programs vary from profession to profession, and licensure training requirements range from 500-1000 hours (6 months full-time) to excess of 2000 training hours (roughly a year full-time). Many pursue licensure on a part-time basis, which takes longer, and licensure classes are taught at community colleges, trade schools, and private companies throughout the country.
An Associate Degree is a 2-year undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon the completion of a curriculum or course of study. Requirements usually include courses such as English composition, Algebra, social interaction, humanities, etc.
A Bachelor's Degree is a 4-year undergraduate academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major by colleges and universities that generally lasts 4 years to attain but can range from 3 to 5 years, depending on whether the student attends summer school (year-round student) and on the curriculum, respectively.
A Master's Degree is a 1.5-to-2-year post-graduate degree that is pursued after completing a Bachelor's Degree program from a college or university. A Master's of Art, Science, and Business Administration (MBA) are highly-sought-after post-graduate degrees that build upon the knowledge one attains during their undergraduate studies (Bachelor's Degree). This academic degree is granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a "mastery" or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
A Doctor of Philosophy or Ph.D. is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities usually the terminal or "highest academic" (level) degree for many subjects or fields of study in the United States. After attaining a Bachelor's Degree from a university, full-time student pursuing a Ph.D. can expect to complete 2-3 years of coursework and spend the remainder of the program working on a doctoral dissertation. A doctoral dissertation is a piece of original research completed under the supervision of an advisor, usually a Ph.D. professor. A Ph.D. is usually pursued by those looking for a career in research and/or those who wish to teach at a college or university.
A Doctor of Medicine or M.D. is doctoral degree for physicians awarded by medical schools. After earning a Bachelor's Degree from a university, students may earn an M.D. degree from a 4-year medical school, where classes typically include microbiology, pharmacology and physiology. Practical experience is provided by supervised rotations through specialties such as surgery, cardiology, and obstetrics. After earning this medical degree, graduates must serve residencies in clinic or hospitals for 3-8 years before taking board and state licensing exams.
School Classifications and Levels
Pre-School, Pre-K, and Head-Start refer to the education/school levels that precede, or come before, the Kindergarten. Preschool education is usually for children between the ages of 0 to 3 years old. Pre-K (or Pre-Kindergarten) begins between the ages of 3 to 5 and is the first classroom-based learning environment a child customarily attends. The Head-Start program was created for low-income 4-year-olds as a catch-up summer program to teach them what they needed to know to start Kindergarten.
Kindergarten describes the first year of education in a primary or elementary school, the beginning of statutory and obligatory education. Usually for 5-year-olds, it is where children learn to communicate, play, and interact with others appropriately and learn the language and vocabulary of reading, mathematics, science, music, and art.
Elementary School includes grades Kindergarten through 5 and focuses on basic academic learning and socialization skills, introducing children to the broad range of knowledge, skill and behavioral adjustments they need to succeed in higher levels of education and in life. Individual subjects are introduced in this educational stage.
Middle School (formerly referred to as Junior High) is the level of education that includes grades 6 through 8 and is between elementary school and high school, thus providing an education that "bridges the gap" between the two. It is where children/pre-teens learn to responsibly transition into adolescence, learn about the human anatomy and hygiene, while furthering and building upon their elementary education.
High School or Secondary School is usually the last 4 years of grade school which includes grades 9 through 12. Its purpose is to prepare teenagers to enter directly into the labor market or to further their education in trade schools and/or college.
