Understand the basics of college and university programs by type of degree to narrow your choice of programs. Instead of filtering through thousands of colleges that don't have what you are looking for, start searching by types of college degrees that suit your personalized business plan.

Whether you plan to choose from online degree programs or choose from traditional college degree types, make sure you realize that there is a wide variety of education available. You don't have to settle for something that isn't a good fit for you. Some issues you might want to address when determining your degree choice include:

1. What is your time frame for continuing education?

2. Should your consideration of college and university programs include non-traditional settings?

3. What is your financial status in regards to furthering your education?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Obtain an associate or bachelor degree through university programs

Once you leave high school, the schooling options open up. If you plan to pursue a career in a trade such as mechanics or carpentry, you might want to consider a two-year associate degree. If you feel that the arts, business, education, engineering or science are more to your interest, consider a four-year bachelor degree. Obtain these degrees through accredited institutions, both online and in traditional college settings.

I recommend: Learn more about the types of degrees at DegreeTutor.com. Narrow your college choice down with the directory from Technical-Schools-Colleges.Net, which allows you to search for schools by state. Use its information to find a list of college degrees to pursue. ELearners.com offers students a wide variety of courses to study from home. It covers areas from arts and humanities to trades and careers.

Find college and university programs that offer a master's degree program

After completing four years of college, you might choose to continue on your educational path by choosing to earn a master of science, master of fine arts, master of business or master of arts degree.

I recommend: Use the resources at Quintessential Carrers to determine whether you should pursue a master's degree. Schools like Saybrook Graduate School & Research Center offer distance learning programs for students getting their master's degree in areas such as psychology and human science. Students have the option of creating a personalized education program. GradSchools.com helps students find a school in their area for obtaining a master's degree. It allows users to search by field of study, location or both.

Pursue your doctorate through specialized university programs

With your master's degree in hand, you might decide to pursue a doctorate degree or your doctorate of philosophy degree (Ph.D.). This is a university program's highest level of learning.

I recommend: CampusCorner screens universities and other educational institutions then recommends them according to location. Use this site to look up degree-specific programs in your locale. World Wide Learn offers a selection of online doctoral programs and Ph.D. degrees. Get detailed information on what to do to obtain a degree in your specific area of study.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Look for certificate and degree programs that offer scholarships and flexibility in learning schedules.

Good employees are hard to find. Employers give work time, reimbursement and incentives to employees to earn the types of college degrees that qualify them for company advancement. The company keeps quality people with the credentials to fill open positions and employees earn the education needed for career advancement.

Employers and employees need to be aware of the legitimacy of certain types of college degrees, especially those awarded from unaccredited online degree programs, colleges and universities. Spend time researching educational institutions before paying tuition or acting on employees new credentials.

Avoid “diploma mills” and ensure your employees and company receive the education they are paying for. Compile a list of college degrees from accredited online degree programs, local colleges and universities. Limit Company endorsed educational opportunities to types of college degrees that provide quality education and fill existing or future company needs.

1. Find accredited educational institutions.
2. Discover degree programs that meet business needs.
3. Ensure programs provide an excellent education
4. Compile a list of college degrees
5. Publish list of approved educational opportunities.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find certificate and degree programs

Contact local colleges and universities and request information concerning the type of college degrees awarded by the college or university. Compare college and university programs by type of degree, cost, transferability of credits and programs for working adults.

I recommend: Check the accreditation of local colleges and universities by visiting the U.S. Department of Education,especially for new or unusual degree programs, or find the accreditating agency for a specific field by visiting Ed.gov.

Investigate online degree programs

Find legitimate accredited online degree programs and make a list of college degrees awarded by these educational institutions. Compare online degrees, to traditional college and university programs by type of degree, paying special attention to the length of time needed to earn a similar degree at each institution

I recommend: Search UniversityAlliance for online colleges and universities or search the accredited programs on eLearners.com.

Check for legitimate types of college degrees

Be suspicious if similar programs take significantly less time to complete at one institution than others. Associate Degrees normally take two years; Bachelors Degrees; four years. Master Degrees take one to two years in addition to earning a Bachelors Degree.

I recommend: Check Oregon Student Assistance Commission Office of Degree Authorization or the Maine Department of Education for schools under investigation or closed due to fraud.

Create a list of college degrees that matches business needs

Make a list of local and online college and university programs available, including college degree types for your company to approve. Limit company incentives, reimbursement and other benefits to a published list of approved educational institutions.

I recommend: Finding skill sets and training suggestions for a wide range of industries on the U.S. Department of Labor website or use the Institute of Education Sciences website to find local programs that suit your business needs.

