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General Schedule Qualification Policies

General schedule operating manual.

In accordance with 5 CFR 338, this site contains policy established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for General Schedule (GS) (or equivalent) white collar occupations in the Federal Government. This information is primarily for Federal agencies that need to determine whether applicants meet the minimum requirements for the positions being filled.

Qualification standards are intended to identify applicants who are likely to perform successfully on the job, and to screen out those who are unlikely to do so. The standards are not designed to rank candidates, identify the best qualified applicants for particular positions, or otherwise substitute for a careful analysis of the applicant's knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies. The General Schedule Qualification Standards section of the Operating Manual contains group qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IORs), individual qualification standards, and competency based qualification policy and guidance.

Purpose and Scope

Responsibilities, explanation of terms, description of qualification standards, application of qualification standards.

• Updating Qualifications Standards

Establishment of Additional Standards

References and sources, general policies.

This section contains the policies, instructions, and standards used to help determine the qualifications of applicants for Federal employment. The qualification requirements in this section are used when filling General Schedule (GS) positions at grades GS-1 through GS-15. The requirements must be met by all individuals appointed to General Schedule positions in the competitive service. The qualification requirements in this section, other than testing, may be used for excepted service positions under Schedule B and also used for Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA) applicants.

Unless otherwise specified, the same policies, instructions and standards apply to both initial appointments and in-service placement actions.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

OPM is responsible for developing and issuing minimum qualification standards,policies, and instructions. OPM is also responsible for approving qualification standards for particular positions when no standard in this section is appropriate for filling an agency's position(s).

Federal executive branch agencies are responsible for applying the appropriate standards in individual personnel actions and when examining for positions under a delegated examining authority. Agencies are required to establish and outline policies that implement the OPM provisions prescribed in this operating manual in their agency merit promotion plans, policy, and guidance. Information provided in OPM qualification standards generally is not sufficiently specific to be used directly in examining for positions or quoted in job announcements. Therefore,agencies must include in their job announcements the general or specialized experience or education required for their positions. It is not adequate to state," See Qualification Standards Operating Manual for General Schedule Positions for experience requirements. (See (c) ) on describing experience in job announcements). All job postings must include specific qualifications based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)/competencies from a job analysis for each employment action (5 CFR 300.103).

Agencies are also responsible for developing selective factors , when needed, to supplement the standards in this section. Selective factors may only be prescribed if the KSAs/competencies are required upon entry to the position and are essential to performing work successfully as validated by a job analysis ( Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 2 ).

Agencies are responsible for establishing medical standards without OPM approval for occupations for which they are the predominant employer, i.e., have 50 percent or more of the positions in the occupation (See 9 (b) ).

Agencies can also modify qualification requirements for certain inservice placement actions (See 8 (c) ). When agencies define or modify particular requirements, they are responsible for supporting their decisions. Agencies can also waive or modify qualification requirements when assigning employees in reductions in force or in lieu of reductions in force. (See OPM guidance on reduction-in-force procedures.)

Agencies may request from OPM waivers of qualification requirements on a case-by-case basis if after careful analysis of applicant qualifications, it is determined applicants may qualify based on other qualifications gained through experience, education or training. (See Waiver Request)

In those rare instances where qualification standards supplemented by selective factors will not meet agencies' needs, agencies are responsible for proposing new standards for OPM's approval.

When filling Schedule B positions, an agency's standards can include more restrictive requirements, e.g., qualifying experience, but they cannot be lower than or substantially different from the OPM standards. Agencies are responsible for justifying, based on the work of the Schedule B positions involved, any qualification requirements used in addition to those in OPM qualification standards.

Agency appointing officials are responsible for verifying employees' qualifications prior to appointment or assignment.

Major concepts and terms, defined for the purposes of this section, follow below in alphabetical order.

Purpose of Standards

The qualification standards in this section help determine which applicants would be able to perform satisfactorily in the positions to be filled. The education, training, experience, or other requirements included in the qualification standards are minimum requirements , i.e., it would be unlikely that an applicant for employment would be able to perform satisfactorily in a particular position or occupational series if he or she did not possess these qualifications. The standards are designed to be easy to understand and to eliminate artificial barriers that hinder entrance into Federal occupational series. The standards provide flexibility through a job analysis to identify the needed KSAs/competencies to meet agencies missions.

Many qualification standards include requirements such as the ability to communicate orally and/or in writing, or to produce information through the use of computers or other machines. Such ability requirements are not intended to limit how an applicant will physically perform a duty, i.e., they are not meant to exclude from consideration applicants with disabilities who have demonstrated that they can do the work in other ways, such as by using readers, interpreters, voice-activated equipment, or assistive technology. The required abilities are to ensure that the end product of the speaking, writing, etc., is of the appropriate level of competence. Agencies should keep in mind that reasonable accommodation, including job restructuring, must be considered in determining whether an individual meets the required KSAs/competencies.

Content of Standards

Most qualification standards permit applicants to qualify on the basis of education/training, experience, or a combination of the two. They include the patterns of education, training, and/or experience most commonly applicable to a particular occupational series. Some qualification standards, however, have specific educational, licensure, or certification requirements that may apply only to specific positions in an occupational series.

Furthermore, the requirements in OPM qualification standards can be supplemented by selective or quality ranking factors as described below in 6 . and 7 . OPM qualification standards include broad requirements used governmentwide. Agencies must identify the competencies needed for their positions and not copy minimum qualifications verbatim. Agencies must conduct job analyses to supplement OPM qualification standards (5 CFR 300.103).

Selecting the Appropriate Qualification Standard

Implementing New or Revised Standards

Experience Requirements

Educational and Training Provisions or Requirements

Crediting Combinations of Education and Experience

Competency-Based Qualification Requirements

Using Selective Factors

Using Quality Ranking Factors

• Special inservice Placement Provisions

Other Requirements or Provisions

Supervisory Positions

Agencies and examining offices should select the qualification standard that covers the occupational series to which a position has been classified. If there is more than one standard for an occupational series, they should select the standard for the applicable position(s).

For competitive appointments, OPM or agency examining offices will have determined the appropriate qualification standard to apply.

For inservice placement actions, agencies should apply the appropriate standards and instructions in this section. If, however, at the time of an inservice placement action, the qualification requirements in an open competitive examination for an occupation are different from those in this section, agencies can apply the requirements in either the competitive examination or in this section.

For details, employees do not have to meet the qualification requirements for the position to which they are detailed, except for any minimum educational, licensure and certification requirements.

New or revised qualification standards issued by OPM must be implemented immediately upon the date of publication, unless otherwise specified by OPM. Agencies may submit a request to OPM for an extension to implement new or revised qualification standards when doing so will create a burden on the agency due to other agency or governmentwide competing priorities or initiatives.

Experience is typically described in a qualification standard as either general or specialized experience.

• General experience is usually required at grade levels (i.e., GS-2 to GS-4) where the knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of a specific position are not a prerequisite, but where applicants must have demonstrated the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills.
• Specialized experience is typically required for positions above the entry level where applicants must have demonstrated that they possess the ability to perform successfully the duties of a position after a normal orientation period. Specialized experience is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
• Since a published OPM qualification standard may cover hundreds of positions in dozens of organizations, it must be broad enough to cover the range of work classified to the occupational series. Therefore, agencies and examining offices must clearly describe the specific experience or education required to qualify for the positions covered by an examination or job announcement. This will better attract applicants with appropriate qualifications to agencies, thereby greatly improving the effectiveness of the examination process.
• The description of qualifying general experience will vary in its degree of specificity from one series to another. For some occupational series, any progressively responsible work experience may be qualifying. Others may require experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupational series. For example, an entry level medical technician position may require general experience that provided a basic knowledge of the procedures and equipment in a chemical or clinical laboratory. The proper analysis of work to determine the KSAs/competencies needed to perform the work successfully is essential (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook,Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, Section C – Create a Job Opportunity Announcement) .
• Determining level of experience -- Most qualification standards require that a certain amount of the qualifying experience be at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the next lower or second lower grade. The grade-level criteria in the position classification standard or guide help in making this determination,particularly for applicants with experience outside the Federal Government.
• Identifying specialized experience -- As indicated in (b) above,many qualification standards describe specialized experience as experience "related to the work of the position." This is to allow agencies to pinpoint the specific requirements in the job announcements for their positions. For example, to meet the specialized experience requirements for a medical technician position, the applicant would likely be required to have specific duties such as preparing culture media and stains and performing certain laboratory tests. The description of duties and responsibilities contained in the position classification standard,along with the position description, help in identifying the kinds of work experience that would meet this requirement. In addition, the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)/competencies required to perform the work can also be described along with the appropriate proficiency levels from a job analysis (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 3, Section C – Create a Job Opportunity Announcement) .
• If the standard distinguishes between general and specialized experience,general experience cannot be credited as specialized experience. However, specialized experience can be credited as general experience.
• Applicants who meet the experience requirements for a higher-grade level in a given series also meet the experience requirements for lower grades in the same series.
• Titles, military ranks and/or salary/pay rates are not used in conjunction with the evaluation of specialized experience to meet minimum qualifications for a position when agencies evaluate the equivalency of previous positions to federal qualifications. The work actually performed by the applicant must be reviewed and evaluated to determine equivalency to a grade.
• Unpaid/volunteer work must also be evaluated using the same criteria. Experience for which the applicant received little or no pay is given the same credit as comparable paid experience.
• Federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. However, experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager or human resources director, SF-52, or other documentation).Similarly, experience gained in the Federal service under a misassign mentor improper appointment is given the same credit as experience under a proper appointment if the applicant submits satisfactory evidence to substantiate his/her claim.
• Appropriate experience gained while on detail or in "mixed-grade" or"mixed-series" positions is creditable when satisfactorily documented. Credit is given for the percentage of time that the applicant spent on the qualifying duties. Also see paragraph (l) on crediting experience gained on detail, and 10 on crediting supervisory experience.
• An employee whose position is upgraded as a result of a reclassification is considered to meet the qualification requirements of the upgraded position, since he or she has been performing the higher-graded work. However, employees must meet any licensure or certification requirements, as well as any minimum educational requirements or the provisions in section 9(e) .

Crediting one-grade interval or wage grade experience -- If the experience demonstrated the KSAs/competencies required to perform the work successfully,technician, paraprofessional, and substantive clerical support experience may be qualifying for two-grade interval positions, and wage grade experience may be qualifying for General Schedule positions, this is true for either lateral or promotion actions.

The basic requirements for type and level of experience and/or education apply to all applicants, whether their experience has been in the same occupation as the position being filled or in related support or wage grade occupations. Work experience that included both qualifying and non qualifying duties is credited based on the percentage of time spent on the creditable experience.

Applicants with specialized experience can have that experience credited towards meeting the basic requirements for professional occupations that permit qualification on the basis of experience as well as education. Such experience may be creditable not only for meeting the basic requirements, but also for positions at GS-7 and above if it is comparable to that which would have been gained in a two-grade interval professional series and clearly demonstrates that the applicant has the necessary background to perform satisfactorily the duties of the position to be filled.

Since two-grade interval positions may differ significantly in the nature of the work (e.g., greater independence, responsibility, and judgment), it is important that applicants be evaluated on the variety and progressive nature of their work assignments and on any applicable training or course work completed.

• In most occupations, the normal full-time work week is 35-40 hours, and the normal work year is 12 months. Employees are not expected to work during scheduled days off, holidays, or normal vacation periods.
• In occupations where the normal work year is less than the calendar year,e.g., teaching, an applicant who works the prevailing work year should be credited with a full year of required experience unless the applicable standard specifies otherwise. An applicant who receives a full year's credit for less than 12 months of actual work cannot gain additional credit for doing more of the same work in the remaining months (e.g., for teaching in summer school). However, credit can be given for any applicable experience gained in a different type of work, but no more than 1 year of experience can be credited for any 12-month period.

Part-time work is prorated in crediting experience. For example, an employee working 20 hours per week for a 12-month period should be credited with 6 months of experience. Creditable experience should generally be determined on the basis of hours in a pay status (excluding overtime) rather than scheduled hours in order to recognize the service of part-time employees who frequently are required to work additional straight-time hours.

Applicants who have the same amount of experience should generally receive the same credit. For example, a seasonal employee who worked full time for 9 months a year and a part-time employee who worked 30 hours a week for a year would receive the same credit. However, as stated in paragraph (d) , agencies should ensure that the quality of an applicant's experience clearly demonstrates the KSAs/competencies necessary to perform the work of the position to be filled. Agencies should be careful in totaling small segments of time worked to ensure that they materially add to a person's qualifications, e.g., that substantive knowledge or skills have been gained.

• Employees who entered military duty or who sustained compensable injuries on the job while serving under a career or career-conditional appointment will receive credit for experience on a different basis. See 5CFR 353, Restoration to Duty from Uniformed Service or Compensable Injury. (Also see paragraph (k) on Military experience, that follows, to determine how to credit military leave as experience.)

Instances may occur where applicants worked significantly less than their scheduled hours. For example, applicants may have been employed normally on a full-time, part-time, or seasonal basis, but took extended leave. In such instances, it would be reasonable to evaluate any significant consecutive period of leave (e.g., 35 workdays or more in a year) to determine whether it effectively reduces the applicant's qualifications for a position.

Concurrent experience in more than one position -- Concurrent experience can be credited as follows:

General experience -- Credit may be given for general experience gained concurrently in more than one position depending on its applicability. If the experience meets the requirements of the standard, credit should be given for the time, excluding overtime, worked in each position. However, credit can be given for only 1 year of experience for any 12-month period. For example, a person who worked full time in each of two clerical positions for over 6 months during a 12-month period, performing duties comparable to the GS-3 level, can only be credited with a year of general clerical experience.

• Specialized Experience -- Concurrent, straight-time experience in a second position can be credited towards meeting specialized experience requirements only if it contributes significantly to the applicant's possession of the specific KSAs/competencies required for the position to be filled. However, credit may be given for only 1 year of qualifying experience for any 12-month period.
• Crediting teaching experience for non-teaching positions -- In evaluating teaching experience for credit as specialized experience, the nature of the material taught,and the responsibility, scope, and knowledge required by the teaching position should be compared to the requirements of the appropriate standard. To be creditable as specialized experience, the teaching and non-teaching activities should have provided the applicant with the same type and level of KSAs/competencies that would be required to perform qualifying work in the field. Normally, teaching experience would have to be at the college level to be creditable for professional positions.
• Education and experience gained concurrently -- When qualifying education and experience (when applicable) have been gained concurrently, credit is given for each based on the time spent and merit of each. In many instances, supervised experience is required as part of an academic curriculum or course work (e.g.,nursing, teaching, or social work). An applicant cannot receive full credit for this supervised experience as education and additional credit for the supervised experience as experience, except as may be provided in a particular standard,since the practical experience is integral to the educational curriculum. The applicant can, however, receive full credit for supervised experience that was not considered as part of the qualifying education. (Also see paragraph (j) below.)

Crediting work-study experience for initial appointment -- Experience gained by graduates of work-study programs can be credited towards meeting specialized experience requirements if the work-study experience was related to and integrated with education above the high school level and contributed to the development of competence in the specialized field of the position being filled. To meet the specialized experience requirements, the applicant must have12 months of work experience in a work-study program, with at least 2 months(320 hours) of work equivalent to the next lower grade level or band in the normal line of progression for the position to be filled.

(Undergraduate work-study experience is normally comparable to experience gained at GS-5 or below.) Work-study experience is creditable, even when it is a mandatory requirement of the school, unless academic credit, i.e., grades or credit hours, has been given for such experience. Note that credit cannot be granted both as education and experience for the same period of work. (See paragraph (i) above.)

• Extension of prior civilian experience -- Creditable military service can be counted as an extension of the work the individual was engaged in immediately prior to entry into service ("Immediately prior to" is defined as within the 90-day period preceding entry into military service). In instances where an individual accepted fill-in employment while awaiting induction,he or she is considered as having been employed in his or her regular occupation "immediately prior to" entry into military service, if the period off ill-in employment did not exceed 90 days. In crediting time spent in military service as an extension of time spent in civilian occupations, military service can be credited either as an extension of the regular employment or of the fill-in employment, whichever is more advantageous to the individual. All military experience evaluated on this basis will be credited at the same level of difficulty and responsibility as the prior civilian experience.
• Military experience on its own merits -- If the actual military experience is to be evaluated for credit, it is particularly important that it is evaluated on the basis of the duties performed, rather than on the basis of the military rank of the individual.
• Crediting experience gained on detail -- Experience of employees who have been detailed to another position is credited in much the same way as military experience, described above. That is, the experience is credited as an extension of the work the employee was doing immediately prior to the detail, or on its own merits, whichever is more beneficial to the employee. Employees continue to be incumbents of the positions from which detailed. Thus, they should not be penalized for a detail to a position that may differ in duties and responsibilities from those of their regular position.
• One-year specialized experience provision for General Schedule grades -- At GS-5 and above, the qualification standards for most occupational series call for1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression. Applicants need not meet any cumulative years of experience requirements or general or lower-level specialized experience requirements to qualify. They must, of course, meet any minimum educational,licensure, or other special qualification requirements and selective factors established for the position being filled. To be creditable, an applicant's 1 year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities(KSAs)/competencies necessary for successful job performance. When applicants meet the experience requirements for a given grade level, they also meet the experience requirements for positions at lower grade levels in the same occupation. This provision applies unless the qualification standard for the occupation or position specifically states that more or less experience is required. It applies to both initial appointments and inservice placement actions. (Also see paragraph (n) below)
• One-year specialized experience provision for banded positions -- If groups of positions have been placed in pay or grade bands that group two or more General Schedule grades together, agencies will need to define the type and level of experience required to perform the work of the position to be filled. Applicants need only 1 year of the identified experience, either equivalent to a lower level within the band or to the next lower-level band. (Also see paragraph (q) below)
• Determining level of experience required in one-grade interval series -- For most one-grade interval occupational series, the qualification standard calls for at least 1 year of specialized experience as described in (m) above. Sometimes, however, there is no position in the normal line of progression in an organization that is one grade lower than the position being filled. In such instances, 1 year of specialized experience at the second lower level is creditable for inservice applicants. However, for outside applicants (i.e., those without current or prior Federal competitive or excepted service), 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower level is required. (See 8.(d) on crediting inservice applicants' experience in one-grade interval series)
• Determining level of experience required in two-grade interval series -- Most two-grade interval occupational series follow a progression pattern of GS-5, GS-7,GS-9, GS-11, GS-12, GS-13, etc., with two-grade intervals occurring from gradesGS-5 through GS-11. Applicants need 1 year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level to qualify for GS-7, 1 year equivalent to at least the GS-7grade level to qualify for GS-9, and 1 year equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level to qualify for GS-11. However, some positions in two-grade interval series are established at the intervening even-numbered grades, i.e., GS-6, GS-8, andGS-10. If an agency has established positions at an intervening grade as part of the normal line of progression in a series, then applicants applying for the next higher grade would be required to have 1 year of experience at that even-numbered grade. For example, if an agency advertised for a GS-9 position and had an established GS-8 in the normal line of progression, applicants would be required to have 1 year of experience equivalent to at least grade GS-8. A year of experience equivalent to GS-7 would not be considered qualifying for that position. On the other hand, if an agency advertised for a GS-10 position and had an established GS-8, but no intervening GS-9 position, applicants would be considered qualified if they had 1 year of experience at least equivalent to GS-8.

Determining level of experience based on crediting required KSAs/competencies--Most jobs are classified and graded on the basis of the duties that constitute the primary reason for establishing the position. However, a position may include many other significant duties that are not grade-controlling, i.e., that are not the duties that determine the particular grade assigned to a position. Some of these duties may be similar to those performed at lower grade levels, or in positions in other series. Applicants must have experience performing the grade-controlling work at the next lower grade level, and work experience that demonstrates possession of the other required KSAs/competencies at the appropriate level. However, they should not be screened out if their background does not reflect 1year of experience at the next lower grade level performing all of the duties in a position description.

