COLLEGE NEST

The above illustrates the various pathways one can take after high school. I have often heard post-high school life described as a "choose your own adventure," because it is not as sequential as grade school. Since this site focuses on navigating higher education, the options on the diagram display the most common routes, typically community college or a four-year university.

Each tab below dives deeper into each option, but we will summarize it here. In short, community college offers an associate’s degree (typically 2 years), after which you can either enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year university to get a bachelor's degree (BA or BS). After getting your bachelor's, you again have multiple options, depending on your end goal.

If graduate school is part of your journey to get to your end goal, the typical route is pursuing a master's degree or doctoral degree (PhD). A master's degree usually takes 2 years, mostly focusing on coursework with some focusing on research as well (resulting in a thesis). Some PhD programs require a master's degree, while some do not. Another option for gaining research or academic experience after your bachelor's is a post-baccalaureate (post-bacc), which is an option for those interested in pursuing medicine or research. Going to a professional program is also an option after a bachelor's, post-bacc, or master's degree. More commonly known professional programs are medical school, dental school, and law school, among others.