Review company actions on certificate and degree programs

Look over past company action on educational requests, reimbursements and promotions. Ensure your company and your employees have received quality education.

I recommend: Pull previously accepted educational benefit determinations and research types of college degrees that appear irregular. Use the guidelines outlined by eLearners or the U.S. Department of Education to identify diploma mills.

There is certainly no shortage of college degree types in the United States. The problem is not finding a university program. It is finding the one that best suits your scholastic aptitude and the career path you've decided on.

Use online college and university programs by type of degree advice and ratings to help you make this critical decision. Popular internet sources providing college rankings and advice are as follows:

1. Access well-respected rankings for college degree types.

2. Seek advice from professional counselors about college and university programs.

3. Know which college degree programs online get star ranking.

4. Find the highest rated graduate college and university programs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find websites that offer rankings for types of college degrees

Rankings are a great source of information on types of college degrees because they provide information on student to faculty ratios, admission and drop out rates, costs for in state and out of state students and total enrollment statistics.

I recommend: Check the Princeton Review for a list of college degrees by type along with a ranking of the 10 top college majors. Let rankings at Students Review help you choose the right type of college degree to pursue. Get information on De Paul University's ranking in the world of higher education. Review the detailed chart of college rankings at Kiplinger.com.

Seek professional advice on types of college degrees before making your own decision

Professionals can suggest factors that should be entering your decision on what type of college degree to pursue. For example, depending on your career choices, you might consider pursuing an associate's degree rather than committing to a four-year bachelor's degree program.

I recommend: Commentaries on the Top Colleges Blog can help you decide how to select your college classes. Read advice on what kind of college degree to pursue that the Student Assistance Foundation offers. Ezine Articles summarizes the various educational opportunities that college students have to look forward to.

Access websites helping you rate online degree programs

Distance learning or programs offering online degrees have become wildly popular in the last decade. Get professional advice on which online degree program is best for you.

I recommend: Read the annotated list of online degree programs at the Online Education Database to find which offers the specific opportunities you're looking for. Read Campus Technology for articles explaining how some online degree programs have earned exceptional ratings. Degree.com explains which professions actively seek graduates of online degree programs. Get online degree rankings at Online University Lowdown.

Locate top-rated college and university programs for graduates

If you've decided to continue your education after completing a bachelor's program, you'll need to choose a graduate degree course of studies that is uniquely tailored to your career path.

I recommend: U.S. News & World Report can help you find the best graduate engineering program. Check out the rankings of graduate schools at PhDs.org. Stay informed of news about your graduate school at the National Association Graduate Professional Students. The Philosophical Gourmet Report explains how graduate programs are ranked.

Most undergraduate and graduate students would agree they'd like to get the most out of their college and university programs. But how many realize the value of learning key terms related to these programs? For example, the term accreditation may not mean much to you as a college student, but it may make a world of difference to a future employer who frowns upon the degree you obtained from an unaccredited school. This scenario describes just one situation in which knowing college and university programs by type of degree key terms can come in handy.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies

There are six agencies that the federal department of education considers authoritative when it comes to public college and university programs in certain fields.

I recommend: Go to the U.S. Department of Education to see a list of the specialized accrediting agencies. You'll also get links to regional accrediting agencies.

Interactive online technology

Interactive online technology refers to the e-learning software mostly used by graduate students who are enrolled in distance education classes.

I recommend: At University Alliance, you'll find out which universities and colleges offer interactive online classes and how it benefits students. You'll also learn which programs are best suited to the e-learning method and how this state-of-the-art educational system is rated.

Accreditation

Colleges and universities in the United States receive accreditation after they have been evaluated by recognized accrediting agencies.

I recommend: Back2College explains the process of college and university accreditation and why it's so important when considering which program of study to pursue. You'll also learn what academic standards accreditation is based on and how accreditation helps institutions of higher learning to compete for federal and state financial aid.

Post-baccalaureate certificate

A post-baccalaureate certificate is given to any graduate student who has successfully passed college-level or graduate-level classes.

I recommend: Cal State Long Beach explains what defines a post baccalaureate certificate. Find out who qualifies for these certificates and what most post-baccalaureate classes focus on.

Associate degrees

Associate degrees are undergraduate degrees, usually given by two-year community or county colleges.

I recommend: WorldWideLearn explains how an associate degree differs from a bachelor's degree. Find out the added benefits of an associate degree as compared to a high school diploma. You'll also learn how many additional years of study you'll need to complete after receiving an associate degree before you can get a bachelor's degree.

Graduate degree

Students who pursue advanced level programs of study after they have graduated from college are said to be pursuing a graduate degree.

I recommend: Grad Schools answers your questions about the benefits of a graduate degree and also details the difference between undergraduate and graduate programs.