For example, a position is classified as a GS-12 Exhibits Specialist. The grade-controlling duties as described in the position description might be planning and preparing gallery spaces for exhibits, but the position also involves analyzing how various exhibits were received by the public and providing written reports and recommendations on how such exhibits could be improved in the future. If an U.S. Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Operating Manual 20 applicant has at least GS-11 level skill in planning and preparing gallery spaces for exhibits and has GS-9 level experience analyzing work processes and methods and writing reports, he or she can be considered qualified if the GS-9 level experience was sufficient to perform the GS-12 Exhibits Specialist job, as described in the position description.

In systems where groups of positions have been placed in a pay or grade band, all of the duties and responsibilities of a position would typically fall within the same band. However, agencies would still need to determine the duties that constitute the primary reason for placing a position within a particular band and the level of the qualifications required to perform the work of the position.

The educational provisions referenced in a qualification standard normally pertain to either high school graduation or the equivalent, or to education above the high school level (post high school education). Whether at the high school or post high school level, 5 U.S.C. §3308 prohibits requiring education for positions in the competitive service, unless OPM has determined that the duties of a scientific, technical, or professional position cannot be performed by an individual who does not have the prescribed minimum education.

An agency may consider education (e.g., coursework) in determining a candidate’s satisfaction of a minimum qualification only if the candidate’s education directly reflects the KSAs/competencies necessary to satisfy the qualifications and the duties of a position. However, education alone may not be considered qualifying when using a multiple hurdle assessment approach.

Under 5 U.S.C. §3313, the names of disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more who have qualified in an examination are entered on civil service examination registers ahead of other eligibles, except on registers established for scientific and professional positions at grades GS-9 and above. The identified occupations in Appendix K of the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook should be used as the basis for determining whether such compensably disabled veterans should "float to the top" of the competitive examination Certificate of Eligibles.

OPM also recognizes generally accepted professional credentials, such as engineering registration, successful completion of certain actuarial examinations, or a Certified Public Accountant certificate as being equivalent to meeting minimum educational requirements. Examples of such alternate provisions are included in the qualification standard for the occupational series if applicable.

Agencies should use the following criteria to determine the acceptability of post high school education or training at an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college, or university. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide documentation or proof that he or she has met the applicable educational provisions described in this subsection. An official transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable. Agencies must ensure that the applicants' education or credentials meet the criteria below.

• Conventional/Accredited Institutions — At the time the education was obtained, the entire institution, applicable school within the institution, or the applicable curriculum was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Military schools or military educational programs that meet this criterion are also acceptable. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov . A complete listing of all institutions accredited by recognized agencies,including those located outside of U.S. territories may be found in Accredited Institutions of Post-Secondary Education, a handbook published annually by the American Council on Education (ACE).Institutions located within the United States that have attained accreditation as well as recognized accrediting agencies are listed on the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov .
• Correspondence or distance learning course work is also acceptable if the applicable school within the institution or applicable curriculum is accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. The distance learning courses should indicate the credit hours for each course and be indicated on the degree transcript together with traditional course work and credits.
• Pre-Accredited/Candidate for Accreditation Status — At the time that the education was obtained, the entire institution, applicable school within the institution, or applicable curriculum had acquired "preaccreditation" or "candidate for accreditation status" that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.
• Student Loan Repayments; or
• Academic Degree Training.

For the above programs, the institutions must be fully accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education at the time the education was obtained.

Non-Accredited/Other — This category includes institutions that do not meet the criteria above but offer a curriculum which is equivalent to"conventional/accredited institutions." Such institutions are either outside the jurisdiction or have decided not to seek accreditation from accrediting bodies recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Examples of "Non-Accredited/Other" education or institutions include, but are not limited to:

• Foreign education [see paragraph (c) below];
• Non-accredited military education or schools;
• Continuing education units; or
• Academic credit for work or life experience.

Non-Accredited/Other Education may be considered during the rating/ranking process when evaluating qualified job applicants who already meet minimum qualification standards. Such education may not, however, be used to meet minimum education requirements, unless it meets one of the following criteria with respect to a college, university, or institution accredited as described in (a) above:

• The specific courses have been accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or institution because they would be creditable if the student were to further his or her education at that institution.
• The academic credit earned through a special credit program such as the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) has been awarded by an accredited college, university, or institution.
• An accredited college, university, or institution has identified the course work area(s) or courses for which credit was given for life experience. There must be a direct link between credits given and the course objectives or syllabus, i.e., the course and the life experience must be comparable in nature, content, and level. Life experience credit for courses that are not identified in its course catalog as part of a college or university's curriculum is not acceptable, unless the college or university is giving credit for course work that is a prerequisite for more advanced courses included in its curriculum.
• An accredited U.S. university or college reports the other institutionas one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at that university or college.

Education or training that cannot be accepted under the above criteria may still be valuable and may be considered in the ranking process when evaluating an applicant's overall qualifications for a position.

Foreign Education — Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. A few medical schools are accredited under country standards that have been determined to be "comparable" to U.S. standards by the U.S. Department of Education's National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation. For foreign education that is not so accredited, agencies should follow the provisions below before considering such education for Federal employment.

Unless the foreign education meets the criteria in paragraph (a) above, applicants must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential evaluation service. To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe:

• The type of education received by the applicant;
• The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the International Education Standards Council;
• The content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad and the standard obtained;
• The status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system; and
• Any other information of interest such as what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, the qualifications of thee valuator, and any indications as to other problems such as forgery.

Foreign credential evaluations that do not contain the above information or that state there is insufficient information provided by the applicant on which to base an evaluation should not be accepted. If the requested evaluation shows the foreign education to be legitimate and comparable to that expected of a candidate with U.S. credentials, it may be accepted at the discretion of the agency. For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, refer to the U.S. Department of Education's web site at http://www.ed.gov .

Professional Licensure: Possession of a valid and current U.S. professional license by a graduate of a foreign professional school or program is sufficient proof that the foreign education has been determined to be equivalent to the requisite U.S. professional education in that occupational field.

Non-Qualifying Educatio n — Non-qualifying education is education that is not accredited or determined to be equivalent to conventional, accredited educational programs as described in paragraphs (a), (b), or (c) above. This category includes educational institutions or sources commonly known as "diploma mills".

The Higher Education Opportunity Act defines a diploma mill as follows:

DIPLOMA MILL- The term `diploma mill' means an entity that--(A)(i) offers, for a fee, degrees, diplomas, or certificates, that may be used to represent to the general public that the individual possessing such a degree, diploma, or certificate has completed a program of postsecondary education or training; and (ii) requires such individual to complete little or no education or coursework to obtain such degree, diploma, or certificate;and

(B)lacks accreditation by an accrediting agency or association that is recognized as an accrediting agency or association of institutions of higher education (as such term is defined in section 102) by--(i)the Secretary pursuant to subpart 2 of part H of title IV; or (ii) a Federal agency, State government, or other organization or association that recognizes accrediting agencies or associations.

(Source: Department of Education Diploma Mills and Accreditation - Diploma Mills )

Agencies must not consider or accept such education, degrees, or credentials for any aspect of Federal employment, including basic eligibility and the rating/ranking process.

Qualifying Education or Training

The following table shows the amount and level of education typically required for each grade for which education alone can be qualifying. At GS-13 and above,appropriate specialized experience is required for all positions (education alone is not qualifying for work at the GS-12 grade level and above, except research positions at the GS-12 grade level only).

* Qualifying education as provided above coincides with title 5 USC § 5104.

• At the undergraduate level, successfully completed education that has not led to possession of a degree is credited based on its relationship to 120semester hours or 180 quarter hours. For example, 30 semester hours or45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education. Four years of progressive study or 120 semester hours meets the degree requirements. Additional credit cannot be given for duplicate course work.
• For study at a business or technical school, 36 weeks of study (20+classroom hours per week) is comparable to 1 academic year above high school.
• An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27quarter hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.
• When academic credit is expressed in contract months, units, or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the appropriate institution in order to equate them to the semester or quarter hours specified in the standard.

College or university education -- Educational course work may be at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Successful completion of graduate level courses will be accepted as evidence that an applicant also possesses the knowledge taught in courses at lower levels in the same field.

Applications can be accepted from students who expect to complete qualifying education within 9 months from the date of application. However, agencies must verify that the education was completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.

Generally, courses in the same or a related major taken at one institution can be assumed to be progressively more difficult and, thus, credited at full value. However, the educational record of applicants who have changed majors, attended several different institutions, or taken courses only sporadically should be reviewed closely. Course titles and numbers may help determine level. (Courses entitled "Introduction to..." or with numbers beginning with A or 1 are almost always lower-level courses.) Transcripts noting the level of the student, e.g., freshman or junior, when the courses were taken may help also. If the level of an applicant's courses is not clear, the degree to which the courses relate to each other should be considered in determining whether the education meets the requirements of the position being filled.

When qualifying applicants on the basis of years of graduate education in lieu of an advanced degree, care must be exercised in determining credit for post- baccalaureate education. Such education must show evidence of progress through a set curriculum or program leading to an advanced degree. Extra credit for graduate education should not be given because a person has taken longer than the usual time to complete the educational program. It is OPM's intent that 2 years of graduate study be substantially equivalent to a master's degree, and 3 years be substantially equivalent to a Ph.D. degree. Graduate-level credit should not be given for undergraduate level course work unless it is a requisite part of the graduate-level curriculum. If an applicant had to complete undergraduate course work as a prerequisite for pursuing an advanced degree, that undergraduate-level study should not be credited as graduate education.

First-Professional Degree is a degree that represents a category of qualifications in professional subject areas that require students to have previously completed specified undergraduate coursework and/or degrees before enrolling. They are considered graduate-level programs in the U.S. system because they follow prior undergraduate studies, but they are in fact first degrees in these professional subjects. Holders of first-professional degrees are considered to have an entry-level qualification and may undertake graduate study in these professional fields following the award of the first-professional degree. Several of these degrees use the term “doctor” in the title, but these degrees do not contain an independent research component or require a dissertation (thesis) and should not be confused with PhD degrees or other research doctorates. A first-professional degree is an award that requires completion of a program that meets all of the following criteria: (1) completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession; (2) at least 2 years of college work prior to entering the program; and (3) a total of at least 6 academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including prior required college work plus the length of the professional program itself. First-professional degrees may be awarded in the following 10 fields currently:

• Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)
• Doctor of Dental Science (D.D.S.) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.)
• Doctor of Jurisprudence or Juris Doctor (J.D.)
• Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
• Doctor of Optometry (O.D.)
• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (D.O.)
• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
• Doctor of Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.)
• Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Hebrew Letters (M.H.L.) or Rabbinical Ordination (Rav)
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.).
• Crediting education in one-grade interval occupations -- For one-grade interval occupations, when education is used to meet specialized experience requirements at grade GS-5, the level of the course work must have been equivalent to at least the junior- and senior-year levels of a baccalaureate program. (See paragraph (d) above for discussion of level of education.)

Superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) -- This provision covers advanced trainee positions that provide opportunities for advancement upon attaining required job skills and knowledge, require no prior experience, and have work classified at two-grade intervals. It recognizes students who have achieved superior academic standing as evidenced by one of the three methods described below. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.

The superior academic achievement provision applies to both initial appointment and inservice placement actions. It is to be used to determine eligibility for applicable GS-7 level positions of persons who have completed (or expect to complete within 9 months) all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

Senior students can apply for positions prior to graduation and be considered for a GS-7 appointment based on their grades at the time of application. However, some applicants may not receive their final grades in a timely fashion after graduation. Therefore, agencies can either:

• Require that senior students provide evidence that they maintained the required grades during their senior year prior to entry on duty; or
• Appoint applicants based on their claimed academic achievement,pending verification of final grades. Agencies should inform such applicants that if the required grades were not maintained through their senior year, there is a possibility that they may not be able to retain either the GS-7 grade or the position.

S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

• Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
• 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
• 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2years of the curriculum.

Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.

The G.P.A should be credited in a manner that is most beneficial to the applicant. For example, applicants may list their G.P.A. as recorded on their final transcript, or they may choose to compute their G.P.A. The specific provisions are detailed below:

• G.P.A. as recorded on the final transcript. The final transcript must cover the period being used to determine G.P.A., i.e., all 4 years or last 2 years.
• An applicant for a Biologist position has a bachelor's degree that included no biology course work, but has taken 24semester hours in undergraduate biology courses after obtaining the bachelor's degree. The grades earned in the biology courses should be included in the computation to determine this applicant's eligibility for GS-7 under the Superior Academic Achievement provision. These courses should be counted in determining (1) the overall grade-point average, (2) the average obtained during the final 2 years of the undergraduate curriculum, and/or (3) the average in the major field of study. For purposes of this example, biology would be considered the major field of study.
• G.P.A. excluding pass/fail courses. Applicants usually cannot claim credit based on their overall G.P.A. if more than 10 percent of their total credit was based on pass/fail or similar systems rather than on traditional grading systems. However, if they can document that only their freshman-year courses (25 percent or less of their total credit) were credited on a pass/fail or similar system, they can use their overall G.P.A. to claim Superior Academic Achievement. If 10percent or fewer credits or only freshman-year courses were based on pass/fail or similar systems, such credits can be ignored and the G.P.A. computed on the graded courses. Applicants can, however,still claim credit based on their last 2 years if 10 percent or fewer credits were based on pass/fail or similar systems. Applicants who cannot claim credit under the G.P.A. requirements may claim credit for superior academic achievement only on the basis of class standing or honor society membership.

Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies listed below. Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

• Alpha Beta Gamma
• Alpha Epsilon
• Alpha Epsilon Delta
• Alpha Epsilon Rho
• Alpha Eta Mu Beta
• Alpha Iota Delta
• Alpha Kappa Delta
• Alpha Kappa Mu
• Alpha Lamba Delta
• Alpha Phi Sigma
• Alpha Pi Mu
• Alpha Sigma Lambda
• Alpha Sigma Mu
• Alpha Sigma Nu
• Beta Gamma Sigma
• Beta Kappa Chi
• Beta Phi Mu
• Chi Epsilon
• Chi Sigma Iota
• Delta Epsilon Sigma
• Delta Mu Delta
• Delta Tau Alpha
• Epsilon Pi Tau
• Gamma Theta Upsilon
• Kappa Mu Epsilon
• Kappa Omicron Nu
• Kappa Tau Alpha
• Lambda Iota Tau
• Lambda Pi Eta
• Lambda Sigma
• Mortar Board
• Mu Kappa Tau
• National Society of Scabbard and Blade
• NSCS (The National Society of Collegiate Scholars)
• Omega Chi Epsilon
• Omicron Delta Epsilon
• Phi Beta Delta
• Phi Sigma Iota
• Phi Sigma Tau
• Phi Upsilon Omicron
• Pi Alpha Alpha
• Pi Delta Phi
• Pi Gamma Mu
• Pi Kappa Lambda
• Pi Omega Pi
• Pi Sigma Alpha
• Pi Tau Sigma
• Pi Theta Epsilon
• Sigma Beta Delta
• Sigma Delta Pi
• Sigma Lambda Alpha
• Sigma Lambda Chi
• Sigma Pi Sigma
• Sigma Tau Delta
• Sigma Theta Tau
• Tau Alpha Pi
• Tau Beta Pi
• Tau Sigma Delta
• Theta Alpha Kappa
• Upsilon Pi Epsilon

Interpreting minimum educational requirements -- Title 5 U.S.C. 3308 permits the establishment of minimum educational requirements only when OPM has determined that the work cannot be performed by persons who do not possess the prescribed minimum education. This includes instances where it would not be cost-effective for an individual to acquire, through on-the-job training, the KSAs and competencies necessary for successful performance of the critical duties within a reasonable period of time. In addition, education is sometimes required by law for a position because of, e.g.,the impact on public health and safety or national security.

An agency may prescribe a minimum educational requirement (e.g., coursework) for employment in the Federal competitive service only when a minimum educational qualification is legally required to perform the duties. An agency may consider education in determining a candidate’s satisfaction of a minimum qualification only if the candidate’s education directly reflects the KSAs/ competencies necessary to satisfy that qualification and perform the duties of the position and align with job analysis.

The same minimum educational requirements apply to all applicants and employees including employees detailed to an occupational series with minimum educational requirements.

On rare occasions there may be applicants who may not meet exactly the educational requirements for a particular series, but who, in fact, may be demonstrably well qualified to perform the work in that series because of exceptional experience or a combination of education and experience. In such instances, a more comprehensive or holistic evaluation must be made of the applicant's entire background, with full consideration given to both education and experience. To be considered qualified, the applicant's work experience must reflect significant full performance-level accomplishment directly applicable to the position to be filled and be verified by a review of at least two persons (e.g., Human Resources, technical subject matter experts) who have professional standing in the field. Such verification is necessary to ensure that the applicant's background is compared to the appropriate duties and responsibilities required at the full performance level in the occupation. It is important that the comparison be based on a correctly classified position description or on OPM position classification standards or grade level criteria as well as an analysis of the work.

The following are examples of such situations:

• An applicant with a Ph.D. in mathematics applies for a GS-1701,Educational Research Specialist position at the GS-13 grade level. Because the qualification standard for GS-1701 requires courses in education or in a field appropriate to the work of the position, it might appear that this person is not qualified for the GS-1701 position because the applicant's Ph.D. is in mathematics. However, a review of the applicant's 20 years of experience shows that previous positions held include the post of Dean of Academic Affairs at a large university, as well as several years' experience in educational research comparable to the work of the position being filled. In this example, the applicant should berated qualified, since it is obvious that the lack of the specific educational requirement is more than offset by the long history of successful, high-level, directly applicable experience.

An applicant concluded his formal education at the end of the first semester of his senior year to pursue a research opportunity in his major field with a private company. The research led to advancement of the state of the art in his field. The applicant became a permanent employee with the company and worked there for 6 years, advancing to a senior position. During this time, the applicant took continuing education courses in his field.

The basic educational requirement specified in a standard is considered to be met if the applicant has (1) successfully demonstrated the ability to perform work at the full performance level in the appropriate professional field, and (2) demonstrated a good knowledge of the specialty field of the position to be filled and the related and underlying discipline comparable to at least a bachelor's degree.

The qualification standard for the Microbiology Series, GS-403, requires20 semester hours of microbiology plus 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences. An applicant has 23 semester hours in microbiology and 17 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences.

Since the applicant meets the 20-semester-hour requirement in microbiology, the primary requirement, the 3 hours in excess of 20 can be used to meet the 20-semester-hour requirement in the physical and mathematical sciences.

An applicant with a B.S. in Occupational Therapy applies for a GS-631,Occupational Therapy position at the GS-13 grade level. Because the qualification standard for GS-631 requires a graduate or higher-level degree appropriate for the occupation, it might appear that this person is not qualified for the GS-631 position because the applicant's Bachelor’s level degree. However, a review of the applicant's 15 years of experiences hows that previous positions held include direct patient care activities-related to the practice of Occupational Therapy, as well as experience in research comparable to the work of the position being filled. The research led to advancements in the field of occupational therapy. The applicant continued to advance their expertise by taking continuing education courses in the field. In this example, the applicant should be rated qualified, since it is obvious that the lack of the specific educational requirement is more than offset by the long history of successful directly applicable experience.

Health care (e.g., Occupational Therapy, 0631; Physical Therapy, 0633; Pharmacy, 0660; etc.) and other occupations where entry level occupational or First-Professional degrees have evolved over time are prime examples where agencies must apply further analysis of applicant credentials and experience to determine if minimum qualifications are met.

The basic educational requirement or individual occupational requirement specified in a standard is considered to be met if an applicant possesses the particular education and licensure requirements when they are performing their occupation.

Applicants may also be considered to have satisfied the minimum qualification requirements for a position if they can present evidence that clearly justifies a high evaluation of their competence, such as one of the following:

• Registration as a professional engineer or architect; or
• A substantial record of experience, achievement, and publications that demonstrates eminence in the appropriate professional/scientific field.

