Introduction to Second Bachelors Degree

When you are searching for an undergraduate programs, you might have encountered second degree or second bachelors degree and you would have wondered what exactly is second bachelors degree or second degree. Well as the name suggest a second degree or a second bachelor degree is a concept of attaining a second degree in a different stream after acquiring a first bachelors degree from the same university or a different university.

Second degree students have already attended a bachelors degree at a bachelor’s degree from an accredited higher education institution or a recognized university are looking forward to invest their time, energy, efforts and money towards a second bachelors degree in a new stream or industry vertical which is totally different from the first major or specialization.

Who are second degree students?

A second degree students are the individuals who are looking forward to undergo complete transitition and are interested in mastering a different industry domain. A second degree is not always desired or respected as majority of the graduate or master programs gives admission to their programs irrespective of  undergraduate major however, few graduate programs or licesure programs always specify a major in a specific field for futher career progression. Furthermore, if a student is interested in pursuing career in Public Accounting or Medical or even few engineering domains than it is mandatory for a student to have sufficient undergraduate or bachelor credits. 

A second degree student interested in career transition in a regulated field like accountancy, medical or nursing can opt for credits transfer and the specific department will give transfers based on the academic policies. Furthermore, the department will also evaluate the candidature based on higher school diploma and respective admission test scores. A second degree student will complete his entire courseware along with regular student and will graduate with an another degree. Post completion of the second degree, one can pursue the masters or even apply for licensure or even pursue the MD (Doctor of Medicine) program.

 Deciding about the second degree:

A second degree or second bachelors degree is always desirable but sometimes to pursue few fields it is mandatory. In Canada to become ‘Chartered Public Accountant’ the student has to complete a bachelors degree in Accountancy recognized by CPA or undertake Prep courses in accounting to become eligible for CPA while in many other countries, like in USA to become Medical Doctor the individual has to complete a bachelors level program in biological sciences or opt for a top up courses after undergraduate before becoming eligible for MD. 

If as a career transition, one is planning for a different field in a regulated domain than opting for a second degree is always desirable as Prep Courses or the top up courses won’t give the desired learning outcomes. Secondly, a second bachelor degree will give the access to the university career services department. However, if one is planning for an industry where any undergraduate student can work than going for a second degree is not desirable as one can achieve the desired skills by opting for industrial training or bootcamp.

Besides that, a second degree student also has to factor in extra investment of time and money and evaluate the returns on investment before opting for a second degree

Next Steps:

The admission for second degree students will be on the same parameters as regular degree students however, the student may get credit exemptions for the completion of first degree. A student will get an exemption of upto 50% of the course  based on the previous courses undertaken. The department will evaluate the courses and credits with case to case basis and will give detailed exemption after issuing the admission confirmation and paying of prerequisite fees.

 Few higher education institutions also specify the students to undergo undergraduate admissions test and even require the international students to opt for English Proficiency Test.

Conclusion

If you are a student, who is interested in making a career in Accountancy or Medicine or Healthcare than you should opt for a second degree however if you aren’t planning to undergo in a regulated field than you can easily switch your career by undergoing training or bootcamps.

About Faisal Faruqui: Faisal Faruqui is a senior career coach and education management professional with decades of experience. He is Co Founder of CETMATRIX – Career and Education, a full stack career management, education and talent development company