HLC Annual Report - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Programs & Awards Definitions:

Pre-associate certificate/diploma programs:
- credit-bearing
- culminate in the awarding of a certificate or diploma, but not a degree
- usually require no previous college credit for admission
- course work is lower division undergraduate
Other undergraduate certificate/diploma programs:
- credit OR non-credit bearing
- culminate in the awarding of a certificate or diploma, but not a degree
- frequently require previous college credit for admission
- course work is upper-division undergraduate
Associate's degree programs:
- requires the completion of at least 2 years of full-time equivalent college-level work in a specified field of study
- meets institutional requirements for completion of a degree
- culminates in the awarding of a degree
Bachelor's degree programs:
- requires the completion of at least 4 years of full-time equivalent college-level work in a specified field of study
- meets institutional requirements for completion of a degree
- culminates in the awarding of a degree
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs:
- beyond bachelor's degree
- requires the completion of an organized field of study
- culminates in the awarding of a certificate, but not a degree
- coursework is graduate level
Master's degree programs:
- beyond bachelor's degree
- requires the completion of at least 1 year of full-time equivalent graduate-level
- meets institutional requirements for completion of the degree
- culminates in awarding of the degree
Specialist's degree programs:
- beyond bachelor's degree
- requires the completion of college work beyond the bachelor's degree in a specific field of study
- frequently found in Education and related academic disciplines
First professional degree programs:
- provides the requisites for licensure in a recognized profession
- requires at least 2 years of college-level work for admission
- requires the completion of at least 6 years of full-time equivalent college work
- must be within one of the following fields:
  - Chiropractic: D.C. or D.C.M
  - Dentistry: D.D.S. or D.M.D.
  - Medicine: M.D
  - Optometry: O.D
  - Osteopathic Medicine: D.O
  - Pharmacy: Pharm. D.
  - Podiatry: Pod. D. or D.P. or D.P.M
  - Veterinary Medicine: D.V.M
  - Law: L.L.B. or J.D
  - Theology: M. Div. or M.H.L or B.D. or Ordination
Doctor's degree programs:
- beyond the master's degree
- includes a dissertation or other original project
- meets institutional requirements for completion of the degree
- culminates in the awarding of the degree
Direct questions regarding definitions or instructions for this section to Lil Nakutis at 800-621-7440x113 or lnakutis@hlcommission.org