Waiver Request

Agencies can make minimum qualifications determinations as described above independently without having to request a waiver approval from OPM. An agency waiver may include verifying alternative substitution of a minimum qualifications, but not the omittance of a legal requirement. In cases in which agencies prefer to request a waiver from OPM, agencies may submit a waiver request to qualification standards through their agency Chief Human Capital Officer for OPM’s consideration and decision to approve the waiver request. An OPM qualifications waiver may involve complex requests involving unusual scenarios requiring qualifications policy interpretation by OPM. Agency requests to OPM for a waiver must include the following basic information in order to be properly considered:

• Request to waive the Individual Occupational Requirements of an OPM Qualification Standard including the rationale or need for the waiver and impact on meeting the agency’s mission;
• Copies of current official position descriptions with evaluation statements and other related position classification information;
• Job Opportunity Announcement;
• Job Analysis supporting required knowledge, skills and abilities and/or competencies required;
• The Applicants resume and other credentials;
• Summary of the assessment approach; and
• Required knowledge, skills, and abilities and/or competencies required for performing work.

Requests for waivers of OPM qualification standards should be sent to [email protected] . An OPM representative will contact you regarding your request. Incomplete requests will be returned to requesting agencies.

Education and experience can be combined to meet the minimum qualification requirements, as allowed in the applicable standard. To combine education and experience, determine the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level. Then determine the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. The group coverage standards contain examples of how to combine education and experience.

Note that only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level can be combined with the appropriate level of experience to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. For example, if a school's requirement for 1 year of graduate study is 18 semester hours, only graduate education beyond the first 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours can be combined with GS-7 level experience to qualify for a GS-9 level position. Thus, 9 semester hours of graduate education and 6 months of GS-7 level experience cannot be combined to qualify for a GS-9 position.

Screening an applicant for minimum qualifications is not the same as assessing applicants for the competencies and proficiency levels necessary to perform the job. Agencies are required to use validated (i.e., job-related) assessment tools when examining applicants for competitive service positions. Assessment tools include, but are not limited to, cognitive ability tests, work samples, situational judgment tests, job knowledge tests, and structured interviews. OPM’s Assessment and Selection webpage contains multiple competency-based assessment options and the Assessment Decision Guide that agencies can use to make assessment decisions.

Job applicants must be assessed appropriately using a passing grade assessment to demonstrate their KSAs/competencies for positions (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 4) . Assessments tools are effective for determining if job applicants possess KSAs/competencies based on their work, education, or training experiences. Agencies’ assessment of applicants may not rely solely on a self-assessment of KSAs/competencies. Applicants should be assessed to determine the quality of their KSAs/competencies aligned with the position as demonstrated by their educational attainment, experience, or a combination of the two.

Agencies must finalize assessment methods and prompts before posting a job announcement. In the “How You Will Be Evaluated section” of the job announcement, the job posting must clearly spell out each assessment hurdle and whether or not they are pass/fail and/or also used for ranking and rating for categories. Applicants must know how they will be evaluated when they apply, and agencies must treat all applicants equally (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 3) .

In an effort to enhance competency-based hiring practices agencies may use competency-based approaches for assessing and selecting job applicants. Agencies are required to conduct job analysis as the basis for employment practices in the Federal Government (5 CFR 300.103). A job analysis is used to identify the competencies and proficiency levels for work. KSAs/competencies identified via job analysis along with proficiency levels can be used to develop competency-based assessments. Competencies may be general (e.g., Problem Solving), meaning they may be required for many occupations, or technical, meaning they are required for a specific occupation. The Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 2 provides guidance on conducting a job analysis and identifying proficiency levels for application by agencies to carry out their hiring functions.

OPM develops, for agency use, governmentwide competency models that may be used to conduct job analysis as well as identify competencies for their positions. OPM has been conducting Governmentwide occupational studies using its Multipurpose Occupational Systems Analysis Inventory - Close-Ended (MOSAIC) methodology for more than two decades. MOSAIC, a multipurpose, survey-based occupational analysis approach, is used to collect information from incumbents and supervisors on many occupations for a wide range of human resource management functions. Through these studies, OPM has identified the critical competencies and tasks employees need to perform successfully in nearly 200 Federal occupations, as well as for leadership positions. OPM provides agencies with a basis for building integrated human resource management systems that use a common set of tasks and competencies to structure job design, recruitment, qualification and assessment, selection, performance management, training, and career development so that employees receive a consistent message about the factors on which they are selected, trained, and evaluated.

Competency-based qualifications approaches incorporate required proficiency levels for competencies that may be used to qualify talent. Agencies can identify through a job analysis and following the guidance in the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 2 , KSAs/competencies for their positions. OPM provides tools and resources for agencies to develop and implement competency-based qualification requirements. OPM will continue work with agencies to ensure they have the rights policy, tools, and guidance to employ competency-based assessments and practices. This is part of a larger OPM effort to revise the way OPM establishes qualification requirements to encourage agencies to measure the critical competencies required to perform effectively in Federal occupations and to transition Federal agencies to use competency-based assessments in the hiring process.

Competency-based qualifications may be used for minimum qualifications screening and subsequent assessments, which represents two separate steps in the examining process. Screening for minimum qualifications is usually the first hurdle in the selection process.

When using competency-based qualifications, applicants are required to meet the proficiency level on all required competencies through various means, including experience, education, or training. If any applicant fails to meet the required proficiency level on any of the competencies through any assessment even after the minimum qualifications step but before the certificate is issued, the applicant is ineligible and is automatically disqualified from further consideration for the position (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 4) .

Competency-based qualification requirements may be used in conjunction with the appropriate individual and/or group qualification standard. However, the use of competencies and proficiency levels are mandatory when using competency-based approaches to determine if applicant’s meet qualification requirements.

It is critical that agencies clearly and adequately identify the requirements of a position in the job announcement so that applicants understand the basis on which their application will be evaluated. In most instances, this explicit description of required general or specialized experience in the job announcement will ensure that applicants possess the necessary KSAs/competencies to perform the work of a position. (See 3 (c) .)

There are some positions, however, where specific qualifications are absolutely required because a person cannot perform successfully in the position without such qualifications. These can include requirements for specific KSAs/competencies or Federal or State requirements for licensure or certification. In such instances, it may be appropriate to consider the use of selective factors. A selective factor becomes part of the minimum requirements for a position, and applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. A selective factor can be used for positions at any grade level where its use would be appropriate.

The use of selective factors is especially helpful in situations where an agency uses an OPM list of eligibles, since individuals on the register would meet the requirements of the published qualification standard, but might not meet any additional, agency-specific requirement(s). Their use would also be helpful in those situations in which an agency has a nationwide job announcement, but has a special requirement for positions in a particular location because a duty performed is not routinely associated with the occupation, e.g., a contact representative position that requires fluency in Spanish.

If an agency wishes to use a selective factor when filling a vacancy through use of a civil service list of eligibles, it must complete a request and provide justification for the examining office's consideration and approval. The request should list the selective factor(s), include the position description, job analysis, or other official communication describing the duties and responsibilities of the position, and describe why selective factors are necessary for successful performance.

Selective factors cannot (1) be so narrow that they preclude from consideration applicants who could perform the duties of the position, (2) require KSAs/competencies that could be learned readily during the normal period of orientation to the position, (3) be so specific as to exclude from consideration applicants without prior Federal experience, or (4) be so restrictive that they run counter to the goal of placing applicants from priority placement lists established to assist in the placement of employees affected by reductions in force.

It is essential that any selective factors used in filling a particular vacancy be included in the job announcement. Agencies cannot require applicants to meet selective factors that were not established prior to advertising a position, nor can they require selective factors that were not made known to applicants. This disclosure in the job announcement must include as well how agencies will assess applicants for selective factors.

The KSAs and competencies gained from experience and education may be used as selective factors in accordance with the following instructions:

• Experience -- Agencies can request that examining offices honor selective factors that could have been acquired only through experience where the position requires program, regulatory, and/or procedural knowledge, such as knowledge of personnel, budget, laboratory, or purchasing procedures. Education alone may not have provided all the KSAs/competencies required for such a position; however, education supplemented by work such as internships,field work, and cooperative education that provided the program, regulatory, or procedural knowledge may be qualifying for the position. It is important to note that agencies cannot make experience requirements so specific that only employees of the agency could meet the minimum requirements, as this would inappropriately restrict competition.
• Education – If the applicable standard allows for qualifying either on the basis of experience and/or education, an agency cannot require that applicants qualify on the basis of education only. However, the restriction in title 5 U.S.C. 3308 does not preclude agencies from evaluating an applicant's education to determine if it provided the KSAs/competencies required to meet selective or quality ranking factors. Additionally, agencies can request that consideration be limited to fields of study that provide the specific KSAs/competencies for a particular position when considering the qualifications of individuals applying on the basis of education. (For example, an agency has a vacancy for a physicist position specializing in a branch of solid-state physics).

Agencies can request quality ranking factors to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position. Quality ranking factors are KSAs/competencies that could be expected to significantly enhance performance in a position, but, unlike selective factors, are not essential for satisfactory performance. (For example, skill in public speaking might be used as a quality ranking factor for a position in an organization where policy changes are communicated to the public in several ways, and oral communication is one of the ways.) Applicants who possess the quality ranking factors can be ranked above those who do not, but no one can be rated ineligible solely for failure to possess a quality ranking factor.

The KSAs/competencies used as quality ranking factors may have been obtained through either experience or education. Therefore, relevant academic courses can provide evidence of possession of quality ranking factors even for occupations where their use as selective factors is prohibited by title 5 U.S.C. 3308. This would be particularly true at entry grade levels where many applicants may not possess experience that demonstrated the applicable KSAs/competencies. For example, a budget analyst position may involve duties such as determining whether the budget requests of several divisions in an agency are justified based on economic forecasts. While no particular courses are required for basic eligibility as a budget analyst, for applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements on the basis of education, courses such as business administration, finance, or economics might reasonably be expected to enhance performance in the position.

Special Inservice Placement Provisions

Inservice placement applicants may meet minimum qualification requirements based on education (including superior academic achievement) and/or experience, as specified in the appropriate qualification standard. To qualify, they must usually have the same level and type of experience or education that is required for initial appointment. However, there are some special provisions, as follows:

• Minimum educational requirements -- When there is a change to or addition of minimum educational requirements to an occupational series, Federal employees currently classified to that series do not have to meet the new educational requirements. (Also see (b) below.)

The "add-on rule" -- If an employee qualified for his or her current position by meeting the provisions of the appropriate standard (either an OPM standard or an agency-modified standard, as described in (c) below), the agency need only add on the difference between the length of experience required for the current position and the length of experience required for the proposed position. For example, a GS-2 employee in a clerical position qualified for his or her current position on the basis of high school graduation. The employee would be eligible for promotion to GS-3 after 3 months of employment since the difference between the experience requirements for GS-2 (3 months) and the experience requirements for GS-3 (6 months) is 3 months. Note that at the GS-2 level, a high school diploma is credited the same as 3 months of experience.

The "add-on rule" can be used even when the current and proposed positions are classified in different series if the level and quality of the experience required for the two series are not significantly different. The "add-on rule" can be used for any inservice placement action; however, the following restrictions apply:

• The employee has maintained current occupational knowledge through employment or education and meets any licensure or certification requirements; and
• Comparison of the position descriptions or other documentation of work performed shows clearly that the employee's former position included all the basic duties of the position to be filled and provided the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs)/competencies necessary to perform the duties of the new position. (This is particularly important when a minimum educational requirement has been added to an occupational series that did not have one when the employee served in it. In that instance, some positions formerly classified in the series may not have required full occupational knowledge and are now classified in a different series.)
• If an employee has been placed in a position based on waiver of qualification requirements, the "add-on rule" does not apply, since the waiver provisions are normally applicable to that position only.

Modifying experience requirements for certain inservice placement actions -- An agency may determine that an individual can successfully perform the work of a position even though that person may not meet all the requirements in the OPM qualification standard. In that situation, agencies are authorized to modify OPM qualification standards for reassignments, voluntary changes to lower grades,transfers, reinstatements, and repromotions to a grade not higher than a grade previously held when the applicant's background includes related experience that provided the KSAs/competencies necessary for successful job performance. This authority should be used only when there is a reasonable likelihood that the employee will successfully make the transition to the new position and cannot be used for directed reassignments to positions in which an employee obviously would not be able to perform the work.

This authority is not to be used for placement to a higher grade, except where the employee previously held a position at that grade or higher-grade levels.

This authority can be used to place an employee in a position with greater promotion potential than the position currently or previously held. If an agency's merit promotion plan requires employees to compete for the position, the agency must specify in the job announcement the qualification requirements to be met. The experience accepted as qualifying should equip the employee to meet the critical elements set out in the performance standard for the position. This provision does not authorize agencies to disregard minimum educational, licensure, or certification requirements in OPM standards.

The agency's use of a modified standard should be documented sufficiently to show that it was intentional, and that the assignment did not result from misinterpretation of the OPM standard. When an employee has been placed in a position based on modification of a qualification standard under this provision, the "add-on rule" may be applied in any subsequent inservice placement action.

• Experience level required for promotion in one-grade interval series. In a one-grade interval series, experience at the second lower grade level can be credited when there is no position in the normal line of progression that is one grade lower than the position being filled. When this provision is used for promotions requiring competition under the agency's merit promotion plan, the fact that employees can qualify with at least 1 year at either the next lower level or the second lower level must be stated in any job announcement. (Also see p. II-9, 3 (o) ).
• Crediting education or training for promotion -- Education or training can be credited as experience towards promotion for employees who are detailed or are granted leave without pay for the purpose of obtaining specialized knowledge and skills. The agency must determine that the education or training contributes materially to the competence of the employee in his/her work and that the employee possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)/competencies needed for successful performance in the position to be filled. This education cannot be credited again towards meeting the basic educational requirements in a standard. (See 3 (i) )

Citizenship -- Agencies must adhere to the following restrictions regarding United States citizenship when evaluating persons seeking Federal civil service employment:

• Executive Order 11935, which requires citizenship for the competitive civil service, i.e., only a United States citizen or national may be appointed to the competitive service. This requirement applies to all types of appointments. In noncompetitive conversions from the excepted service, the citizenship requirement must be met as of the effective date of the action. (A national is a person who owes allegiance to or is under the protection of a nation, but is not a citizen or subject. However, a native is typically born in the particular place.) Natives of the following areas are United States citizens: Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin Islands of the United States, including St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. At present, only natives of American Samoa and Swains Island are nationals of the United States;
• The annual Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriation Act ban on paying aliens from many countries; and
• The immigration law ban (title 8 U.S.C. 1324a) on employing aliens, unless they are lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise authorized to be employed.

In specific cases, OPM may authorize the appointment of aliens to competitive service jobs to promote the efficiency of the service, as an exception to the Order, and to the extent permitted by law.

Each agency is responsible for applying any additional citizenship restrictions or exceptions that are authorized by its own enabling and appropriation statutes.

Positions with sedentary, light, or moderately active duties are covered by the following medical standard:

Applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing, or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant for appointment. The loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation, in accordance with title 29 CFR 1613.704, must also be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties. Also, all positions involving Federal motor vehicle operation carry the additional medical requirements specified in (f) below.

Positions with specific medical requirements and that involve arduous/hazardous duties or require a high standard of human reliability are identified in the Medical Requirements section. For such positions, the medical requirements are based on the arduous or hazardous nature of the duties typically performed in most of the positions covered. However, since individual positions may not include all such duties, a physical condition or impairment may be disqualifying for employment only if there is a direct relationship between the condition and the nature of the duties of the specific position to be filled. In some instances, a physical impairment will not disqualify an applicant for appointment if the condition is compensated for by a satisfactory prosthesis, mechanical aid, or by reasonable accommodation. Also, all positions involving Federal motor vehicle operation carry the additional medical requirements specified in (f) below.

Age -- (1) Minimum entry age requirements. Under 5 U.S.C. 3301, OPM is authorized to establish standards with respect to a minimum entry age that applicants must meet to be admitted to or rated in examinations. A minimum age requirement ensures that applicants have the maturity necessary for successful job performance and that Federal Government hiring practices are not in conflict with the general objective of encouraging students to complete their basic education. Minimum entry age requirements must be waived for persons entitled to veterans preference, unless OPM determines that such an age restriction is essential for performance of the duties of the position.

Generally, unless a different minimum entry age is contained in the standard or examination announcement for a particular position, applicants for any position in the competitive service must be (1) at least 18 years old, or (2) at least 16 years old and:

• Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or
• Have completed a formal vocational training program; or
• Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or
• Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

Applications may be considered from individuals who meet one of the above conditions and will reach the age of 16 prior to or on the date they report to work.

Title 5 U.S.C. 3307 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to establish the minimum age requirement for initial appointment to U.S. Park police positions.

In addition to the above, agencies must observe the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as Federal, State, and local laws that relate to the employment of minors in hazardous positions or in positions requiring the use of firearms.

(2)Maximum entry age restrictions. Title 5 U.S.C. 3307(a) prohibits the establishment of a maximum entry age for Federal positions, except as provided below. The prohibition against establishing maximum entry age limits applies to noncompetitive actions as well as to competitive appointments, to the excepted as well as to competitive services, and to all agencies, including OPM. Consequently, agencies cannot apply a maximum entry age limit under merit promotion procedures or in selection through any type of noncompetitive action,except as provided in the applicable Sections of the United States Code. There are no maximum entry age restrictions for most positions in the competitive service, except as follows:

• Title 5 U.S.C. 3307, authorizes the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Defense to establish a maximum entry age for original appointment to air traffic controller positions in their respective Departments. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to establish a maximum entry age for original appointment to U.S. Park police positions. The head of any agency is authorized to establish a maximum entry age for original appointment to positions of law enforcement officers or firefighters; and
• Title 29 U.S.C. 633a permits agencies to establish a maximum age requirement only in instances where they have proven to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that age is a bona fide occupational qualification necessary for the performance of the duties of a particular position.

Maximum age restrictions established under 29 U.S.C. 633a or under the special authorities in 5 U.S.C. 3307 are not waived for persons entitled to veterans’ preference.

Written and performance tests -- Occupational series/positions with written and/or performance test requirements are identified in the section entitled test requirements. Written and performance tests are to be used as follows:

• Initial appointments -- Tests are required for some occupational series,either for all applicants or for those applicants who do not meet specific requirements indicated in the standard. If a test is required, applicants who are subject to that test must pass or have previously passed it to be eligible for initial appointment. This includes competitive appointments,and appointments under most noncompetitive appointing authorities.

Inservice placement -- (1) Tests required by OPM. There are a few occupational series for which a test is required by OPM for inservice placement. For such series, agencies must use and applicants must pass the appropriate OPM test. Occupational series with such requirements are also identified in the Test Requirements section.

(2)Tests required by agencies. For positions for which OPM does not require a test, agencies may develop and use tests without OPM approval,as long as the test is part of a comprehensive set of assessment procedures used in ranking employees. The use and appropriateness of such tests are the responsibility of the agency. Agencies cannot, however,use existing OPM tests for such positions, unless specific approval has been received from OPM.

(3)How inservice applicants can be examined. In occupations other than those where OPM requires a test for inservice placement, if an agency prefers to use alternatives to testing (e.g., evaluation of training and experience, interview, performance appraisal) to measure qualifications, it can do so, or it may use a test as one of several tools in evaluating applicants. Tests can be used to determine basic eligibility (i.e., on a pass-fail basis) or as the sole basis for ranking inservice placement applicants, only when specific approval has been received from OPM.

(4)Performance tests. As a general guide, performance tests (e.g., typing proficiency tests) can be used to evaluate inservice placement applicants when, within the past 3 years, they have not performed successfully in a position that required proficiency in the skills needed for the position to be filled.

• Assessments –The use of effective assessments can improve the validity of the selection process and improve the quality of hires. Agencies must evaluate applicants on all required KSAs/competencies including selective factors and quality ranking factors determined by the agency. Agencies are responsible for developing an appropriate assessment method for evaluating applicants on job related KSAs/competencies. In most cases, many agencies currently determine qualifications using occupational questionnaires that applicants complete when first applying for a position. However, the competency-based approach goes beyond minimum qualifications and provides agencies the flexibility to confirm through other assessment methods that the required competencies and proficiencies are met. Using effective assessment tools is one of the most critical parts of examining candidates. For more information on assessments and designing an assessment strategy, please refer to OPM’s Assessment Decision Guide , the Assessment and Selection website and, the Delegating Examination Operations Handbook, Chapter 5 .

