Some colleges and universities offer programs for which a first undergraduate degree

Undergraduate degree

An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...

 is a pre-requisite, but which are usually not considered traditional graduate education

Postgraduate education

Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...

. Such programs are sometimes offered under the umbrella of continuing education

Continuing education

Continuing education is an all-encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada...

 and may lead to a second undergraduate degree, a certificate

Academic certificate

An academic certificate is a document that certifies that a person has received specific education or has passed a test or series of tests.In many countries, certificate is a qualification attained in secondary education. For instance, students in the Republic of Ireland sit the Junior Certificate...

 or credential, or to a pre-medical

Pre-medical

Pre-medical is a term used to describe a track an undergraduate student in the United States pursues prior to becoming a medical student...

 master's degree in a field such as biomedical or health sciences

Healthcare science

Healthcare science is the applied science dealing with the application of science, technology, engineering or mathematics to the delivery of healthcare....

. These are commonly referred to as post-baccalaureate programs. Such courses of study may be used to prepare students for graduate

Graduate school

A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...

 or professional school

Professional school

A professional school is a school type that prepares students for careers in specific fields.Examples of this type of school include:* Architecture school* Business school* Dental school* Education school* Journalism school* Law school* Library school...

or for a different career or profession.