Bachelor degrees are issued by institutions of higher education and consists of a certain amount of credits that a student earns.
 Bachelor degree programs are designed for one of two objectives, either to prepare for an occupation, or to provide a foundation for a masters degree or doctorial program.

A bachelor's degree is a campus or online academic degree awarded by a college or university to those who successfully complete the undergraduate curriculum; also called a baccalaureate . A bachelor's degree program on campus typically takes four years to complete, but can be achieved through an online bachelor degree program at a quicker pace. Online Bachelor Degrees, as well as their on-campus equivalents, can lead directly to positions in a number of professional fields or to more advanced degrees such as Master's Degrees and Doctorate Degrees.

Bachelor Degree Standards Bachelor Degree Standards
Bachelor degrees should provide evidence of competencies in communications, social sciences, humanities and fine arts, analytical and inferential reasoning, and computational skills, as well as the ability to learn on your own.

General Education
General education should be an integral part of all bachelor degree programs in order to develop characteristics that help define an educated person. The liberal arts and sciences

• Communication
• Natural Sciences/Mathematics
• Humanities
• Social Science

are a fundamental component of all collegiate degrees. Granting a degree implies that the student has achieved general education experiences in addition to technical preparation that may be part of a program. There are standards regarding the minimum number of general education credits required outside of technical portions of a program for each type of bachelor degree. In accordance with commonly held standards Colleges, Universities, Distance Learning and Trade Schools agree that the general education portion of the bachelor degree program should be acceptable towards a masters degrees.

Minimum Standards
All bachelor degrees should require the equivalent of at least four years of full-time study built around a defined body of knowledge. Because full-time enrollment is becoming less common, the minimum standards have been expressed here in terms of credits. Programs that do not measure academic progress by credits will need to demonstrate through equivalent measures that these standards are met. In accordance with commonly held standards, the minimum requirement for an associate degree is 60 semester or 90 quarter credits. It is understood that institutions may use other terms (e.g., hours, courses) to express equivalent student accomplishment.

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree programs are primarily intended to provide a broad liberal arts and sciences background. B.A. degree programs should include a minimum of 60 quarter or 40 semester credits distributed across at least the following four areas:

• Communication,
• Natural Sciences/Mathematics,
• Humanities, and
• Social Science

Included in the 60 (qtr) or 40 (sem) credits should be at least 8 (qtr) or 5 (sem) credits in Communications, and a minimum of 12 (qtr) or 8 (sem) in each of the categories of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences Mathematics. The remaining general education credits should be chosen from one or more of above four categories.

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
degree should include a minimum of 45 quarter or 30 semester credits distributed across at least the following four areas:

• Communication
• Natural Sciences/Mathematics
• Humanities
• Social Science

Included in the 45 (qtr) or 30 (sem) credits should be at least 6 (qtr) or 4 (sem) credits in each of the four categories. The remaining credits should be chosen from one or more of these four categories. Bachelor of Science (discipline specific, interdisciplinary studies, other specialized nomenclature) degree programs should include a minimum of 45 quarter or 30 semester credits distributed across at least the following four areas:

• Communication,
• Natural Sciences/Mathematics,
• Humanities, and
• Social Science

Included in the 45 (qtr) or 30 (sem) credits should be at least 6 (qtr) or 4 (sem) credits in each of the four categories. The remaining general education credits should be chosen from one or more of these four categories. Major Requirements The minimum number of credits required within a major program of study should be 45 quarter or 30 semester credits. Study within a major program should form a coherent pattern in which introductory work in the major field may provide a foundation for advanced work.

Level of Study
A baccalaureate degree should include both introductory and advanced course work. Introductory course work should provide a broad exposure to the concepts, principles, and substance of individual disciplines. Advanced course work should be of sufficient intensity and complexity to provide an in-depth examination of the concepts, principles and substance of individual disciplines. The minimum number of required advanced level credits, including courses from a major program of study, should equal 30% of the total number of credits required to complete a baccalaureate degree program.