Licensure, certification, and other requirements or provisions -- Applicants for positions in some occupational series must by relevant state law meet certification, licensure, or registration requirements in addition to meeting experience and/or educational requirements.

In other series, applicants can qualify fully on the basis of licensure, certification, registration, or special training as an alternative to experience and/or educational requirements. Such requirements or provisions are noted in the qualification standards or individual occupational requirements for those series. Agencies can establish requirements for specific credentials (e.g., registration, licenses, or certificates) when such credentials are necessary for satisfactory job performance. However, it is important that agencies not overemphasize the possession of credentials as a means of determining whether applicants meet minimum qualification requirements in a series where the standard permits qualification on the basis of experience or education. Staffing personnel must examine the background of all applicants and give full credit to any acceptable experience, as well as to education or training.

Licensure and certification requirements may not be waived unless specified in the qualification standard.

Motor vehicle incidental operator requirements -- Title 40 U.S.C. 471 requires OPM to issue regulations governing executive agencies in authorizing their civilian personnel to operate Government owned or leased motor vehicles within the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the possessions of the United States. OPM's regulations are found at title 5 CFR 930.

Incidental operators are employees, other than those occupying a position officially classified as a motor vehicle operator, who are required to operate a Government owned or leased motor vehicle to properly carry out their assigned duties. To qualify as an incidental operator, an employee must possess a valid State license, have a safe driving record, pass a road test, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely.

OPM waives the road test for incidental operators:

• who operate vehicles of one-ton capacity or less and who possess a current driver's license from one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, where domiciled or principally employed, except for incidental operators of buses or vehicles used for transportation of dangerous material, law enforcement, or emergency services;
• who possess a current driver's license, for the specific class of vehicle operated, from one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico,where domiciled or principally employed; or
• in accordance with a specific authorization by OPM to the agency concerned.

An agency head may waive the road test when it is not practical to apply it, and then only for an employee whose competence as a driver has been established by his/her past driving record.

In general, no medical condition may be considered disqualifying unless there is evidence that it is likely to adversely affect job performance or safety to an unacceptable degree. At least once every 4 years, each agency will ensure that employees who operate Government owned or leased vehicles are medically able to do so without undue risk to themselves or others. Where there is a question about an employee's ability to operate a motor vehicle safely, the employee may be referred for a medical examination in accordance with provisions of title 5 CFR 339.

All supervisory positions require a combination of subject-matter knowledge and skills and managerial abilities related to getting work done through other people, e.g., planning, assigning, and reviewing work, and evaluating performance. The relative importance of supervisory skills and subject-matter knowledge will depend on the specific duties of the position being filled. Therefore, applicants for supervisory positions may be evaluated using the appropriate standard for the series and/or the Supervisory Guide . In determining the level of subject-matter knowledge required, it should be kept in mind that the subject-matter duties are not always classified at the same grade level as the supervisory duties.

In some instances, employees are assigned to supervise work in a series other than the one to which their positions are classified, and it will be necessary to determine whether this supervision provided them with appropriate experience to qualify for a position in the series supervised. For example, was the supervision purely administrative in nature, or was the supervisor also required to have substantial subject-matter knowledge of the work performed to provide technical direction? If it is determined that the supervisor provided technical direction, the grade-level of the subject-matter duties involved should be determined so that they may be appropriately credited.

Updating Qualification Standards

OPM's goal is to keep the requirements in the qualification standards as current as possible. Therefore, agencies are requested to inform Talent Acquisition and Workforce Shaping of substantive changes to occupational or agency requirements so that the appropriate qualification standard can be revised. Additionally, if agencies are having difficulty in obtaining well qualified applicants on the basis of current qualification requirements, they should contact Employee Services, Talent Acquisition, Classification and Veterans Programs Center so that a determination can be made on whether the standard is in need of revision.

The standards contained in this section, adapted by use of agency selective factors, when necessary, should fit most jobs. Agencies may submit requests for updates to standards through their Chief Human Capital Officers for OPM to consider establishing new or revising existing standards at any time. The formal request must come through an agency’s Headquarters Human Resources Office.

Agency requests for new standards and revisions must include the following basic information in order to be properly considered:

• A proposed qualification standard and a job analysis showing how the proposed requirements at entry, full-performance, and higher levels relate to the work to be performed at those levels;
• Approximate number of jobs in the agency that would be covered by the proposed standard, with their grade levels and organizational and geographic locations;
• Representative position descriptions, including at least one at the full-performance level, evaluation statements, and related classification information;
• Employment data - the number of impacted positions and their current classification (e.g., pay plan, title, occupational series, and grade);
• Organizational charts clearly identifying positions;
• Explanation of why the current qualification standard(s) and the use of selective factors are not effective;
• Job analysis for required knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or competencies for performing work;
• Copies of current performance standards for the work;
• Copies of job opportunity announcements used to fill positions;
• Statistical data/information on current recruitment efforts and challenges filling positions;
• Statistical data/information illustrating current retention and turnover issues;
• Information concerning use of Hiring Flexibilities, such as, 3Rs and Special Salary Rates;
• Related agency studies/surveys of positions;
• Other agencies with similar positions (e.g., any other agencies likely to have covered positions); and
• Any other pertinent information related to this work at your agency.

OPM conducts comprehensive occupational studies to substantiate the need for updating or establishing classification and qualification standards. OPM may request additional information based on the scope of the study and evidence needed to inform policymaking efforts.

Requests for updates to qualification standards, new qualification standards, and waivers of OPM qualification standards should be sent to [email protected]. An OPM representative will contact you regarding your request. The time frame is contingent upon the work that has to be completed, current priorities, and current projects. Incomplete requests will not be processed.

Requests to establish additional standards or to update standards may also be sent to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management Employee Services Talent Acquisition, Classification, and Veterans Programs Classification and Assessment Policy 1900 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20415

• Title 5 U.S.C., Chapters 11, 21, 23, 31, 33, 35, and 51.
• Title 5 CFR 300, Employment (General)
• Title 5 CFR 307, Veterans Recruitment Appointments
• Title 5 CFR 332, Recruitment and Selection through Competitive Examination
• Title 5 CFR 335, Promotion and Internal Placement
• Title 5 CFR 337, Examining System
• Title 5 CFR 338, Qualification Requirements (General)
• Title 5 CFR 339, Medical Qualification Determinations
• Title 5 CFR 353, Restoration to Duty from Military Service or Compensable Injury
• Title 5 CFR 930, Programs for Specific Positions and Examinations(Miscellaneous)
• Executive Order (13932) on Modernizing and Reforming the Assessment and Hiring of Federal Job Candidates
• Introduction to the Position Classification Standards
• Handbook of Occupational Groups and Series
• The Delegated Examining Operations Handbook
• Directory of Postsecondary Institutions U.S. Department of Education Public Information Division Education Information Branch Washington, DC 20208-1404 (202)219-1651
• Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies and Associations U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education Higher Education Management Services Washington, DC 20202 (202)708-8922
• Guides to the Academic Placement of Students from Foreign Countries in Educational Institutions of the United States of America American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers(AACRAO)- One Dupont Circle, N.W., Suite 330 Washington, DC 20036-1110 (202)293-9161
• Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education American Council on Education (ACE) published for The Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation (CORPA) One Dupont Circle, N.W., Suite 305 Washington, DC 20036 (202)452-1433
• The hep Higher Education Directory Higher Education Publications, Inc. (HEP) 2946 Sleepy Hollow Road Falls Church, Virginia 22044 (703)532-2300
• Peterson's Guides to Two-Year Colleges Peterson's Guides to Four-Year Colleges Peterson's Guides, Inc. P.O. Box 2123 Princeton, New Jersey 08543-2123A
• Association of College Honor Societies - Booklet of Information 4990 Northwind Drive, Suite 140 East Lansing, Michigan 48823-5031 (517)351-8335
• Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities Baird's Manual Foundation 3901 West 86th Street, Suite 390 Indianapolis, Indiana 46268

Related Information

Test requirements.

This section contains a summary of occupational series for which the U.S. Office of Personnel Management currently requires written and/or performance tests. It will be updated periodically to reflect changes in test coverage as they occur. The test coverage list in this section of the Manual takes precedence over any information in specific qualification standards about which occupations require written and/or performance tests.

Test requirements are for competitive appointments only, unless otherwise specified. Agencies should refer to the " written and performance tests " section for general policy guidance on the use of written and performance tests.

Please note that this section contains only a summary listing of test coverage, and does not reflect special examining provisions, such as "outstanding scholar" direct-hire appointments, waivers based on shortage labor market conditions, or other special circumstances that permit applicants to be exempted from written test requirements.

(Note that references to "ACWA," the Administrative Careers With America examinations, pertain only to positions that meet the ACWA criteria.)

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Medical Requirements

This section provides a summary of the occupational series that have medical requirements. Title 5 CFR 339, "Medical Qualification Determinations," contains the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's basic guidance on the establishment of medical standards and physical requirements for Federal civilian positions.

Applicants and employees cannot be disqualified arbitrarily on the basis of medical standards, physical requirements, fitness tests, or other criteria that do not relate specifically to job performance. In addition, agencies are required to provide reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities who demonstrate that they can perform the work of the position to be filled.

In accordance with 5 CFR 339, agencies have the authority to establish medical standards for positions for which they are the predominant employer, i.e., have 50 percent or more of the employees in the occupational series. In establishing such standards, they must comply with the provisions in 5 CFR 339 pertaining to job-relatedness, reasonable accommodation, etc.

Generally, when medical requirements have been established by OPM, those requirements are included in the individual qualification standard or individual occupational requirements.

The following occupations have medical and/or physical requirements:

• GS-006 Correctional Institution Administration Series
• GS-007 Correctional Officer Series
• GS-081 Fire Protection and Prevention Series
• GS-082 United States Marshal Series
• GS-083 Police Series
• GS-084 Nuclear Materials Courier Series
• GS-085 Security Guard Series
• GS-101 Correctional Treatment Specialist (Dept. of Justice)
• GS-462 Forestry Technician Series --Smokejumper positions
• GS-485 Wildlife Refuge Management Series --positions with pilot duties
• GS-660 Pharmacist Series
• GS-664 Restoration Technician Series
• GS-680 Dental Officer Series
• GS-1801 Canine Enforcement Officer (Dept. of the Treasury)
• GS-1801 Surface Mining Reclamation Specialist (Dept. of the Interior)
• GS-1811 Criminal Investigating Series
• GS-1811 Treasury Enforcement Agent (Dept. of the Treasury)
• GS-1815 Air Safety Investigating Series
• GS-1822 Mine Safety and Health Series
• GS-1825 Aviation Safety Series
• GS-1850 Agricultural Commodity Warehouse Examining Series
• GS-1863 Food Inspection Series
• GS-1884 Customs Patrol Officer Series
• GS-1890 Customs Inspection Series
• GS-1896 Border Patrol Agent Series
• GS-2152 Air Traffic Control Series
• GS-2181 Aircraft Operation Series

In addition, some medical requirements apply to positions that have unique duties, require motor vehicle operation, or involve work performed in a particular environment. Information about such requirements is provided to applicants by the employing agency.

• Medical Eligibility Requirements

Technical Notes and Updates

This section of the Manual is included to highlight special staffing requirements or provisions. Regular users of the Manual may also want to retain their own notes here for ready reference when questions arise about recurring issues.

Special Staffing Situations

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Qualifications-Related Policy Memoranda

Qualification standards are intended to identify applicants who are likely to perform successfully on the job, and to screen out those who are unlikely to do so. The standards are not designed to rank candidates, identify the best qualified applicants for particular positions, or otherwise substitute for a careful analysis of the applicant's knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies. The  General Schedule Qualification Standards  section of the Operating Manual contains group qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IORs), individual qualification standards, and competency based qualification policy and guidance.

Federal executive branch agencies are responsible for applying the appropriate standards in individual personnel actions and when examining for positions under a delegated examining authority. Agencies are required to establish and outline policies that implement the OPM provisions prescribed in this operating manual in their agency merit promotion plans, policy, and guidance. Information provided in OPM qualification standards generally is not sufficiently specific to be used directly in examining for positions or quoted in job announcements. Therefore,agencies must include in their job announcements the general or specialized experience or education required for their positions. It is not adequate to state," See Qualification Standards Operating Manual for General Schedule Positions  for experience requirements. (See  (c) ) on describing experience in job announcements). All job postings must include specific qualifications based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)/competencies from a job analysis for each employment action (5 CFR 300.103).

Agencies are also responsible for developing  selective factors , when needed, to supplement the standards in this section. Selective factors may only be prescribed if the KSAs/competencies are required upon entry to the position and are essential to performing work successfully as validated by a job analysis ( Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 2(PDF file) ).

Agencies are responsible for establishing medical standards without OPM approval for occupations for which they are the predominant employer, i.e., have 50 percent or more of the positions in the occupation (See  9 (b) ).

Agencies can also modify qualification requirements for certain inservice placement actions (See  8 (c) ). When agencies define or modify particular requirements, they are responsible for supporting their decisions. Agencies can also waive or modify qualification requirements when assigning employees in reductions in force or in lieu of reductions in force.  (See OPM guidance on reduction-in-force procedures.)

The qualification standards in this section help determine which applicants would be able to perform satisfactorily in the positions to be filled. The education, training, experience, or other requirements included in the qualification standards are  minimum requirements , i.e., it would be unlikely that an applicant for employment would be able to perform satisfactorily in a particular position or occupational series if he or she did not possess these qualifications. The standards are designed to be easy to understand and to eliminate artificial barriers that hinder entrance into Federal occupational series. The standards provide flexibility through a job analysis to identify the needed KSAs/competencies to meet agencies missions.

Furthermore, the requirements in OPM qualification standards can be supplemented by selective or quality ranking factors as described below in  6 .  and  7 .  OPM qualification standards include broad requirements used governmentwide. Agencies must identify the competencies needed for their positions and not copy minimum qualifications verbatim. Agencies must conduct job analyses to supplement OPM qualification standards (5 CFR 300.103).

Agencies and examining offices should select the qualification standard that covers the occupational series to which a position has been classified. If there is more than one standard for an occupational series, they should  select the standard  for the applicable position(s).

For competitive appointments,  OPM or agency examining offices will have determined the appropriate qualification standard to apply.

For inservice placement actions,  agencies should apply the appropriate standards and instructions in this section. If, however, at the time of an inservice placement action, the qualification requirements in an open competitive examination for an occupation are different from those in this section, agencies can apply the requirements in either the competitive examination or in this section.

For details,  employees do not have to meet the qualification requirements for the position to which they are detailed, except for any minimum educational, licensure and certification requirements.

• General experience  is usually required at grade levels (i.e., GS-2 to GS-4) where the knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of a specific position are not a prerequisite, but where applicants must have demonstrated the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills.
• Specialized experience  is typically required for positions above the entry level where applicants must have demonstrated that they possess the ability to perform successfully the duties of a position after a normal orientation period. Specialized experience is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
• The description of qualifying general experience will vary in its degree of specificity from one series to another. For some occupational series, any progressively responsible work experience may be qualifying. Others may require experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupational series. For example, an entry level medical technician position may require general experience that provided a basic knowledge of the procedures and equipment in a chemical or clinical laboratory. The proper analysis of work to determine the KSAs/competencies needed to perform the work successfully is essential  (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, Section C – Create a Job Opportunity Announcement)(PDF file) .
• Determining level of experience -- Most qualification standards require that a certain amount of the qualifying experience be at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the next lower or second lower grade. The grade-level criteria in the position classification standard or guide help in making this determination, particularly for applicants with experience outside the Federal Government.
• Identifying specialized experience -- As indicated in (b) above, many qualification standards describe specialized experience as experience "related to the work of the position." This is to allow agencies to pinpoint the specific requirements in the job announcements for their positions. For example, to meet the specialized experience requirements for a medical technician position, the applicant would likely be required to have specific duties such as preparing culture media and stains and performing certain laboratory tests. The description of duties and responsibilities contained in the position classification standard, along with the position description, help in identifying the kinds of work experience that would meet this requirement. In addition, the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)/competencies required to perform the work can also be described along with the appropriate proficiency levels from a job analysis (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 3, Section C – Create a Job Opportunity Announcement)(PDF file) .
• If the standard distinguishes between general and specialized experience, general experience cannot be credited as specialized experience. However, specialized experience can be credited as general experience.
• Federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. However, experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager or human resources director, SF-52, or other documentation). Similarly, experience gained in the Federal service under a misassignment or improper appointment is given the same credit as experience under a proper appointment if the applicant submits satisfactory evidence to substantiate his/her claim.
• Appropriate experience gained while on detail or in "mixed-grade" or "mixed-series" positions is creditable when satisfactorily documented. Credit is given for the percentage of time that the applicant spent on the qualifying duties. Also see paragraph (l)  on crediting experience gained on detail, and  10  on crediting supervisory experience.
• An employee whose position is upgraded as a result of a reclassification is considered to meet the qualification requirements of the upgraded position, since he or she has been performing the higher-graded work. However, employees must meet any licensure or certification requirements, as well as any minimum educational requirements or the provisions in section  9(e) .

Crediting one-grade interval or wage grade experience -- If the experience demonstrated the KSAs/competencies required to perform the work successfully, technician, paraprofessional, and substantive clerical support experience may be qualifying for two-grade interval positions, and wage grade experience may be qualifying for General Schedule positions, this is true for either lateral or promotion actions.

• In occupations where the normal work year is less than the calendar year, e.g., teaching, an applicant who works the prevailing work year should be credited with a full year of required experience unless the applicable standard specifies otherwise. An applicant who receives a full year's credit for less than 12 months of actual work cannot gain additional credit for doing more of the same work in the remaining months (e.g., for teaching in summer school). However, credit can be given for any applicable experience gained in a different type of work, but no more than 1 year of experience can be credited for any 12-month period.

Applicants who have the same amount of experience should generally receive the same credit. For example, a seasonal employee who worked full time for 9 months a year and a part-time employee who worked 30 hours a week for a year would receive the same credit. However, as stated in paragraph  (d) , agencies should ensure that the quality of an applicant's experience clearly demonstrates the KSAs/competencies necessary to perform the work of the position to be filled. Agencies should be careful in totaling small segments of time worked to ensure that they materially add to a person's qualifications, e.g., that substantive knowledge or skills have been gained.

• Employees who entered military duty or who sustained compensable injuries on the job while serving under a career or career-conditional appointment will receive credit for experience on a different basis. See 5CFR 353, Restoration to Duty from Uniformed Service or Compensable Injury. (Also see paragraph  (k)  on Military experience, that follows, to determine how to credit military leave as experience.)

General experience  -- Credit may be given for general experience gained concurrently in more than one position depending on its applicability. If the experience meets the requirements of the standard, credit should be given for the time, excluding overtime, worked in each position. However, credit can be given for only 1 year of experience for any 12-month period. For example, a person who worked full time in each of two clerical positions for over 6 months during a 12-month period, performing duties comparable to the GS-3 level, can only be credited with a year of general clerical experience.

• Specialized Experience  -- Concurrent, straight-time experience in a second position can be credited towards meeting specialized experience requirements only if it contributes significantly to the applicant's possession of the specific KSAs/competencies required for the position to be filled. However, credit may be given for only 1 year of qualifying experience for any 12-month period.
• Crediting teaching experience for non-teaching positions -- In evaluating teaching experience for credit as specialized experience, the nature of the material taught, and the responsibility, scope, and knowledge required by the teaching position should be compared to the requirements of the appropriate standard. To be creditable as specialized experience, the teaching and non-teaching activities should have provided the applicant with the same type and level of KSAs/competencies that would be required to perform qualifying work in the field. Normally, teaching experience would have to be at the college level to be creditable for professional positions.
• Education and experience gained concurrently -- When qualifying education and experience (when applicable) have been gained concurrently, credit is given for each based on the time spent and merit of each. In many instances, supervised experience is required as part of an academic curriculum or course work (e.g. nursing, teaching, or social work). An applicant cannot receive full credit for this supervised experience as education and additional credit for the supervised experience as experience, except as may be provided in a particular standard, since the practical experience is integral to the educational curriculum. The applicant can, however, receive full credit for supervised experience that was not considered as part of the qualifying education. (Also see paragraph (j) below.)

