Academic credential
Academic credential is an educational credential that is issued by an educational institution or credentialing organization to certify specific academic achievements traditionally related to someone's knowledge.
Examples
- High school diploma. An academic credential that certifies that someone has been graduated from a high school.
- GED (General Equivalency Diploma). A credential that certifies that someone has successfully passed the test that covers United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills.
- Diploma. A certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as college or university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study.
- Associate degree (or associate's degree). An undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study intended to usually last two years or more.
- Bachelor's degree. An undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to seven years depending on institution and academic discipline.
- Master's degree. A graduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting one to three years beyond the coursework required by a Bachelor's degree.
- PhD (Doctor of Philosophy, also known as PhD degree or Ph.D.). The highest, terminal academic degree awarded by universities in most countries. The requirements to earn a PhD regularly include comprehensive examinations and work on thesis or dissertation based on extensive research.
- Professional degree. A degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditation.
Academic inflation
Credentialism (academic inflation) is the process of the devaluation of educational qualifications because of the needs of educational institutions to increase revenues and cut expenses, on one side, and increasing demands, on the other side.
