Editing Academic degree (section)

==== Mexico ====
Education in [[Mexico]] follows a three-degree system similar to that of Canada and the US. The pre-university academic level is the ''bachillerato'' (also called ''preparatoria''), similar to [[High school (upper secondary)|high school]]. Students typically leave preparatoria at the age of 18 for university, at which point they choose to specialize in a specific academic area (a ''carrera''), such as economics, business administration, sciences, law, engineering or medicine, for 8–10 semesters of full-time study, which typically takes 4–5 years. They study for a ''técnico superior universitario'' (associate degree, only half of the ''licenciatura'', with the possibility of finishing a full bachelor's degree later, mainly in fields such as engineering and computer sciences),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sep.gob.mx/es/sep1/Requisitos_Nivel_Tecnico_Superior_Universitario|title=Secretaría de Educación Pública :: Requisitos Nivel Técnico Superior Universitario|date=28 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928005426/http://www.sep.gob.mx/es/sep1/Requisitos_Nivel_Tecnico_Superior_Universitario|archive-date=28 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.profesionistas.org.mx/por-que-estudiar-una-licenciatura-o-carrera-tecnica/|title=¿ Por qué estudiar una licenciatura o carrera técnica ? |website=Profesionistas.org.mx|date=13 February 2014|access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref> or a ''licenciatura'' (bachelor), then a ''maestría'' (master), then a ''doctorado'' (doctorate). They can also get the degree of "ingenieria" or "medico" as an engineer or MD, respectively.

After receiving the ''licenciatura'', students may take extra courses called ''diplomados'' (similar to a [[certification]] but issued by a university). These courses last 4–12 months and are a means to further study without continuing to the next degree level, and are usually to demonstrate that students are staying up-to-date in their fields. Most students stay at this level, but some choose to continue to the ''maestría'', equivalent to the [[master's degree]]. Study at the ''maestría'' level takes 1–3 years and mandates completion of a [[thesis]]. Post-graduate students in Mexico typically enter a master's program after a few years in the workforce and often continue working while studying.

Traditionally, students who have completed the ''maestria'' may continue on to the ''doctorado'' or the [[doctorate]]. Doctoral study typically lasts 3–4 years. In recent years this schemes has become flexible such that in some PhD programmes, students are accepted before, or not completing, the course of study for a master's.