Crediting work-study experience for initial appointment  -- Experience gained by graduates of work-study programs can be credited towards meeting specialized experience requirements if the work-study experience was related to and integrated with education above the high school level and contributed to the development of competence in the specialized field of the position being filled. To meet the specialized experience requirements, the applicant must have12 months of work experience in a work-study program, with at least 2 months(320 hours) of work equivalent to the next lower grade level or band in the normal line of progression for the position to be filled.

(Undergraduate work-study experience is normally comparable to experience gained at GS-5 or below.) Work-study experience is creditable, even when it is a mandatory requirement of the school, unless academic credit, i.e., grades or credit hours, has been given for such experience. Note that credit cannot be granted both as education and experience for the same period of work. (See paragraph  (i)  above.)

• Extension of prior civilian experience -- Creditable military service can be counted as an extension of the work the individual was engaged in immediately prior to entry into service ("Immediately prior to" is defined as within the 90-day period preceding entry into military service). In instances where an individual accepted fill-in employment while awaiting induction, he or she is considered as having been employed in his or her regular occupation "immediately prior to" entry into military service, if the period off ill-in employment did not exceed 90 days. In crediting time spent in military service as an extension of time spent in civilian occupations, military service can be credited either as an extension of the regular employment or of the fill-in employment, whichever is more advantageous to the individual. All military experience evaluated on this basis will be credited at the same level of difficulty and responsibility as the prior civilian experience.
• One-year specialized experience provision for General Schedule grades -- At GS-5 and above, the qualification standards for most occupational series call for1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression. Applicants need not meet any cumulative years of experience requirements or general or lower-level specialized experience requirements to qualify. They must, of course, meet any minimum educational, licensure, or other special qualification requirements and selective factors established for the position being filled. To be creditable, an applicant's 1 year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs)/competencies necessary for successful job performance. When applicants meet the experience requirements for a given grade level, they also meet the experience requirements for positions at lower grade levels in the same occupation. This provision applies unless the qualification standard for the occupation or position specifically states that more or less experience is required. It applies to both initial appointments and inservice placement actions. (Also see paragraph (n) below)
• Determining level of experience required in one-grade interval series -- For most one-grade interval occupational series, the qualification standard calls for at least 1 year of specialized experience as described in  (m)  above. Sometimes, however, there is no position in the normal line of progression in an organization that is one grade lower than the position being filled. In such instances, 1 year of specialized experience at the second lower level is creditable for inservice applicants. However, for outside applicants (i.e., those without current or prior Federal competitive or excepted service), 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower level is required. (See  8.(d)  on crediting inservice applicants' experience in one-grade interval series)

Under 5 U.S.C. §3313, the names of disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more who have qualified in an examination are entered on civil service examination registers ahead of other eligibles, except on registers established for scientific and professional positions at grades GS-9 and above. The identified occupations in  Appendix K of the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook(PDF file)  should be used as the basis for determining whether such compensably disabled veterans should "float to the top" of the competitive examination Certificate of Eligibles.

• Conventional/Accredited Institutions — At the time the education was obtained, the entire institution, applicable school within the institution, or the applicable curriculum was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Military schools or military educational programs that meet this criterion are also acceptable. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at  http://www.ed.gov . A complete listing of all institutions accredited by recognized agencies, including those located outside of U.S. territories may be found in Accredited Institutions of Post-Secondary Education, a handbook published annually by the American Council on Education (ACE).Institutions located within the United States that have attained accreditation as well as recognized accrediting agencies are listed on the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov .

Non-Accredited/Other — This category includes institutions that do not meet the criteria above but offer a curriculum which is equivalent to "conventional/accredited institutions." Such institutions are either outside the jurisdiction or have decided not to seek accreditation from accrediting bodies recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Examples of "Non-Accredited/Other" education or institutions include, but are not limited to:

• An accredited U.S. university or college reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at that university or college.

Foreign Education  — Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. A few medical schools are accredited under country standards that have been determined to be "comparable" to U.S. standards by the U.S. Department of Education's National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation. For foreign education that is not so accredited, agencies should follow the provisions below before considering such education for Federal employment.

Foreign credential evaluations that do not contain the above information or that state there is insufficient information provided by the applicant on which to base an evaluation should not be accepted. If the requested evaluation shows the foreign education to be legitimate and comparable to that expected of a candidate with U.S. credentials, it may be accepted at the discretion of the agency. For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, refer to the U.S. Department of Education's web site at  http://www.ed.gov .

The Higher Education Opportunity Act  defines a diploma mill as follows:

(Source: Department of Education  Diploma Mills and Accreditation - Diploma Mills )

The following table shows the amount and level of education typically required for each grade for which education alone can be qualifying. At GS-13 and above, appropriate specialized experience is required for all positions (education alone is not qualifying for work at the GS-12 grade level and above, except research positions at the GS-12 grade level only).

College or university education  -- Educational course work may be at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Successful completion of graduate level courses will be accepted as evidence that an applicant also possesses the knowledge taught in courses at lower levels in the same field.

• Crediting education in one-grade interval occupations  -- For one-grade interval occupations, when education is used to meet specialized experience requirements at grade GS-5, the level of the course work must have been equivalent to at least the junior- and senior-year levels of a baccalaureate program. (See paragraph (d) above for discussion of level of education.)

Superior academic achievement (S.A.A.)  -- This provision covers advanced trainee positions that provide opportunities for advancement upon attaining required job skills and knowledge, require no prior experience, and have work classified at two-grade intervals. It recognizes students who have achieved superior academic standing as evidenced by one of the three methods described below. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.

• Appoint applicants based on their claimed academic achievement, pending verification of final grades. Agencies should inform such applicants that if the required grades were not maintained through their senior year, there is a possibility that they may not be able to retain either the GS-7 grade or the position.
• Class standing  -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
• 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better)  as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
• 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better)  based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2years of the curriculum.
• G.P.A. excluding pass/fail courses. Applicants usually cannot claim credit based on their overall G.P.A. if more than 10 percent of their total credit was based on pass/fail or similar systems rather than on traditional grading systems. However, if they can document that only their freshman-year courses (25 percent or less of their total credit) were credited on a pass/fail or similar system, they can use their overall G.P.A. to claim Superior Academic Achievement. If 10percent or fewer credits or only freshman-year courses were based on pass/fail or similar systems, such credits can be ignored and the G.P.A. computed on the graded courses. Applicants can, however, still claim credit based on their last 2 years if 10 percent or fewer credits were based on pass/fail or similar systems. Applicants who cannot claim credit under the G.P.A. requirements may claim credit for superior academic achievement only on the basis of class standing or honor society membership.

Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society  -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the  Association of College Honor Societies  listed below. Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

Interpreting minimum educational requirements -- Title 5 U.S.C. 3308 permits the establishment of minimum educational requirements only when OPM has determined that the work cannot be performed by persons who do not possess the prescribed minimum education. This includes instances where it would not be cost-effective for an individual to acquire, through on-the-job training, the KSAs and competencies necessary for successful performance of the critical duties within a reasonable period of time. In addition, education is sometimes required by law for a position because of the impact on public health and safety or national security.

• An applicant with a Ph.D. in mathematics applies for a GS-1701, Educational Research Specialist position at the GS-13 grade level. Because the qualification standard for GS-1701 requires courses in education or in a field appropriate to the work of the position, it might appear that this person is not qualified for the GS-1701 position because the applicant's Ph.D. is in mathematics. However, a review of the applicant's 20 years of experience shows that previous positions held include the post of Dean of Academic Affairs at a large university, as well as several years' experience in educational research comparable to the work of the position being filled. In this example, the applicant should be rated qualified, since it is obvious that the lack of the specific educational requirement is more than offset by the long history of successful, high-level, directly applicable experience.

An applicant with a B.S. in Occupational Therapy applies for a GS-631, Occupational Therapy position at the GS-13 grade level. Because the qualification standard for GS-631 requires a graduate or higher-level degree appropriate for the occupation, it might appear that this person is not qualified for the GS-631 position because the applicant's Bachelor’s level degree. However, a review of the applicant's 15 years of experiences shows that previous positions held include direct patient care activities-related to the practice of Occupational Therapy, as well as experience in research comparable to the work of the position being filled. The research led to advancements in the field of occupational therapy. The applicant continued to advance their expertise by taking continuing education courses in the field. In this example, the applicant should be rated qualified, since it is obvious that the lack of the specific educational requirement is more than offset by the long history of successful directly applicable experience.

Requests for waivers of OPM qualification standards should be sent to  [email protected] . An OPM representative will contact you regarding your request. Incomplete requests will be returned to requesting agencies.

Education and experience can be combined to meet the minimum qualification requirements, as allowed in the applicable standard. To combine education and experience, determine the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level. Then determine the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. The  group coverage standards  contain examples of how to combine education and experience.

Screening an applicant for minimum qualifications is not the same as assessing applicants for the competencies and proficiency levels necessary to perform the job. Agencies are required to use validated (i.e., job-related) assessment tools when examining applicants for competitive service positions. Assessment tools include, but are not limited to, cognitive ability tests, work samples, situational judgment tests, job knowledge tests, and structured interviews.  OPM’s Assessment and Selection  webpage contains multiple competency-based assessment options and the  Assessment Decision Guide(PDF file)  that agencies can use to make assessment decisions.

Job applicants must be assessed appropriately using a passing grade assessment to demonstrate their KSAs/competencies for positions  (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 4)(PDF file) . Assessments tools are effective for determining if job applicants possess KSAs/competencies based on their work, education, or training experiences. Agencies’ assessment of applicants may not rely solely on a self-assessment of KSAs/competencies. Applicants should be assessed to determine the quality of their KSAs/competencies aligned with the position as demonstrated by their educational attainment, experience, or a combination of the two.

Agencies must finalize assessment methods and prompts before posting a job announcement. In the “How You Will Be Evaluated section” of the job announcement, the job posting must clearly spell out each assessment hurdle and whether or not they are pass/fail and/or also used for ranking and rating for categories. Applicants must know how they will be evaluated when they apply, and agencies must treat all applicants equally  (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 3)(PDF file) .

In an effort to enhance competency-based hiring practices agencies may use competency-based approaches for assessing and selecting job applicants. Agencies are required to conduct job analysis as the basis for employment practices in the Federal Government (5 CFR 300.103). A job analysis is used to identify the competencies and proficiency levels for work. KSAs/competencies identified via job analysis along with proficiency levels can be used to develop competency-based assessments. Competencies may be general (e.g., Problem Solving), meaning they may be required for many occupations, or technical, meaning they are required for a specific occupation. The  Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 2(PDF file)  provides guidance on conducting a job analysis and identifying proficiency levels for application by agencies to carry out their hiring functions.

OPM develops, for agency use, governmentwide competency models that may be used to conduct job analysis as well as identify competencies for their positions. OPM has been conducting Governmentwide occupational studies using its  Multipurpose Occupational Systems Analysis Inventory - Close-Ended  (MOSAIC) methodology for more than two decades. MOSAIC, a multipurpose, survey-based occupational analysis approach, is used to collect information from incumbents and supervisors on many occupations for a wide range of human resource management functions. Through these studies, OPM has identified the critical competencies and tasks employees need to perform successfully in nearly 200 Federal occupations, as well as for leadership positions. OPM provides agencies with a basis for building integrated human resource management systems that use a common set of tasks and competencies to structure job design, recruitment, qualification and assessment, selection, performance management, training, and career development so that employees receive a consistent message about the factors on which they are selected, trained, and evaluated.

Competency-based qualifications approaches incorporate required proficiency levels for competencies that may be used to qualify talent. Agencies can identify through a job analysis and following the guidance in the  Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 2(PDF file) , KSAs/competencies for their positions. OPM provides tools and resources for agencies to develop and implement competency-based qualification requirements. OPM will continue work with agencies to ensure they have the rights policy, tools, and guidance to employ competency-based assessments and practices. This is part of a larger OPM effort to revise the way OPM establishes qualification requirements to encourage agencies to measure the critical competencies required to perform effectively in Federal occupations and to transition Federal agencies to use competency-based assessments in the hiring process.

When using competency-based qualifications, applicants are required to meet the proficiency level on all required competencies through various means, including experience, education, or training. If any applicant fails to meet the required proficiency level on any of the competencies through any assessment even after the minimum qualifications step but before the certificate is issued, the applicant is ineligible and is automatically disqualified from further consideration for the position  (Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Chapter 4)(PDF file) .

It is critical that agencies clearly and adequately identify the requirements of a position in the job announcement so that applicants understand the basis on which their application will be evaluated. In most instances, this explicit description of required general or specialized experience in the job announcement will ensure that applicants possess the necessary KSAs/competencies to perform the work of a position. (See  3 (c) .)

• Experience  -- Agencies can request that examining offices honor selective factors that could have been acquired only through experience where the position requires program, regulatory, and/or procedural knowledge, such as knowledge of personnel, budget, laboratory, or purchasing procedures. Education alone may not have provided all the KSAs/competencies required for such a position; however, education supplemented by work such as internships,field work, and cooperative education that provided the program, regulatory, or procedural knowledge may be qualifying for the position. It is important to note that agencies cannot make experience requirements so specific that only employees of the agency could meet the minimum requirements, as this would inappropriately restrict competition.
• Education  – If the applicable standard allows for qualifying either on the basis of experience and/or education, an agency cannot require that applicants qualify on the basis of education only. However, the restriction in title 5 U.S.C. 3308 does not preclude agencies from evaluating an applicant's education to determine if it provided the KSAs/competencies required to meet selective or quality ranking factors. Additionally, agencies can request that consideration be limited to fields of study that provide the specific KSAs/competencies for a particular position when considering the qualifications of individuals applying on the basis of education. (For example, an agency has a vacancy for a physicist position specializing in a branch of solid-state physics).
• Minimum educational requirements  -- When there is a change to or addition of minimum educational requirements to an occupational series, Federal employees currently classified to that series do not have to meet the new educational requirements. (Also see (b) below.)

The "add-on rule"  -- If an employee qualified for his or her current position by meeting the provisions of the appropriate standard (either an OPM standard or an agency-modified standard, as described in (c) below), the agency need only add on the difference between the length of experience required for the current position and the length of experience required for the proposed position. For example, a GS-2 employee in a clerical position qualified for his or her current position on the basis of high school graduation. The employee would be eligible for promotion to GS-3 after 3 months of employment since the difference between the experience requirements for GS-2 (3 months) and the experience requirements for GS-3 (6 months) is 3 months. Note that at the GS-2 level, a high school diploma is credited the same as 3 months of experience.

Modifying experience requirements for certain inservice placement actions  -- An agency may determine that an individual can successfully perform the work of a position even though that person may not meet all the requirements in the OPM qualification standard. In that situation, agencies are authorized to modify OPM qualification standards for reassignments, voluntary changes to lower grades,transfers, reinstatements, and repromotions to a grade not higher than a grade previously held when the applicant's background includes related experience that provided the KSAs/competencies necessary for successful job performance. This authority should be used only when there is a reasonable likelihood that the employee will successfully make the transition to the new position and cannot be used for directed reassignments to positions in which an employee obviously would not be able to perform the work.

• Experience level required for promotion in one-grade interval series.  In a one-grade interval series, experience at the second lower grade level can be credited when there is no position in the normal line of progression that is one grade lower than the position being filled. When this provision is used for promotions requiring competition under the agency's merit promotion plan, the fact that employees can qualify with at least 1 year at either the next lower level or the second lower level must be stated in any job announcement. (Also see p. II-9,  3 (o) ).
• Crediting education or training for promotion  -- Education or training can be credited as experience towards promotion for employees who are detailed or are granted leave without pay for the purpose of obtaining specialized knowledge and skills. The agency must determine that the education or training contributes materially to the competence of the employee in his/her work and that the employee possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)/competencies needed for successful performance in the position to be filled. This education cannot be credited again towards meeting the basic educational requirements in a standard. (See  3 (i) )

Citizenship  -- Agencies must adhere to the following restrictions regarding United States citizenship when evaluating persons seeking Federal civil service employment:

Positions with specific medical requirements and that involve arduous/hazardous duties or require a high standard of human reliability are identified in the  Medical Requirements  section. For such positions, the medical requirements are based on the arduous or hazardous nature of the duties typically performed in most of the positions covered. However, since individual positions may not include all such duties, a physical condition or impairment may be disqualifying for employment only if there is a direct relationship between the condition and the nature of the duties of the specific position to be filled. In some instances, a physical impairment will not disqualify an applicant for appointment if the condition is compensated for by a satisfactory prosthesis, mechanical aid, or by reasonable accommodation. Also, all positions involving Federal motor vehicle operation carry the additional medical requirements specified in  (f)  below.

Age -- (1) Minimum entry age requirements.  Under 5 U.S.C. 3301, OPM is authorized to establish standards with respect to a minimum entry age that applicants must meet to be admitted to or rated in examinations. A minimum age requirement ensures that applicants have the maturity necessary for successful job performance and that Federal Government hiring practices are not in conflict with the general objective of encouraging students to complete their basic education. Minimum entry age requirements must be waived for persons entitled to veterans preference, unless OPM determines that such an age restriction is essential for performance of the duties of the position.

(2)Maximum entry age restrictions.  Title 5 U.S.C. 3307(a) prohibits the establishment of a maximum entry age for Federal positions, except as provided below. The prohibition against establishing maximum entry age limits applies to noncompetitive actions as well as to competitive appointments, to the excepted as well as to competitive services, and to all agencies, including OPM. Consequently, agencies cannot apply a maximum entry age limit under merit promotion procedures or in selection through any type of noncompetitive action,except as provided in the applicable Sections of the United States Code. There are no maximum entry age restrictions for most positions in the competitive service, except as follows:

Written and performance tests  -- Occupational series/positions with written and/or performance test requirements are identified in the section entitled test requirements. Written and performance tests are to be used as follows:

• Initial appointments  -- Tests are required for some occupational series,either for all applicants or for those applicants who do not meet specific requirements indicated in the standard. If a test is required, applicants who are subject to that test must pass or have previously passed it to be eligible for initial appointment. This includes competitive appointments,and appointments under most noncompetitive appointing authorities.

Inservice placement  --  (1) Tests required by OPM.  There are a few occupational series for which a test is required by OPM for inservice placement. For such series, agencies must use and applicants must pass the appropriate OPM test. Occupational series with such requirements are also identified in the  Test Requirements  section.

(2)Tests required by agencies.  For positions for which OPM does not require a test, agencies may develop and use tests without OPM approval,as long as the test is part of a comprehensive set of assessment procedures used in ranking employees. The use and appropriateness of such tests are the responsibility of the agency. Agencies cannot, however,use existing OPM tests for such positions, unless specific approval has been received from OPM.

(3)How inservice applicants can be examined.  In occupations other than those where OPM requires a test for inservice placement, if an agency prefers to use alternatives to testing (e.g., evaluation of training and experience, interview, performance appraisal) to measure qualifications, it can do so, or it may use a test as one of several tools in evaluating applicants. Tests can be used to determine basic eligibility (i.e., on a pass-fail basis) or as the sole basis for ranking inservice placement applicants, only when specific approval has been received from OPM.

(4)Performance tests.  As a general guide, performance tests (e.g., typing proficiency tests) can be used to evaluate inservice placement applicants when, within the past 3 years, they have not performed successfully in a position that required proficiency in the skills needed for the position to be filled.

• Assessments  –The use of effective assessments can improve the validity of the selection process and improve the quality of hires. Agencies must evaluate applicants on all required KSAs/competencies including selective factors and quality ranking factors determined by the agency. Agencies are responsible for developing an appropriate assessment method for evaluating applicants on job related KSAs/competencies. In most cases, many agencies currently determine qualifications using occupational questionnaires that applicants complete when first applying for a position. However, the competency-based approach goes beyond minimum qualifications and provides agencies the flexibility to confirm through other assessment methods that the required competencies and proficiencies are met. Using effective assessment tools is one of the most critical parts of examining candidates. For more information on assessments and designing an assessment strategy, please refer to OPM’s  Assessment Decision Guide , the  Assessment and Selection  website and, the  Delegating Examination Operations Handbook, Chapter 5 .

