Academic Titles in Spanish
Trying to talk about academic degrees proves to be quite the challenge in a new language, especially since education levels and grades vary greatly. In this article, we're going to try to simplify all these terms so that you're able to talk about your studies!
Academic Institutions
First, let's examine the academic institutions, or instituciones académicas:
Academic Degrees
Next, let's take a look at how to translate academic degrees, or grados académicos:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| bachillerato | high school degree |
| licenciatura | college degree |
| maestría, especialidad | master's degree |
| doctorado | doctoral degree, PhD |
| posgrado | postgraduate degree |
Students
Lastly, let's learn how to talk about the people who actually undertake all that studying:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| estudiante | student |
| estudiante universitario | undergraduate (student), undergrad |
| estudiante graduado, estudiante de posgrado | graduate (student) |
What's in a Title?
In many parts of Latin America, you might hear people being referred to as licenciadoor doctor, even though you know they're not a lawyer or a doctor. What gives? It's a common practice to use these academic or professional titles to refer to a person you admire or greatly respect, regardless of what they're actual degrees are!
Looking for more articles about Spanish? Check these articles out!
