Undergraduate education
As an undergraduate degree courses are known, leading to a first university degree.
Germany and Austria
As undergraduate courses, both the new bachelor as well as the previous degree and master 's degree programs are called.
Consecutive master degree programs, however, are always postgraduate, ie for approval is always a successful completion of undergraduate degree required. Next Image Master study programs can also be completed with a vocational training and several years of professional experience under certain circumstances (eg aptitude test ) when the training and employment represent a technical reference for the study.
Undergraduate courses that lead directly to a Master's degree, are excluded in Germany by agreements of the Standing Conference.
United Kingdom
In the education system of the UK undergraduate courses are referred to as undergraduate studies. The term originates from the British under ( = below ) and the verb to graduate whose modern meaning is earning a first degree. The courses usually last three ( Basic Bachelor), more rarely, four or five (Bachelor Honours ) years. Master's degree programs and Doctoral degree programs are, however, referred to as graduate studies ( rarely also postgraduate studies ), they usually last a (course -based master), two or three ( research-based master) years.
In England and Scotland and Master's degrees are awarded for undergraduate studies in some cases, take three or four years. The attainment of a first degree with the grading First class, second class Upper or Lower Second Class is the prerequisite to be for the second phase of the study ( postgraduate studies ) allowed.
U.S. and Canada
Undergraduate programs are in the U.S. and Canada for tertiary education, more generally to post- secondary education. Admission is usually a High School Diploma.
The program can be completed at a University or College. The degree designations and study periods are not standardized, the quality of teaching and the skills of graduates vary widely between universities; as " continuous evaluation system ", the university ranking are called. For example, for decades considered according to the World 's Best Universities Harvard University in the U.S. and the McGill University in Canada as the best university in each of their countries.
The basic forms of the most common academic degrees in the sense of " ( A - ) multiple" training or vocational education in colleges are the associate degree and bachelor, with a duration of 2 or 3 or (more rarely ) 4 years, in terms of a scientific education in universities, the undergraduate honors ( at least four-year diploma program with a Bachelor 's thesis ). Permeability or the switch while studying the profession-specific associate degree or bachelor to scientific undergraduate honors program is not usually possible. In addition, the undergraduate honors entitled, in contrast to other bachelor's or undergraduate variants, under certain conditions, directly to Ph.D. degree programs.
The students of these courses are referred to as undergraduate students, in some places (first year), sophomores (second year ), juniors (third year ) and seniors, students of different vintages are recognized as a freshmen ( or more recently, first year students) called (fourth year). Master's degree programs as the second phase of the study and doctoral study programs are, however, referred to as graduate studies ( rarely also postgraduate studies ) and generally offered in universities. Master's programs take one to two (course -based, "one- compartment " - or Non- Thesis ), or two to three (master with research-based thesis) years. Admission requirements for scientific master's degree programs ( rarely also directly to PhD Programmmen ) at top institutions are a university undergraduate honors with at least cum laude degree, which provide a detailed motivation letter and a scientific master thesis proposal.
Comparability with Europe
The more common three- and rarer Four -Years Bachelor, with ( A ) and regular training without any scientific work are usually equivalent to the Bologna Bachelor, scientific undergraduate honors as equivalent to the traditional Diplom and Magister and the consecutive five-year Bologna Master.