But studying in the states can be harder than you think.

Everything You Need to Know About Selecting a Degree in America.

Published: 8/4/25 / Smilla Bakteman Hedlund

One thing that many incoming international students are surprised by is how different the educational system is compared to back in Europe. This is something that is important to educate yourself about, especially when planning on attending all four years, due to the student being responsible for picking the right classes, to be able to graduate on time. 

Choosing the degree

In the U.S. there are three larger types of studies that every student can complete, and they are known as a certificate degree, an associate degree, and a bachelor’s degree. However, selecting the type that works best for you is vital, since the value of each degree depends on your home country’s regulations.

Additionally, the type of college, university, or educational institution also has their own guidelines, and therefore it is important to research your institution’s guidelines before committing to the type of study.

Certificate (Specific area of study)

The certificate is perfect for the student who just wants to take a visiting year but get something out of it, especially suitable when building on top of a degree taken in the home country. The construction of this degree is very similar to taking a certificate in a country in Europe. The main idea of the certificate is to select a specific area of study to concentrate on, where the assortment often depends on the educational institution.

Bachelors Degree (120 credits)

The bachelor’s degree is a four-year-long program of 120 credits or units that is broken down into three subcategories which are general education, electives, and major classes. However, even if this is equivalent to taking a bachelor’s degree in countries in Europe, the value of this degree is often tied to the credibility of the institution.

Therefore, it is vital to do research about the institution you are planning on attending, to be able to evaluate if it is equivalent to a degree in your home country.

In addition, when completing a bachelor you will also have the opportunity to choose a major ( your area of study) and a minor ( an additional concentration). However, to be able to finish a minor in four years, you will need to know this within the first semester of your study.

• Major Classes: The major classes, are the specific classes that your major ( area of study) requires. Those classes can for example be finance, business law, or accounting if you are studying business administration, or public speaking, copywriting, and persuasion if you are studying communication.
• General Education: These are classes that are intended to broaden your scope into various fields of study. Unlike the major classes, the general education classes are broad classes for example biology, math, history, philosophy or human rights. The interesting aspect of those classes is that they are required for all majors to take, meaning that you will meet many different types of students. However, even if those classes cover a specific area, there are often several classes that you can choose from in that specific area of study. For example, if you need to study biology there will most likely be different types of biology classes to choose from so you can tailor those into areas that you are interested in.
• Electives: This is the most interesting thing about an American bachelor’s degree. The electives are classes that you can pick yourself, in whatever field you want. This means tailoring your degree to a niche that you want, and therefore you can personalize your degree more, to be more niche, or even to broaden your scope more.

To simplify this degree, an associate could be seen as equivalent to a half bachelor’s degree. Therefore many students who aim for a bachelor’s degree, often have a half-time graduation when celebrating them taking an associate degree.

However, this degree can be a little tricky since many European countries do not consider this equal to an upper-division degree and therefore you will most likely not be able to take an associate and then finish the bachelor in your home country.

Or even recognize your degree as a credible degree obtained from a university. Therefore, you need to do close research to look up all the details before attempting this degree.

Educational System in the U.S