Talk:Bachelor's degree

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Etymology / "folk" etymology[edit]

The article claims that the term "Bachelor" derives from middle Latin baccalaureus, and that "[b]y folk etymology or wordplay, the word baccalaureus came to be associated with bacca lauri ("laurel berry") in reference to laurels being awarded for academic success or honours." Calling this a "folk" etymology clearly suggests that this etymology is not actually correct.

But the Wiktionary article on "baccalaureus" (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/baccalaureus#Latin) states as a fact that the term derives from bacca laurea" (laurel berries) "due to the fact that graduates wore laurel crowns filled with berries in order to represent the fruit of their study."

So which is it? If that's the actual etymology, then it's not a "folk" etymology. If it's not, then the Wiktionary article on baccalaureus and all related articles (baccalaureate, bachelor, etc.) need to be corrected. 4.15.123.6 (talk) 21:40, 24 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I've not seen reliable sources claim it as a true etymology. OED (lexico.com) gives it as "Middle English from Old French bacheler; of uncertain origin."; Collins gives it as "C13: from Old French bacheler youth, squire, from Vulgar Latin baccalāris (unattested) farm worker, of Celtic origin; compare Irish Gaelic bachlach peasant"; Merriam Webster gives "Middle English bacheler "knight lacking retainers, squire, young man (especially an unmarried one), person holding the lowest university degree," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Medieval Latin *baccalāris, variant of baccalārius, bachelārius "serf without land living in the lord's household, vassal lacking a fief, knight without retainers, young clerk, student," of obscure origin". So it seems Wiktionary is inconsistent with reliable sources. Robminchin (talk) 00:57, 25 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Use of the term "undergraduate"[edit]

The lead-in definition of bachelor's degree misleadingly calls it an undergraduate degree. As noted further down, in the US you normally must GRADUATE in order to get a bachelor's degree. Yes, in some countries it's an undergraduate degree, but not normally in the US. 2601:8C0:C201:16F0:755B:C986:44E8:D48B (talk) 08:42, 10 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

An undergraduate degree is one that is designed to be taken by people who have not previously graduated with a degree, in contrast to a graduate degree. There are a few examples of non-undergraduate bachelor's degree courses, but these are very uncommon. It is certainly normally the case for bachelor's degrees in the US that they are undergraduate degrees. Robminchin (talk) 21:18, 10 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Fix the map[edit]

Please change a color of Croatia (from green to blue): in this country, all undergraduate studies (bachelor of science or arts) last three years, not 4 years. 89.164.179.116 (talk) 13:25, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Bachelor's degree vs Licenciate degree[edit]

I have noticed that in this article they include all of South America. I think this is inappropriate since this region has another academic tradition in terms of titles. In most Latin American countries (maybe there are some exceptions, I don't know) the bachelor's degree is not used, but rather people obtains a licenciature degree. In the English Wikipedia there is already a specific page for this specific title: Licentiate (degree). In my opinion, a licenciate degree should not be confused with the bachelor's degree, since the firt one it is more of an intermediate degree between the bachelor's degree and a master's degree (although in Europe, from what I understand, it is literally an equivalent to a master's degree in some countries.) --Bibliotecatdj (talk) 18:18, 14 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]