Key Differences between Undergraduate and Graduate Study

Career Options after 12th arts
Table of contents

Undergraduate people are those who are still pursuing a bachelor’s degree while graduate are people who are pursuing a masters degree after attaining a bachelor’s degree.

The undergraduate degree offers you general and fundamental knowledge on the subject while graduate study makes you specialized and expert on that subject. An undergraduate degree prepares you to be a capable employee. A graduate degree will only be achieved once you have an undergraduate degree.

Different types of Degrees?

Undergraduate involves two types of degree

Associate Degree 

Associate Degree courses are the first-level course after high school. People who are unwilling to put 4 years into a bachelor’s degree can go for this course. A full-time student can complete the course in 2 years while a part-time student may take 3 years to complete the course. This is an applied course, there is more job opportunity for associate people as compared to high school students.

Bachelor’s Degree

A second-level course which offers a 4 years full-time course. General education which is majorly on the particular subject eg- bachelor in engineering, bachelors in arts. This course helps you get entry-level jobs or you can go for higher studies after a bachelor’s degree.

Graduate involves two types of degree

Masters

A Master’s degree is focused on specific subjects and research which helps you get advanced-level job opportunities. You can either go for the doctorate. Degrees like Master of Science (M.S), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A), Master of Technology (M.Tech)

Doctorate

A doctorate is an advanced level and makes you an expert on that subject. People who attain this degree are called a Degree of philosophy (Ph.D.). While the people who attain this degree are either Professors or into research.

What is the minimum requirement to get into Undergraduate vs Graduate college?

Undergraduate vs Graduate college

For getting admission to an undergraduate college you require a high school degree primarily. You also need to go for 

SAT Standardized test for United states colleges,

 JEE Mains and Advance  for engineering colleges, 

NEET  for pre-medical schools. You need to clear the cutoff score in these exams to get admission.

While for Graduate college, you primarily need to complete a bachelor’s degree. You also need to clear such exams like –

THE GRE graduate record examination test  for admission to MS degree in united states,

 IELTS English test for countries like Europe and Canada, 

TOFEL standardized test English test for foreign language, 

GATE graduate aptitude test for engineering for the student who wants to pursue M.tech degree

CAT Common Aptitude Test for Master in Business Administration.

There are many other exams as well based on the country and state you have been looking to pursue the degree.

Course Duration 

Associate Degree: This course will take two to three years to complete

Bachelor’s Degree: This course will take four  years to complete

Professional Degree: This course will take five years including internships, the people in the medical fields 

Masters: This course will take one to two years to complete, depending on the college and university.

Doctorate: This course will take four to six years or more to complete. This extensive deep-dive learning involves research and writing research papers. 

Classroom Size

Undergraduate vs Graduate

The classroom size for undergraduate people is relatively large as compared to Graduate college. Most of the undergraduate colleges have high intake due to on-demand courses and undergraduate has become the basic requirements in entry-level jobs. While Graduate colleges have limited intake and are built around classroom discussion, quality education. 

A graduate degree is less in common than results in quality education

  1. Small classroom size: Due to limited intake classroom size is relatively small which increases individual attention.
  2. Advance classroom discussion : 

The students should always be prepared before the session. Professors try to engage individuals more in conversation and discussions. The idea you bring not only nurtures your thinking capability but also your peers. People come from different backgrounds and different professional backgrounds which widens your perspective. You get to experience those areas with their experience. 

  1. Professors as mentors You work more closely with professors on any topics and research, they help you create better portfolios, projects, and mentor you with research papers.

Education Cost 

Undergraduate vs Graduate cost varies depending on the states, region, country, university, course, scholarships, and other factors. The cost will vary according to the government authorized to deemed colleges. 

Undergraduate vs Graduate Potential Earning

Undergraduate vs Graduate earning varies, higher degree correlates with higher job pay. It also depends on the college you have attended, your academic marks pre-entry level test for jobs.

Difference between Undergraduate vs Graduate study

The United States calls it undergraduate and graduate. Undergraduate as a college degree after high school completion. While the graduate studies in the college degree after undergraduate. Graduate study is specialized in a specific field. While in countries like the United Kingdom or Australia, say Graduate and Postgraduate. Instead of  “undergraduate and graduate”.

Undergraduates who spend four years studying. While graduates are either 2 years for masters and 5 years of doctorate which involves more closely working with professors mostly one on one basis. While undergraduate is less of individual projects.

Undergraduate vs Graduate, where undergraduate involves some activities, examinations, and more class work. For undergraduate students examination is the primary focus.  whereas, Graduate studies involve more research and less classwork. 

The student may change their major subjects easily when in the undergraduate program and can also change their domain while giving job interviews. While it’s difficult to change the domain for graduate students because post-graduation/graduation is a specialized program that makes you an expert in that domain particularly. You can’t change the college in the middle of the course as each college/ university has a different course structure for graduate courses.

Class size for undergraduates is much higher as compared to the graduate degree. 

Graduate Degree is intimate and dynamic, where you take part in classroom discussion. This is a professional course that makes a huge difference in your professional career. Especially if you have work experience you know the industry well and know-how business, technology work so you are more career-focused while pursuing a graduate degree. While an undergraduate you don’t have exposure to the professional world and you are training yourself to fit in the environment. While graduate people make themselves best and expert in professional terms. 

Graduate school allows you to meet like-minded people. The average age of students in graduate school is in the late ’20s or early 30’s. Attending schools with many educated, experienced, like-minded people will help you build the network and let you gain career growth. While in undergraduate the fellow mates are young and have no experience.

Conclusion 

You can give a good thought about which course suits you best for you depending on all the above factors mentioned. At the graduate level, you gain more real-time experience while as an undergraduate it’s a theory-based course. I would rather say the undergraduate study is all about subject information and functionality while graduate is about implementing them and solving complex problems. At last, it’s your decision what you choose as your career path. 

Did I miss any topics? Do let me know any suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks For reading!

→ Explore this Curated Program for You ←

Avatar photo
Great Learning Editorial Team
The Great Learning Editorial Staff includes a dynamic team of subject matter experts, instructors, and education professionals who combine their deep industry knowledge with innovative teaching methods. Their mission is to provide learners with the skills and insights needed to excel in their careers, whether through upskilling, reskilling, or transitioning into new fields.
Free Online Courses by Great Learning Academy
Scroll to Top