Licensure, certification, and other requirements or provisions  -- Applicants for positions in some occupational series must by relevant state law meet certification, licensure, or registration requirements in addition to meeting experience and/or educational requirements.

Motor vehicle incidental operator requirements  -- Title 40 U.S.C. 471 requires OPM to issue regulations governing executive agencies in authorizing their civilian personnel to operate Government owned or leased motor vehicles within the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the possessions of the United States. OPM's regulations are found at title 5 CFR 930.

All  supervisory positions  require a combination of subject-matter knowledge and skills and managerial abilities related to getting work done through other people, e.g., planning, assigning, and reviewing work, and evaluating performance. The relative importance of supervisory skills and subject-matter knowledge will depend on the specific duties of the position being filled. Therefore, applicants for supervisory positions may be evaluated using the appropriate standard for the series  and/or  the  Supervisory Guide . In determining the level of subject-matter knowledge required, it should be kept in mind that the subject-matter duties are not always classified at the same grade level as the supervisory duties.

• Title 5 CFR 300,  Employment (General)
• Title 5 CFR 307,  Veterans Recruitment Appointments
• Title 5 CFR 332,  Recruitment and Selection through Competitive Examination
• Title 5 CFR 335,  Promotion and Internal Placement
• Title 5 CFR 337,  Examining System
• Title 5 CFR 338,  Qualification Requirements (General)
• Title 5 CFR 339,  Medical Qualification Determinations
• Title 5 CFR 353,  Restoration to Duty from Military Service or Compensable Injury
• Title 5 CFR 930,  Programs for Specific Positions and Examinations(Miscellaneous)
• Introduction to the  Position Classification Standards
• The Delegated Examining Operations Handbook(PDF file)

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Federal General Schedule (GS) Education Requirements

General Schedule Grade is based on education, training, general work experience and specialized work experience. These educational requirements are laid out by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). There are 5 main career groups with different educational requirements:

• Professional and Scientific Positions;
• Administrative and Management Positions;
• Technical and Medical Support Positions;
• Clerical and Administrative Support Positions; and
• Competitive Service Student Trainee Positions.

Each of these career groups have slightly different requirements. The table below shows the educational requirements for two of the most common career groups:

• Professional and Scientific Positions; and
• Clerical and Administrative Support Positions.

Important Notes

The Office of Personnel Management creates these standards, but intentionally leaves room for interpretation by individual agencies. Hiring agencies may make their own determination about what qualifies as "specialized" experience for a particular job.

These requirements are used to determine starting grade. Once you start a new job, you are immediately earning specialized work experience, which will continue increasing your grade. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are accepted for all grade levels and positions where both education and experience are acceptable.

Note: Some jobs also have other requirements such as typing speed, health, or age. These requirements are rare and only apply to certain jobs that require physical fitness.

Professional and Scientific Position Requirements

The table below shows the required work experience for Professional and Scientific Positions. Grades for these position range from GS-7 to GS-13+, based on qualifications. Jobs that fall into this category include: Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, and other technical positions.

Note: To qualify for a particular grade, you must meet the education requirements or the experience requirements — not both.

Clerical and Administrative Support Position Requirements

The table below shows the required work experience for Clerical and Administrative Support Positions. Grades for these position range from GS-1 to GS-6+, based on qualifications. Jobs that fall into this category include: Clerical positions, Stenographers, and Administrative Support.

Related Articles

• How are General Schedule Pay Rates Calculated?
• General Schedule Pay Scale: Past, Present and Future
• Who Decides General Schedule Pay Rates?
• How do General Schedule 'Steps' Work?
• When Does General Schedule Pay Increase?

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What is a Graduate Degree?

For those considering graduate school , it’s important to take the time to understand what an advanced degree program entails. Read on to learn about the different types of graduate programs, the time commitment, cost, and enrollment conditions required, and what students should expect at this level of advanced study.

An undergraduate degree —either a bachelor’s or associate degree—is considered a baseline educational requirement in many professions. As such, the pursuit of this degree has become commonplace among high school graduates. As of 2018, 69 percent of students chose to complete their undergraduate degree immediately after earning their high school diploma.

A graduate degree —including master’s degrees , doctorates , and PhDs —provides an advanced understanding of a specific topic or field, and demonstrates a commitment to lifelong learning that many employers value. Those who choose to enroll in graduate school often do so with a series of focused, career-oriented goals in mind, which sets the stage for a substantially different type of learning environment than one might experience during an undergraduate career.

Interested in earning an advanced degree?

Explore Northeastern’s 200+ programs to find the one that will best help you achieve your goals.

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Types of Graduate Degrees

Students embarking on graduate school should begin by determining if an academic or professional degree is right for them.

Students who desire a career in a specific field (such as law, pharmaceuticals, medicine, or education) may opt to pursue a professional degree . These programs emphasize hands-on learning and often require students to obtain substantial real-world experience prior to graduation.

Academic (or research) degrees align with a single, specific area of study or field. Students in pursuit of these degrees are required to develop an in-depth understanding of their subject area and complete a thesis or capstone project to demonstrate their knowledge.

Learn More: Professional Degree Vs. Academic Degree: What’s the Difference?  

Master’s Degree

Although master’s degrees  may be the most common form of graduate study, there are various professional and academic graduate-level degrees that students should consider. Some of the most common include:

• Master of Arts Degree (MA): An MA is a type of academic master’s degree that correlates most directly with humanities-based subject areas such as communications, teaching, languages, and more. Classes in these programs are primarily discussion-based and might require fieldwork, a thesis, or a capstone project prior to graduation. Some common MA programs include Homeland Security , English , and Elementary Education .
• Master of Science Degree (MS) : An MS is another type of academic master’s degree which typically correlates with advanced study in fields that relate to science and mathematics. Courses in these programs often require extensive lab work or research and culminate with thesis or capstone projects, as well. Some common MS programs include Cybersecurity , Corporate & Organizational Communication , Leadership , and Project Management . 
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA): An MFA is a professional degree for artists in fields such as graphic design, music, theater, film, and more. Alongside a practical and abstract exploration of their art, graduates of these programs often receive the credentials necessary to teach at the undergraduate level. Some common MFA programs include Information Design & Visualization , Creative Writing, and Acting.
• Master of Professional Studies (MPS) : An MPS is an interdisciplinary degree focused on a single area of professional study. Unlike MA or MS degrees, these programs are typically more hands-on in nature and require an internship, work-study, or co-op experience prior to graduation. Some common MPS programs include Analytics , Informatics , and Digital Media .

Professional Doctorate

A professional doctorate is focused on the advanced practice of knowledge and skills, making it a degree for those who are more professionally oriented. While these programs also help to develop research skills, the main focus is to apply knowledge to industry to solve new and emerging problems.

• Juris Doctor (JD): This degree provides students with the practical skills and expansive knowledge needed to practice law in America. While JD programs share some commonalities with other graduate-level law degrees, such as a Master of Legal Studies or a Master of Laws , there are key differences between the three.
• Doctor of Education (EdD): This is another professional doctorate degree not to be confused with a PhD in Education . This type of program is for educators and professionals who want to direct and implement change within their organizations. These degrees are designed to prepare students to become leaders in their communities.
• Doctor of Medicine (MD): Students hoping to pursue a career in medicine or surgery pursue this professional doctorate degree.
• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) : Individuals pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry must obtain a PharmD. These programs include components of research, teaching, and clinical practice.

Learn More: Why Earn a Professional Doctoral Degree?

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

A PhD is a postgraduate doctoral degree based on extensive research in a given field. Students can earn a PhD in areas such as technology, humanities, social sciences, and more. Individuals who complete their PhDs often pursue a career in academia, though some may continue on to complete similar research for the remainder of their career. Some common PhD programs include Counseling Psychology , Bioengineering , and Pharmacology . PhDs are not to be confused with professional/clinical doctorates , which are designed to provide students with the practical skills needed to excel in their career. 

How Long Does it Take to Earn a Graduate Degree

The timeline for completion of a graduate degree will vary depending on three factors:

• The type of degree you pursue.
• Your desired subject area.
• The specific institution at which you are studying. 

On average, however, those enrolled in a master’s program full-time will likely complete their degree within one-and-a-half to three years. Individuals who pursue their master’s degree part-time might take longer than three years to complete it, depending on how many credits they enroll in each semester.

Most PhD and professional doctoral candidates will finish their degrees in five to six years, though the time commitment may vary depending on the subject area. Some more intensive degree programs, like an MD, can take up to eight years to complete.

Learn More: How Long Does It Take to Earn a Master’s Degree?

Graduate Degree Requirements

Requirements for different graduate programs vary greatly depending on the subject, institution, and whether or not it is a culminating degree. The most common requirement, however, is an undergraduate degree, as this acts as a base for advanced learning.

Other application requirements for specific graduate programs might include:

• A statement of purpose
• Your educational transcripts
• A portfolio of your work
• Professional/academic recommendations
• Any additional written assignments

You may also need to take and submit your scores for a subject-specific exam (e.g. LSAT, MCAT, etc.) or for the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) , which is a requirement for many graduate programs globally.

The Cost of A Graduate Degree

The cost of a graduate degree will also vary greatly depending on what program and what institution you are considering. Yet, many people make incorrect assumptions about the price of graduate school based on their knowledge of undergraduate costs.

“Many of us have in our heads the sticker price of $30,000 to $40,000 per year for undergraduate education,” Sean Gallagher , executive director of the Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy at Northeastern told U.S. News & Report in 2017. “So we say, ‘OK, it’s two years for a graduate degree, so it’s going to cost me $70,000 to $80,000 or more.’ And while there are certainly programs at that price point, there are many programs where you can get the entire graduate degree for between $20,000 and $40,000.”

No matter the program, graduate school will be both an educational and financial investment in your career. As such, institutions like Northeastern have adopted a variety of financial aid options for students to help hedge the cost of graduate studies. Students can utilize scholarships, grants, and even tuition reimbursement programs through their employers to help pay for their advanced education.

Learn More: Paying for Grad School: Where and How to Start

5 Characteristics of a Strong Graduate Program

#1) flexible learning options.

In most universities, graduate programs are designed to accommodate the needs of working professionals and are thus offered in a variety of exceedingly flexible formats.

Firstly, students at the graduate level can choose to enroll in either a part-time or full-time capacity. A part-time graduate program offers working professionals the opportunity to take on only as many classes as they can handle per semester, and work toward finishing their degree at their own speed. Full-time students, on the other hand, must be enrolled in a specific number of credit hours per semester as determined by the university, and will work toward completing their program in a linear manner. At Northeastern, for example, full-time students must be enrolled in nine quarter hours of graduate credits per semester.

Universities like Northeastern also offer a variety of graduate programs in online , on-ground, and hybrid formats to best fit the needs of any given students. Taking online or hybrid courses is an effective way for students who are already working in their field to balance their coursework with their other professional commitments, as well.

For those who aren’t ready to commit to an entire graduate program, some universities also offer graduate certificates in many in-demand areas of study. Certificate programs provide either a condensed understanding of basic advanced principles as they relate to an area of study, or a very niche look at a specific aspect of the subject. Though the amount of knowledge attained in a certificate program is vastly less than that of a full graduate degree, some prefer this condensed format of study for its reduced cost and shorter time commitment.

#2) A Focused Curriculum 

By the time a student reaches graduate school, they are likely no longer in the exploring phase of their education. Instead, these students have often experienced life as a working professional, determined which area of study best aligns with their passions, and have made the educated decision to become an expert on that topic through the pursuit of a graduate degree.

For this reason, many graduate programs offer students a far more unified educational experience than at the undergraduate level. Often, this will be reflected in a common curriculum that all students within a single program must follow. While they may still be able to pick the specific topics that most interest them off this predetermined list of classes, each course will relate back to their base area of study. This is done in an effort to give students a much more in-depth exploration of that specific topic rather than a surface-level understanding of many, unrelated ones.

Students in graduate school still have the opportunity to customize their education to best fit their needs, however. In fact, programs like those at Northeastern recognize that one of the most impactful offerings they can give their students is the chance to declare a concentration within their degree and tailor their studies in a way that aligns with their professional aspirations.

#3) Opportunities for Hands-On Learning

Northeastern University is known for its emphasis on experiential learning at all phases of a student’s educational journey, offering opportunities for real-world, hands-on learning through internships, work-study, co-ops, and more. There are also a variety of graduate-specific experiential learning opportunities for students, such as Northeastern’s Experiential Network (XN) initiative.

A Closer Look: Northeastern’s XN initiative offers students the opportunity to participate in six-week-long, virtual projects for active organizations within the university’s expansive network. These projects align with students’ academic work, allowing them to apply what they learn in the classroom to these real-world scenarios. Following the format of gig-economy work experiences, students spend 30-40 hours on each project and, in that time, practice making decisions and completing work that will have a genuine impact on these organizations’ success.

In general, graduate degrees tend to be research- or capstone-oriented in nature, meaning that, depending on a student’s area of study, they will be frequently honing their practical abilities alongside their theoretical skills. Graduate programs emphasize this type of learning in an effort to develop well-rounded professionals in each field. These hands-on learning opportunities also offer students unparalleled exposure to different facets of their industry—as well as different types of workplaces—which can then be used to help them make an educated employment decision after graduation.

#4) An Industry-Aligned Network

Students have a unique advantage when it comes to networking in grad school . Between the opportunities to make connections in the classroom, at university-hosted events, and even in the professional world through hands-on learning experiences, these students are in the ideal setting to build their network.

Connecting with Classmates

Your classmates in grad school will likely be equally as driven and passionate about the exact same area of study as you are. You will also have the opportunity to grow together throughout your time in the program, resulting in a slew of common experiences and relationships that will help to keep you connected with and looking out for one another throughout your career. Although they may start out as your classmates, these individuals have the potential to become powerful players in the professional industry post-graduation, as well.

Connecting with Professors

Smaller class sizes and a more collaborative learning environment allow students to develop more personal connections with their professors during grad school than in their undergraduate studies. These relationships can be some of the most important in regards to your career, as professors at top universities like Northeastern are industry leaders and have connections that can be used to make introductions or open doors to potential employment opportunities after graduation.

Connecting with Industry Professionals

Given the emphasis on hands-on learning in grad school, students have the chance to develop their professional networks in their region and with organizations that they may be able to work with post-graduation. Having these types of industry-aligned connections is vital in today’s competitive job market, especially since a connection that has worked with you first-hand in a professional environment can speak to your qualifications in a far more concrete and impactful way than those who are only able to speak to your abilities abstractly.

Students who take the time to develop their professional network while in graduate school — whether online or on-ground —have the potential to see the positive impact of those connections for the remainder of their professional career.

#5) Substantial Impact on Your Career 

Many students pursue graduate degrees to advance their careers. Whether that means getting a promotion, increasing their current salary, or even transitioning fields, these students are looking to make a positive change by showing employers the extent of their knowledge, network, and exposure to experiential learning.

While these goals are often achieved during the pursuit of a graduate degree, students’ careers can be impacted by graduate study in more ways than one. The overall career outlook for graduate degree holders, for instance, is incredibly positive compared to those with only a bachelor’s or associate degree.

For example, the current jobless rate for individuals with a master’s degree or higher is 12.5 percent lower than those who only hold a bachelor’s degree. Similarly, in regard to salary, those with a graduate degree earn 28 percent more than those with just an undergraduate degree on average. These individuals will also make over a million dollars more than those with just a high school diploma in their lifetime.

What’s more, graduates of advanced degree programs are some of the most in-demand within organizations today. When it comes to applying for a new role, 61 percent of employers are finding that the skills required for their open positions have evolved to require a higher education among applicants. By 2022, it is also expected that 18 percent of all jobs will require a graduate degree. Earning an advanced degree will help improve your skills and demonstrate your commitment to career development—two of the best ways to stand out in today’s competitive job market .

Explore Your Options at Northeastern

Ready to take the leap? Consider advancing your career with a graduate degree from Northeastern, a top-40 university . Evaluate the personal and professional benefits of a graduate degree, then explore Northeastern’s 200+ master’s , doctorate , and certificate programs to find the one that best aligns with your career goals.

Browse the Grad School Tips & Advice category of the Northeastern Graduate blog for more content like this from Northeastern University Graduate Programs .

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Advanced degree holders earn a salary an average 25% higher than bachelor's degree holders. (Economic Policy Institute, 2021)

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Principles and Characteristics of Graduate Education

Graduate education.

Graduate education distinguishes itself by advanced systematic study and experience in depth—a depth in understanding, knowledge, scholarly competence, inquiry, and discovery.  Graduates are equipped to contribute to their disciplines, to teach and transmit knowledge within their disciplines, to conduct research and produce creative works, to apply their learning in the everyday world, and ultimately to extend service to their disciplines and to humanity.  

Although diversity in focus, methodology, and implementation is expected across the spectrum of graduate programs at BYU, strong programs are characterized by selective admission of highly qualified students, graduate faculty committed to excellence, and rigorous programs of study conducted in a context of faith.  A few fundamental principles characterize all strong graduate programs.  These principles emerge from and complement the Mission and Aims of a BYU Education .  These principles are listed below followed by some characteristics that are required to realize these principles.

Principles of Graduate Education

Mastery of the subject matter.   Graduate education facilitates mastery over the content and skills of the discipline at a level appropriate to the degree sought.

Critical thinking.  Graduate education develops and refines critical thinking skills including a thorough knowledge of the assumptions of the discipline and an understanding of viable alternative assumptions.

Theoretical understanding.  Graduate education provides an understanding of the theoretical bases of the field of study.  It grounds application and performance in theory.

Proficiency in research and/or creative activities.   Graduate education develops proficiencies that advance the knowledge and activities of the discipline.  These proficiencies include good writing skills as well as the ability to present original insights and creative expressions.

Spiritual discernment and moral integrity.   Graduate education facilitates the growth of integrity and wisdom and the integration of faith into the pursuit of knowledge within the discipline.

Service orientation.  Graduate education instills responsibility to return the special benefits of graduate training to the larger community.

Wide representation of perspectives.  Graduate education presents an intellectually and culturally rich encounter with the discipline.  Study and inquiry are conducted in a context sensitive to ethnic and cultural diversity. 

Characteristics of Strong Graduate Programs

I.         Clear Definition of Purpose

• Only graduate degrees essential to the department’s mission and important to the larger mission of the university are offered by the department.
• The department has determined and clearly stated the aims for the future of its graduate program(s).   It has a plan for constant improvement and is pursuing it vigorously.
• The department has determined and clearly stated the focus and purpose of its graduate program(s).   It does not necessarily attempt to offer degrees or emphases in all areas of its discipline.   Students admitted pursue coursework, research, and degrees only in areas in which faculty are producing and publishing scholarly work and are well qualified to teach and direct research.
• The department regularly evaluates its graduate programs, faculty, facilities, and library holdings, identifying weak areas that need strengthening and determining if any programs or emphases should be dropped or added.
• The department does not see a graduate degree as simply an accumulation of credits.   Faculty members understand that graduate work at a university is inherently involved in the discovery of new knowledge, and they seek to understand and propound the theoretical principles that lie behind what can be observed and tested.  
• Graduate education extends beyond the acquisition of practical skills and endeavors to encompass the practical within the theoretical.   The department makes a concerted effort to educate graduate students to extend their understanding using both tools and theory.

II.        Qualified Graduate Faculty

Effective mentoring

• The department and college apply appropriate criteria for identifying graduate faculty.   There are sufficient numbers of well-prepared, full-time graduate faculty members in the department’s areas of specialty to support strong graduate work in those areas.   All department faculty members support the graduate programs of the department.
• Department faculty members keep current in their fields and continually update course content and teaching methods to engage students and immerse them in the discipline.
• Faculty members strengthen students spiritually by integrating spirituality into formal teaching, by teaching the ethics of the discipline, and by exemplifying integrity and devotion.

Scholarly productivity

• Graduate faculty members are active scholars or artist-scholars who do significant research and regularly publish in national or international refereed journals and presses, or who present or perform their artistic work for wide and authoritative critical review.   Their books, articles, papers, and creative work make significant contributions to their disciplines.
• Faculty members are involved in scholarly and creative activities in their discipline, participate in regional, national and international conferences, and work with colleagues at other universities and centers of learning.
• In disciplines where the norms of scholarship require external funding, faculty members actively seek funding to support their research programs and to enhance graduate student involvement in research or creative work.
• Faculty members use professional development leaves to extend their knowledge in their disciplines and to invigorate their research.

