Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree (also called first degree, bachelor's degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is also an oxymoron, since one cannot hold a degree as an undergraduate. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a college or university. The most common type of these undergraduate degrees are associate's degree and bachelor's degree. Bachelor's degree typically takes at least three or four years to complete. These degrees can be categorised as basic degrees.
Propaedeutics
In the US, the equivalent of the propaedeutic diploma lies somewhere between an undergraduate certificate and an associate degree. Undergraduate certificates can be completed in as little as one semester (one-half of one academic year or about four months) and do not necessarily lead or contribute to any degree. Associate degrees (e.g. AA, AS) are typically earned after the first two years of the four- to five-year (in the US) course of study culminating in a baccalaureate degree; however, students matriculated in a bachelor's degree program are not usually awarded the associate degree en route (as is often the case when a doctoral student is awarded a master's degree en route). Additionally, there are first professional associate degrees (e.g. AAS, AGS) that do not necessarily lead or contribute to a bachelor's.