The American education system consists of “preschool” and “kindergarten” (typically ages 2-5), “elementary education” (grades 1-6, ages 6-12), “secondary education” (grades 7-12, ages 13-18), and “higher education” (college and university programs, ages 18+). The higher education system awards “degrees”—that is, diplomas signifying that a student has successfully demonstrated the competencies associated with a prescribed course of study. There are four basic types of degrees—namely, associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degrees...