I want to major in Criminal Justice but I dont understand the difference between graduate and undergraduate?

czhgirl: I want to major in Criminal Justice but I dont understand the difference between graduate and undergraduate?
I want to major in Criminal Justice but the school i am currently in is not helping me understand the difference between graduate and undergraduate classes and i do not want to do the wrong thing. Im so confused.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Ferret
Undergraduate is the lower level of the two. Undergraduates usually earn bachelor’s degrees…in essence it’s what we normally think of as college. Graduate is for people who already have a bachelor’s degree and are working on a Masters or Doctorate.

Answer by skip742
If you don’t know the difference, it probably means you’re just starting out. Undergraduate is the first college degree you need to get. You can’t do anything in graduate school until you’ve finished an undergraduate degree first. It doesn’t always have to be in the same subject, but undergraduate is where you need to start. Graduate classes are higher numbers. You start with lower numbers.

Answer by Carly
Are you currently in a community college or traditional university? There are two types of undergraduate degrees: Associate’s degrees and Bachelor’s degrees. An associate’s degree will require 2 years of study, whereas a bachelor’s degree will require 4 years. If you are enrolled at a community college, chances are you are working towards an associate’s degree. If you are at a four year traditional university you are probably working towards a bachelor’s. You can earn an associate’s degree and then go on to get your bachelors, but you do not have to- you do not need an associate’s degree to get a bachelor’s degree.

You do, however, need a bachelor’s degree to get a master’s degree- which is a graduate program like you asked about. Graduate programs include master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, juris doctor (law) degrees, and PhDs.

An undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice is an excellent place to start your education. Many criminal justice careers only require an associate’s degree, so if you are interested in getting the training you need to jump directly into the work force you are on the right track.

Just be sure you are taking undergraduate classes so that they will count towards your undergrad degree… and they won’t be unnecessarily difficult! Best of luck!