Dedication to service and citizenship

• Faculty members strive to assure that all activities support the mission of the university, build the Kingdom of God, and bless students, colleagues, and humanity.
• Faculty members contribute to the intellectual climate of the department and the university through service, including conscientious attention to committee assignments and collaboration in research, scholarship, or creative endeavors with colleagues and students.
• Faculty members contribute to the professional community through service such as conference organization and participation and editorship of journals and other forums.   Competing activities, such as paid consultation work, are kept to a minimum, and are engaged in only when such activities advance knowledge and skills in the discipline, strengthen research, and enhance the influence and respect of the university.

III.     High Academic Standards

Well-established admissions standards and practices

• The department has an active recruitment program to attract excellent students from undergraduate and graduate programs at other universities.   It does not rely solely on an applicant pool of its own undergraduates.  
• The department has clearly stated and effectively communicated admissions standards.   These standards are reviewed regularly and revised as needed.   The department sets high expectations and employs several criteria such as the undergraduate GPA, GRE scores, and professional experience in making admissions decisions.   It admits provisionally only if an applicant shows exceptional promise.
• The department admits students only when all or virtually all prerequisite requirements have been met.
• The department is consistent in applying its admission standards, and it is timely in making admissions decisions.   These decisions are made by a faculty admissions committee or by the faculty as a whole.   All graduate faculty members have some input in admissions decisions.
• The department attracts sufficient numbers of qualified applicants to offer fullfledged graduate programs with adequate course offerings and to provide a stimulating graduate culture for students.   Nevertheless, the department admits only as many students as it can effectively guide through a rigorous, carefully advised program.   It considers student-faculty ratios, especially in light of specialties that applicants wish to pursue.

Strong curriculum and rigorous course work

• The curriculum is well designed, relatively stable, and leads to strong preparation of students.   The department offers enough courses to support a full graduate program, and it lists no courses that are “on the books” but rarely taught.   The curriculum is appropriate for the preparation and specialties of the faculty and reflects leadership in the discipline.
• The classroom experience is qualitatively different from that in the undergraduate program.   The department does not double list courses by undergraduate and graduate numbers (such as 400 and 600) and avoids all practices that dilute the classroom experience for graduate students.   When advanced undergraduates register for 500-level courses, they do so with the understanding that the course is taught at a graduate level and that the expectations for them are the same as for graduate students.
• Credits earned through directed readings, independent or off-campus projects, or employment-related projects are kept to a minimum, and where such courses are approved by the department, they are as rigorous and demanding as regular courses.   In such courses, the teacher and student formulate an agreement of requirements and expectations and file that “contract” with the department office. The student receives credit only when the agreement has been fulfilled.
• Courses require extensive writing assignments of substance and consequence that train students to think critically.   Student papers adhere to high standards of composition, and they are carefully criticized and assessed, sometimes by both teacher and other students.
• All courses, even those considered to be applied courses, have a strong theoretical foundation based on current research.   They require investigation beyond classroom experiences and textbooks.   Where possible, they include demanding essay examinations.
• Every graduate course provides a course outline and syllabus in which the teacher’s expectations are clearly stated and the course description is comprehensive and clear.
• Graduate students have opportunities for learning outside the major department.
• The department enriches its graduate curriculum with presentations by visiting lecturers, with colloquia, and with other opportunities for learning outside the regular curriculum.
• Course grades accurately reflect student achievement and are not inflated.

Excellence in dissertations, theses, and projects

• The department offers a strong course in research methodology specific to the discipline.
• The department requires a culminating writing experience of its graduate students, regardless of whether the student is in a traditional or an applied program.   The final paper is usually a research-based dissertation or thesis, but may be a project or report in a master’s program.   All doctoral students prepare formal dissertations.
• Dissertations and theses are on topics of real consequence, and their content makes substantial contributions to some aspect of the discipline.   The contributions of projects are held to standards comparable to those of   dissertations and theses. By their excellence and uniqueness, these research and writing experiences impressively demonstrate the achievements, knowledge, and skills of the students at the time the graduate degree is completed.
• The prospectus is treated as a critical aspect of the student’s research.   It is prepared before intensive research begins and is subjected to broad department review.
• The research design, the preparation of the prospectus, the research itself, and the preparation of the dissertation, thesis, or project are carefully directed by the student’s advisory committee.   Problems in research design or methodology are discovered and corrected at the prospectus stage.
• The dissertation, thesis, or project engages a topic that the faculty adviser is well prepared to direct.
• The dissertation, thesis, or project is well written and   leads to a publishable piece of work.   Students are encouraged to publish their work and are assisted in the effort to find a publisher.   Where appropriate, faculty members and students publish collaboratively.

Well-developed procedures for preparing and conducting comprehensive and oral examinations

• Department comprehensive and oral examinations are demanding and fair.   They require currency in the field, thorough analysis of the questions or problems posed, and synthesis of knowledge in the discipline, all at a level appropriate for the degree to be awarded.   They also require grace and skill in expression.
• The examination questions are carefully conceived and well-written.    Test questions demand a grasp of essentials and the ability to analyze and synthesize.
• The department provides published and well-publicized criteria as to what constitutes acceptable performance on department oral and comprehensive examinations.   The purpose, format, range of content, and nature of examinations are described, and sample questions from past examinations are available for study.
• The department applies consistent and rigorous standards in the evaluation of examinations.   There is a mechanism for providing feedback and a clear policy on the retaking of failed comprehensive examinations.

IV.     Well-defined, Clearly Articulated, and Helpful Procedures

Broadly based college and department governance

• Graduate faculty members participate in all departmental decisions that affect the department’s academic programs, the quality of the degrees offered, and the professional lives of the faculty.
• All faculty members of appropriate status and rank have input in hiring, continuing status, and advancement in rank decisions in the department.   The department conducts a national search for new faculty members and makes hiring, continuing status, and promotion decisions according to a set of established, well-publicized criteria and procedures which are at least as rigorous as university guidelines and expectations.
• New faculty members are mentored in their preparation for continuing status review or advancement in rank nomination.
• Through peer-elected representatives, graduate students have a voice in departmental decisions that affect graduate programs.
• The goals of graduate programs are not based solely on expectations of external accrediting agencies.   Rather, they exceed the quality required by such agencies and thus maintain independence.
• Department programs are created, defined, and influenced by genuine, significant developments within the discipline consistent with available resources rather than by perceived market demands and short-lived trends.
• The department has a written assessment plan and uses it routinely to improve graduate programs.

Effective advisement of students

• Faculty members are conscientious in their advisement of students.   They keep regularly scheduled office hours and have frequent scholarly interaction with students.   They return thesis drafts and other materials promptly so that students experience no unnecessary delays in completion of their programs.
• The department recognizes that a student’s first responsibility is to his or her own academic program.   Care is taken to ensure that other duties, such as teaching undergraduate courses, enhance the graduate education experience and do not impede student’s progress toward a degree.   The number of courses a graduate student teaches is strictly limited.
• The department has a published set (a student handbook) of current policies, requirements, expectations, and procedures that describes with clarity and in detail what graduate students need to know to enter a program and successfully complete a degree in the department.
• University and department deadlines are well publicized.
• The department has formal orientation procedures or seminars to acquaint new students with the expectations and requirements of graduate study in the department and the university.
• Each student is well informed from the beginning, having been assigned a sponsor who assists in the selection of a permanent adviser.   That selection is made by the end of the first semester.
• The department conducts at least annual evaluations, at clearly designated times, of each student’s progress and informs the student of his or her status.   If marginal or unsatisfactory progress is noted, the department   informs the student of action required   to demonstrate satisfactory progress.
• The department has determined an optimum time length for program completion and moves its students through on schedule.
• A high percentage of the students on the department’s rolls are actually on campus pursuing degrees at any given time.
• The department graduates a high percentage of the students it admits.
• The department provides published information about financial aid opportunities for students in its programs.
• Students who have teaching assignments are well trained to perform those assignments ably.
• The department assists graduate students in finding employment or advanced educational opportunities suitable to their preparation and experience after they leave the department.

  Appropriate faculty assignments

• Faculty members who are teaching and advising in the graduate program are given ample opportunity for scholarly work and professional development.
• The department sets reasonable limits on the number of graduate advisees assigned to any one faculty member.  
• Faculty assignments in the graduate program are not performed on an “overload” basis.
• Faculty members who are teaching and advising in the graduate program are teaching neither in night school nor in off-campus programs on an “overload” basis.

Responsible class scheduling

• The department publishes and distributes to graduate students a multi-year schedule of course offerings, enabling students to plan their study.
• Graduate course offerings are sequenced appropriately and offered with sufficient frequency to prevent delays in degree completion.

V.         Adequate Resources

• The department regularly assesses its resources and makes realistic decisions about its graduate program(s) in light of these resources.
• The department provides research support—in the form of equipment, laboratories or studios, staff assistance, and funds (where possible)—for the   research programs of faculty members who teach and advise graduate students.
• The department works closely and continuously with the library to ensure that the collection supports the research and teaching needs of the department.   The department is aware of particularly valuable library resources in its discipline and informs graduate students of those resources.
• The department and its faculty members actively and persistently seek outside funding to support research and graduate students.   Department graduate students receive adequate financial support and early notification of that support.
• The department allows faculty members sufficient time to do superior work in both teaching and research, and to advise and mentor graduate students in a thorough manner.
• Graduate students have adequate space and opportunity for informal discussion and interaction, and those who teach undergraduates have adequate facilities for advising and helping their students with class assignments.   Graduate students also have access to facilities and equipment needed in their graduate research.
• The department encourages faculty members to consult, collaborate, and share resources (courses, computer labs, etc.) with colleagues who have common curricular interests in other departments and colleges.

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Finding Your Path

Maybe you’ve got a specific program in mind, or perhaps you are just interested in what is available at the UW and how to go about finding a program, applying, and paying for school.

Know that the Graduate School accepts applications from U.S. citizens, permanent residents (green card holders), immigrants and  international applicants .  Undocumented individuals  are eligible for admission to any graduate program at the University of Washington. Graduate School admission requirements and application procedures are the same for all applicants regardless of citizenship and visa status.

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Is Graduate School Right for You?

Going through the process of earning a graduate degree is expensive, time consuming, and asks a lot of you and the people around you. But it can also be a rewarding and enlightening part of moving to the next step in your life.

When considering whether to apply, ask yourself some questions: Why do I want to go to graduate school? What is my end goal? Is graduate school necessary to meet that goal? If so, what is the right program for me? Does UW have a program that fits my needs?

If you’ve decided to continue to the next step, you’ll want to find a good program…

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The Application Process

How to apply, after you apply, after you are accepted, paying for school.

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• Year of Graduate Study (G-Year)
• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

• Application for Degree
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On this page:

• Year of Graduate Study (G-Year)

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Adjustment to g-year.

• Related Contacts and Forms

A student’s time in graduate study is measured by G-Year, which refers to the number of years of graduate study. For example, a student in their first year is a G1, in their second year a G2, and so on. Both the Registrar’s Office and academic programs track G-Year, which may diverge if the academic program approves an adjustment.

PhD candidates who have not completed the requirements for their degree by their 10th year of study will be  withdrawn . Once the dissertation is complete, withdrawn students may apply for  readmission  to register for the purpose of receiving the degree.

• Exceptions may be made for students with special circumstances. For more information, students should contact their program, which may confer with the  Office of Student Affairs  to review particular circumstances.
• Exceptions to being withdrawn require a letter from the advisor, endorsed by the DGS, to Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Affairs explaining the:  1. Progress the student has made  2. Reason for exception (i.e., why student should remain enrolled)  3. Plan for completion with detailed timeline and departmental effort/support.

A program may grant a student a G-Year adjustment to their Departmental G-Year in certain circumstances; students should reach out to their program for more information. If approved, the adjustment will apply to the G10 enrollment cap and, if applicable, to when the student invokes guaranteed teaching and applies for a dissertation completion fellowship. G-Year adjustments are not accompanied by additional funding but are aimed at providing students more time to meet academic deadlines/milestones by delaying them one year, such as: 

• In department X, "general exams should be taken at the end of the third year.” A student in Registrar G4 (cumulative-time), who has been adjusted to a Departmental G3, will have approximately one extra year to complete their general exams.
• In department Y, students "must submit their prospectus by the end of their G4 year.” A student in Registrar G5 (cumulative-time), who has been adjusted to a Departmental G4, will have approximately one extra year to submit their prospectus. 

Please contact your financial aid officer to discuss your specific situation.

Students who desire a change in their department G-Year based on a reason below should contact their program to submit a formal request; the program will confer with the Office of Student Affairs. A leave of absence may not be necessary to receive an adjustment for a medically documented illness, childbirth or major family-related issues, or other disruptions.

Disruption Caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic

An adjustment of one year can be made to the department G-year for students whose academic progress has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic .

Delayed Start due to Visa Processing

An adjustment of one year to the department G-Year can be made if a student experiences delays outside of their control in visa processing, which delayed the start of their graduate work. This does not apply to students who have been approved to defer for one year.

Medically Documented Illness

An adjustment of one year to the department G-Year can be made for a medically documented illness. Documentation must be submitted to the Disability Access Office (DAO) providing an explanation of the illness signed by the attending physician. Contact the DAO for more details.

Childbirth or Major Family-Related Issues

An adjustment of one year can be made for childbirth or other major family-related interruptions of timely progress to the degree.

Active Military Service

An adjustment to the department G-Year can be made for the years a student is on active military service.

Coordinated Degree Program

An adjustment to the department G-Year can be made for the years in which a Harvard Griffin GSAS student is participating in the MD/PhD or JD/PhD Coordinated Program.

Beginning a Doctor of Philosophy Program from a Harvard Griffin GSAS Master’s Program

Students entering a PhD program from a Harvard Griffin GSAS master’s program will start as a G1 Departmental G-Year. Their Registrar G-Year will still reflect as a G2 or G3, depending on how long their master's program was, simply to track their cumulative time with Harvard Griffin GSAS. 

Other Disruptions

An adjustment to the department G-Year may be considered for students who suffer disruptions to their academic progress due to circumstances beyond their control. Please consult with the   the Office of Student Affairs . Documentation may be requested.

Contact Info

Disability Access Office    1350 Massachusetts Avenue  Smith Campus Center #470  Cambridge, MA 02138

Phone: (617) 496-8707  Fax: (617) 496-1098  [email protected]  

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From Associate to Doctorate: A Complete Guide to College Degree Levels

Genevieve Carlton

Contributing Writer

Learn about our editorial process .

Updated April 12, 2024

Hannah Muniz

Contributing Editor

Reviewed by

Stephanie DeBord

Contributing Reviewer

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Are you ready to discover your college program?

Considering a college degree? First, you'll have to understand the types of degrees and college degree levels.

Different degrees prepare you for different career paths. For example, you can't become a psychologist with just a bachelor's degree — you'd need a master's or doctorate in psychology. And you usually can't become an engineer without at least a bachelor's degree.

Typically, as your university degree level rises, your earning potential increases, and the unemployment rate decreases. That's one more reason it's important to understand the different types of degrees.

What Types of Degrees Are There in College?

There are many types of degrees you can earn in college. College degree levels can be broken down into two categories: undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees.

Here are the college degrees in order, from lowest ranking to highest:

• Associate degree (undergraduate)
• Bachelor's degree (undergraduate)
• Master's degree (graduate)
• Doctoral degree (graduate)

While a doctorate is the highest education level, some fields may stop at a master's. The phrase "terminal degree" refers to the highest degree in a field.

A professional degree is a type of graduate degree — often a doctorate — that prepares you for a professional career in fields like law and medicine.

Popular Online Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

Associate Degree

• Typical Program Length: 1-2 years
• Typical Number of Credits: 60

Most associate degrees prepare you to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. These programs can be found at community and technical colleges and typically last 1-2 years.

An associate degree can also serve as the foundation for a bachelor's program. You may even be able to transfer some of the credits you earned for your associate degree toward a four-year degree.

Some associate degrees require you to complete an internship or practicum in addition to taking classes. This is particularly common among healthcare and tech degrees.

To apply for an associate degree program , you'll need a high school diploma or equivalent, like a GED certificate. Some schools may require you to submit standardized test scores, such as the ACT or the SAT, as well.

Featured Associate Programs

What can you do with an associate degree.

An associate degree prepares you for vocational, allied health, and support roles. For example, you can become a medical assistant , paralegal , or vet tech with an associate degree.

The highest-paying careers with an associate degree pay over $80,000 per year. See the table below for salary information on other popular associate degree jobs.

Source: BLS

Types of Associate Degrees

Colleges can offer three kinds of associate degrees:

• Associate of Arts (AA)
• Associate of Science (AS)
• Associate of Applied Science (AAS)

Arts, humanities, and creative fields typically offer an AA, whereas social sciences and natural sciences fields often award an AS. Many applied and vocational programs offer an AAS degree.

The type of degree matters if you're planning to transfer into a bachelor's program. Colleges normally offer fewer transfer credits for an AAS degree.

Popular Associate Degrees

• Business Administration
• Business Management
• Computer Science
• Criminal Justice
• Cybersecurity
• Early Childhood Education
• Graphic Design
• Healthcare Management
• Information Technology
• Medical Assisting
• Medical Billing and Coding
• Pre-Nursing
• Social Work

Bachelor's Degree

• Typical Program Length: 4 years
• Typical Number of Credits: 120

A bachelor's degree prepares you for many career paths. You'll generally spend four years earning a bachelor's degree at a college or university. You'll take general education classes and courses in your major . You can also choose a minor.

Some colleges offer accelerated bachelor's programs , which take less time — often 2-3 years. Degree-completion programs can also speed up the timeline by awarding you credit for previous college coursework.

You can earn your bachelor's degree online as well. An online degree from an accredited college meets the same standards as that of an in-person degree.

You'll need a high school diploma for admission and may also need to submit SAT or ACT scores.

Featured Bachelor's Programs

What can you do with a bachelor's degree.

In diverse industries like business, tech, and education, a bachelor's degree can prepare you for many entry-level careers. Some of the highest-paying jobs with a bachelor's degree include roles in finance, management, and tech.

Graduates with a four-year degree can also benefit from high demand in many lucrative fields, like software development and engineering. The table below introduces some popular jobs with a bachelor's degree.

Types of Bachelor's Degrees

You can earn a bachelor's degree in many fields. Some of the most common types of bachelor's degrees you'll see include:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA)
• Bachelor of Science (BS)
• Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA)
• Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS)
• Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.)
• Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

The two most popular degrees are a BA and a BS. These degrees cover all arts and sciences majors and some education and engineering degrees.

Popular Bachelor's Degrees

• Civil Engineering
• Communication
• Computer Programming
• Health Informatics
• Health Sciences
• Human Resources
• Mathematics
• Organizational Psychology
• Political Science
• Public Policy
• Supply Chain and Logistics

Master's Degree

• Typical Program Length: 1-3 years
• Typical Number of Credits: 30

A master's degree can help you gain specialized skills and qualify for higher-paying roles. As a graduate student, you'll work closely with experts in your field to explore advanced topics.

While a master's degree typically takes two years, some universities offer accelerated one-year master's programs. You can also enroll in a bachelor's-to-master's program to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree in less time.

Most master's programs require a minimum of 30 credits. Admission and graduation requirements vary depending on the program. For example, many arts and sciences master's programs require GRE scores , while business programs typically require GMAT scores .

Featured Master's Programs

What can you do with a master's degree.

With a master's degree, you can qualify for management-level careers and specialized roles in industries like healthcare, research, and social services. The highest-paying master's degrees include MBAs and nurse practitioner degrees.

Learn more about the earning potential and demand for popular master's degree jobs below.

Types of Master's Degrees

Here are some of the most common types of master's degrees you can earn:

• Master of Arts (MA)
• Master of Science (MS)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Education (M.Ed.)
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
• Master of Laws (LL.M.)
• Master of Public Administration (MPA)
• Master of Public Health (MPH)
• Master of Public Policy (MPP)
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
• Master of Social Work (MSW)

An MA and an MS are among the most popular master's degrees. Humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences fields typically award an MA or an MS. Other popular options include an MBA and an M.Ed.

Popular Master's Degrees

• Creative Writing
• Data Science
• Engineering
• Healthcare Administration
• Library and Information Science
• Network Security
• Public Health
• Supply Chain Management

Doctoral Degrees

• Typical Program Length: 2-10 years
• Typical Number of Credits: Varies

A doctorate represents the highest degree you can get in academia. There are a few types of doctoral degrees you can get.

Professional doctorates train you for a professional career. For example, law school and med school are two common professional paths. A Ph.D., on the other hand — by far one of the most common types of doctorates — emphasizes theory and research.

In a doctoral program, you'll take graduate-level seminars and courses, take comprehensive exams, conduct original research, and defend a dissertation in front of a faculty committee.

Most applied doctorates take 3-5 years, while a Ph.D. typically requires 4-6 years of coursework. In certain fields, you can earn your doctorate online.

Some doctoral programs require a master's degree for admission, whereas others admit applicants with just a bachelor's degree. You may need to submit standardized test scores depending on the program.

Featured Doctoral Programs

What can you do with a doctorate.

If you want to become a physician , professor , or lawyer, you'll need a doctorate. In many fields, a doctorate translates into higher salaries. Lawyers, pharmacists , and physicists all report median salaries of over $125,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The following table shows the earning potential and demand for popular doctoral degree jobs.

Types of Doctoral Degrees

A doctorate is the highest education level, but there are still several types of doctoral degrees. Here are some of the most common you can get:

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
• Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
• Doctor of Medicine (MD)
• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
• Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
• Juris Doctor (JD)

A Ph.D. is the most popular doctorate. You can earn a Ph.D. in many arts and sciences fields. Other doctorates take their names from the career path associated with the degree.

Popular Doctoral Degrees

• Curriculum and Instruction
• Educational Administration
• Educational Leadership
• Human Services
• Legal Studies
• Organizational Leadership
• Public Administration

Frequently Asked Questions About College Degree Levels

What are the four types of college degrees.

The four types of college degrees are associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees. Colleges classify associate and bachelor's degrees as undergraduate degrees and master's and doctoral degrees as graduate degrees.

Within those categories, you can earn many types of degrees. For instance, at the bachelor's level, you could earn a bachelor of arts (BA), a bachelor of science (BS), or a bachelor of fine arts (BFA) degree.

What is a four-year college degree called?

A four-year college degree is called a bachelor's degree. Another term for this degree type is a baccalaureate degree.

Many careers require a bachelor's degree for entry-level roles. For example, most careers in business require you to hold a bachelor's degree. Many roles in tech, education, the public sector, and engineering also require you to have a four-year degree.

Some career paths require a specific major. In many states, you'll need a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) to become a registered nurse . In other fields, your specific major matters less than the quality of your skills.

What is the highest degree?

The highest degree is a doctorate, also called a doctoral degree. In terms of university degree levels, both master's and bachelor's degrees rank below doctorates.

You can earn a doctorate in a wide array of fields, including the social sciences, business, the humanities, education, engineering, and healthcare.

In some fields, however, a master's degree represents the terminal, or highest, degree. For instance, a master of fine arts (MFA) is the terminal degree for creative writing.

What is the hardest college degree?

Most would agree that the hardest college degree is a doctorate. As the highest education level, a doctorate requires significant expertise in the field.

Many Ph.D. programs take six years or more and require you to write a book-length dissertation based on original research.

Because a doctorate represents the top of the university degree levels, it's a relatively uncommon degree. Only around 2% of U.S. adults held a doctorate in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau .

What is the quickest degree?

The fastest degree you can get is either a one-year associate degree or a one-year master's degree. While other types of degrees typically take a minimum of two years, you can earn a master's degree in one year with an accelerated or fast-track program.

You can sometimes add a master's degree to your bachelor's through a 4+1 program, also known as a bachelor's-to-master's program. In this case, some of your coursework counts toward both your undergraduate and graduate degrees, meaning you'll spend an additional year in college to leave with a master's degree.

Explore More College Resources

Highly informative resources to keep your education journey on track.

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Discover schools with the programs and courses you’re interested in, and start learning today.

Undergraduate vs. Graduate: Educate Yourself On The Difference

• Undergraduate Meaning
• Undergraduate Student And Degree
• Graduate Meaning
• Graduate Degree And Student
• Graduate Origin
• Postgraduate Meaning

⚡ Quick summary

The main difference between undergraduate and graduate is that undergraduate is always used in the context of the first level of college or university education (the level where you can earn a bachelor’s degree ). In terms like graduate student and graduate degree , graduate refers to a level of advanced education beyond the undergraduate level, especially a master’s degree or doctorate . The noun graduate is more general, simply referring to a person who has completed a level of education (someone who has graduated ).

The difference between undergraduate and graduate is a difference of degrees (*throws graduation cap in the air to celebrate the pun*).

The level of education that each word involves varies depending on how the word is being used, and there are situations in which both words can be used in the same situation. For example, you can become a graduate student after graduating with an undergraduate degree.

The word graduate can mean very different things depending on whether it’s used as a noun (as in recent   high school graduates ), an adjective (as in graduate student and graduate degree ), or a verb (as in I plan to graduate next May ). The same goes for its shortened form, grad , which can be used as a noun (as in Congrats, grads! ) or an adjective (as in grad program ).

Undergraduate can also be used both as a noun (as in I’m an undergraduate at Stanford University ) or an adjective (as in I’m working toward my undergraduate degree ). It can be shortened to undergrad in both cases.

By the end of this article, you’ll have an advanced degree in all the different ways graduate, grad , undergraduate , and undergrad are used, and what they mean in each case.

What does undergraduate mean?

An undergraduate is “a student in a university or college who has not received a first, especially a bachelor’s, degree.” For example, a college student might say I’m an undergraduate at the University of Texas if they were pursuing a bachelor’s degree there.

Undergraduate is also commonly used as an adjective in this same context, in terms like undergraduate student , undergraduate degree , and undergraduate studies.

Undergraduate is often shortened to undergrad as both a noun and an adjective.

In undergraduate, the prefix under- is used to indicate a lower rank or status. The educational status of an undergraduate student is below that of a graduate student.

What’s the difference between wisdom and knowledge ? Here’s a lesson on the two terms.

What is an undergraduate student ? And what is an undergraduate degree ?

An undergraduate student is a student who is pursuing a degree at the first level of higher education (meaning the level after high school) at a college or university. Undergraduate students are typically those working to earn a bachelor’s degree (or, less commonly, an associate’s degree ). These degrees are often referred to with the general term undergraduate degree.

Outside of the US, an undergraduate degree is sometimes called a first degree. There are also other types of undergraduate degrees outside of the US, such as a foundation degree (which, like an associate’s degree, is typically a two-year degree).

What does graduate mean?

As a noun, the word graduate  [  graj -oo-it ] refers to “a person who has received a degree or diploma on completing a course of study.” In other words, a graduate is someone who has completed a particular level of schooling or an educational program—a child who just finished kindergarten and a doctor who just completed medical school are both graduates. It can even be used figuratively , as in She’s a graduate of the school of hard knocks.

As a verb, graduate [  graj -oo-eyt ] means “to receive a degree or diploma on completing a course of study.” The process of graduating—and the ceremony itself—is called graduation .

As an adjective, graduate [  graj -oo-it ] means something more specific. It’s used to indicate that a student, degree, or educational program is an advanced one, beyond the level of a bachelor’s degree. This sense of graduate is most commonly used in terms like graduate degree, graduate school , graduate program, and graduate student.

What is a graduate degree ? And what is a graduate student ?

Graduate degree typically refers to a degree beyond a bachelor’s, most commonly a master’s.

A graduate student is a student who’s pursuing an advanced degree after having earned their undergraduate degree (such as a bachelor’s degree) by graduating from an undergraduate program. Calling someone a graduate student most often means they are pursuing their master’s degree, but it may be another advanced degree, such as a PhD (You’d most commonly call such students PhD students. Or you might say they are working toward their doctorate or their doctoral degree.)

To earn a graduate degree, graduate students go to a division of a university known as graduate school , and such a program is often called a graduate program. In all of these terms, graduate is often shortened to grad : grad school , grad student , grad program . (A student doesn’t become a graduate student until they take graduate-level courses. For example, if a student graduates with a bachelor’s degree and then later pursues a different bachelor’s degree, they are still an undergraduate student .)

Some graduate studies are referred to in more specific ways: medical students go to medical school to earn their medical degree ; law students go to law school to earn their law degree.

Do you know the difference between these highly-esteemed graduate degrees and titles: PhD, MD, and Dr ?

Where does the word graduate come from?

Graduate comes from the Medieval Latin graduārī, meaning “to take a degree.” It ultimately derives from the Latin gradus, meaning “a step.” Each time you graduate, you take a step to the next level of education.

What does postgraduate mean?

The adjective postgraduate is sometimes used in the same way as the adjective sense of the word graduate, especially in the UK, as in postgraduate student or postgraduate studies.

Postgraduate should not be confused with postdoctoral , which refers to studies, research, or professional work above the level of a doctorate.

How to use undergraduate vs. graduate

The best way to sort out the different meanings of undergraduate and graduate is to determine whether each word is being used as a noun, an adjective, or a verb. Here’s an easy breakdown of the differences.

• undergraduate (noun): A college student pursuing a non-advanced degree, most commonly a bachelor’s degree. Can be shortened to undergrad.
• undergraduate (adjective): Used in the context of colleges and university programs ( undergraduate programs ) where students are pursuing a degree (generally referred to as an undergraduate degree ) that is not an advanced degree. Also sometimes shortened to undergrad.
• graduate (noun): A person who has completed a particular level of schooling or educational program. Can be shortened to grad.
• graduate (verb): To complete a level of schooling (and, typically, to receive a degree or diploma). You can graduate from kindergarten, high school, college, graduate school, medical school, etc.
• graduate (adjective): Used in the context of advanced schooling—a level beyond a bachelor’s degree, most commonly a master’s program. Used in terms like graduate student , graduate school , graduate degree , graduate program , graduate courses , etc. Often shortened to grad.

Examples of undergraduate, undergrad, graduate, and grad used in a sentence

Let’s look at some examples of these words in actual, real-life use to get the meanings straight.

• As an undergraduate, she had studied engineering; as a graduate student, she switched to architecture.
• I completed my undergraduate degree after five years and a lot of hard work.
• As a graduate student, you will be expected to complete a thesis.
• You should start thinking about graduate school applications before you graduate.
• Most of the applicants for this position are recent college graduates.
• I’m still an undergrad, but I’m hoping to start grad school next fall.
• I’m a UGA grad, but I almost went to Georgia Tech.

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• Education and learning
• Apprenticeships, 14 to 19 education and training for work

What qualification levels mean

England, wales and northern ireland.

There are 9 qualification levels.

Entry level

Each entry level qualification is available at three sub-levels - 1, 2 and 3. Entry level 3 is the most difficult.

Entry level qualifications are:

• entry level award
• entry level certificate ( ELC )
• entry level diploma
• entry level English for speakers of other languages ( ESOL )
• entry level essential skills
• entry level functional skills
• Skills for Life

Level 1 qualifications are:

• first certificate
• GCSE - grades 3, 2, 1 or grades D, E, F, G
• level 1 award
• level 1 certificate
• level 1 diploma
• level 1 ESOL
• level 1 essential skills
• level 1 functional skills
• level 1 national vocational qualification ( NVQ )
• music grades 1, 2 and 3

Level 2 qualifications are:

• CSE - grade 1
• GCSE - grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, C
• intermediate apprenticeship
• level 2 award
• level 2 certificate
• level 2 diploma
• level 2 ESOL
• level 2 essential skills
• level 2 functional skills
• level 2 national certificate
• level 2 national diploma
• level 2 NVQ
• music grades 4 and 5
• O level - grade A, B or C

Level 3 qualifications are:

• access to higher education diploma
• advanced apprenticeship
• applied general
• international Baccalaureate diploma
• level 3 award
• level 3 certificate
• level 3 diploma
• level 3 ESOL
• level 3 national certificate
• level 3 national diploma
• level 3 NVQ
• music grades 6, 7 and 8

Level 4 qualifications are:

• certificate of higher education ( CertHE )
• higher apprenticeship
• higher national certificate ( HNC )
• level 4 award
• level 4 certificate
• level 4 diploma
• level 4 NVQ

Level 5 qualifications are:

• diploma of higher education ( DipHE )
• foundation degree
• higher national diploma ( HND )
• level 5 award
• level 5 certificate
• level 5 diploma
• level 5 NVQ

Level 6 qualifications are:

• degree apprenticeship
• degree with honours - for example bachelor of the arts ( BA ) hons, bachelor of science ( BSc ) hons
• graduate certificate
• graduate diploma
• level 6 award
• level 6 certificate
• level 6 diploma
• level 6 NVQ
• ordinary degree without honours

Level 7 qualifications are:

• integrated master’s degree, for example master of engineering ( MEng )
• level 7 award
• level 7 certificate
• level 7 diploma
• level 7 NVQ
• master’s degree, for example master of arts ( MA ), master of science ( MSc )
• postgraduate certificate
• postgraduate certificate in education ( PGCE )
• postgraduate diploma

Level 8 qualifications are:

• doctorate, for example doctor of philosophy ( PhD or DPhil )
• level 8 award
• level 8 certificate
• level 8 diploma

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Doctor of Education Leadership

Additional Information

• Download the Doctoral Viewbook
• Admissions & Aid

America needs transformative leaders in preK–12 education whose passion for education quality and equity is matched by a knowledge of learning and development, the organizational management skills to translate visionary ideas into practical success, and a firm grasp of the role of context and politics in shaping leadership. Graduates of the three-year, multidisciplinary Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education will be prepared to become those leaders.

The Ed.L.D Program — taught by faculty from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Kennedy School — will train you for system-level leadership positions in school systems, state and federal departments of education, and national nonprofit organizations. Ed.L.D. is a full-time, three-year program built on a cohort learning model. Cohorts consist of up to 25 students from diverse professional backgrounds (including district/charter management leaders, nonprofit directors, principals, teachers, and policy researchers) who progress through the program together.

All Ed.L.D. students receive a full tuition funding package plus stipends, work opportunities, and a paid third-year residency at a partner organization.

The Ed.L.D. Program prepares graduates to do work for the public good in the American public education sector, whether that be at the system or state level. Specifically, the program is designed to accelerate the progress graduates make toward achieving meaningful impact in influential roles and/or crossing boundaries in the following spaces in the public education sector:

• PreK–12 district or CMO leadership roles : superintendent of schools, chief academic officer, and/or deputy superintendent
• Foundation/philanthropy roles:  director, president and CEO, senior fellow
• Education nonprofit roles : president or executive director of backbone or collective impact organizations which support preK–12 schools. Ed.L.D. graduates will lead education nonprofits that explicitly focus on improving outcomes and opportunities for children, families, and communities.
• State or federal education leadership roles : commissioner or deputy commissioner roles. Could also include public education advocacy or education policy advisers to senior government officials.
• Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation roles:  Founder, CEO, president

Curriculum Information

The Ed.L.D. curriculum is a balance of multidisciplinary coursework and practice-based learning. Core courses and electives are taught by recognized leaders from across Harvard’s graduate programs in fields like data-based education reform, organizational change and innovation, and effective leadership strategies for urban schools. You will develop and test your leadership skills through team projects and an immersive third-year residency.

All students in the cohort take the same classes in four foundational content areas: learning and teaching, leadership and organizational change, politics and policy, adult development, and leadership inside and out (including one-on-one executive coaching). Courses taken during the first-year focus on practice-based learning and serve as the framework of your first-year experience.

Sample HGSE Courses

• Leading Change
• How People Learn
• Ed.L.D. Proseminar
• Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning
• Race, Equity, and Leadership
• Practicing Leadership Inside and Out
• Sector Change
• The Workplace Lab for System-Level Leaders

View  all courses  in the Academic Catalog.

Each cohort member works with program advisers to choose an individualized sequence of electives from any of the Harvard graduate schools. You will work closely with the program faculty and staff during your second year to determine the best match with a partner organization for your third-year residency. Matches are driven by mutual interest between the resident and the partner organization, and each student's career and learning goals and geographic preferences.

• Second Year Practicing Leadership Inside and Out
• Driving Change 
• Education Sector Nonprofits
• Negotiation Workshop
• Coaching with Equity in Mind
• Ethnic Studies and Education
• Deeper Learning for All:  Designing a 21st Century School System
• Institutional Change in School Organizations, Systems, and Sectors

You will take part in a 10-month paid residency at one of our partner organizations. There, you will work on a strategic project which synthesizes your experience and learning into a written Capstone project. You will stay connected to your Ed.L.D. cohort and HGSE through technology and by returning to Harvard periodically for intensive workshops.

Paid Residency 

Our partner organizations include school systems and departments of education, as well as some of the nation's most influential and dynamic nonprofit, mission-based for-profit, and philanthropic organizations.

You will be intentionally pushed out of your comfort zones and asked to work systemically and make a significant contribution to the partner organization. In addition, the residency will provide you with the professional mentoring, practical experiences, and network of connections they need to position themselves as future leaders in the education sector. 

Strategic Project 

You will define (with supervisors from your partner organization) a strategic project on which to focus. You will have the opportunity to lead one or two major efforts on behalf of the organization, such as the creation or implementation of current initiatives. The project allows you to practice and improve leadership skills, add important value to the mission and strategy of the partner organization, work systemically, and hold high-level accountability.

During the residency period, you will produce a written Capstone. The Capstone is a descriptive, analytic, and reflective account of your third-year leadership contributions to a strategic project within an Ed.L.D. partner organization. It is a demonstration of your ability to engage others, develop strategy to successfully address and diagnose challenges, work toward a vision and goals, and learn from the results.

Sample Topics

• Accountability, Coherence, and Improvement: Leadership Reflection and Growth in the Los Angeles Unified School District
• Leadership Development for Entrepreneurial Education Leaders Working to Build Public & Private Sector Support
• Disrupting Teacher Preparation: Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation Across the Learning to Teach Community of Practice
• Pursuing Educational Equality for English Language Learners

Sample Summaries 

• Breaking Down Silos in a School District: Findings from an Ed.L.D. Project in Montgomery County
• Expanding Students' Access to Meaningful STEM Learning Opportunities Through Strategic Community Partnerships
• Developing a New Teacher Leadership and Compensation System in Iowa: A Consensus-Based Process
• Finding Great Teachers for Blended-Learning Schools

GSE Theses and Dissertations from Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH)

Program Faculty

Ed.L.D. students learn with renowned faculty from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Kennedy School. Faculty from the three schools share their individual expertise in the Ed.L.D. Program and work collaboratively to provide a challenging and coherent experience for students. Faculty who teach in the Ed.L.D. core curriculum and advise Ed.L.D. students include:

Faculty Director

Frank D. Barnes

Frank Barnes is faculty director of the Doctor of Education Leadership Program. He has over 30 years experience as an educator, researcher, and organizer. As a chief accountability officer, he led turnaround efforts for large public school districts, including Boston Public Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Kathryn Parker Boudett

Ebony N. Bridwell-Mitchell

Jennifer Perry Cheatham

Elizabeth City

Candice Crawford-Zakian

Marshall Ganz

Adria D. Goodson

Deborah helsing.

Monica C. Higgins

Deborah Jewell-Sherman

Lisa Laskow Lahey

Mary Grassa O'Neill

Irvin Leon Scott

Catherine Snow

Michael L. Tushman

Martin west.

Introduce Yourself

Tell us about yourself so that we can tailor our communication to best fit your interests and provide you with relevant information about our programs, events, and other opportunities to connect with us.

Program Highlights

Explore examples of the Doctor of Education Leadership experience and the impact its community is making on the field:

Do We Need Happiness Teachers?

After a trip to meet with the Dalai Lama, an Ed.L.D. student says we do

Combatting Chronic Absenteeism with Family Engagement 

As post-COVID absenteeism rates continue unabated, a look at how strong family-school engagement can help