The American graduate degree is slightly different from the graduate degree conferred in commonwealth countries. Here graduate degree means not a bachelor's degree like B.A or B.S but a master's degree like M.A, M.S, M.B.A or a doctoral degree like Ph. D. It is offered by a graduation school or a university. One can earn a graduate degree either from a regular or distance education program.

Many people entertain the idea that enrolling for a correspondence program is very easy. On the contrary, it is as tough as enrolling for a regular program. Most schools adopt the same standards to process the applications for on-campus and off-campus programs. In US each university has its own admission procedure. You should contact the Distance Learning department of the college or the concerned authority of the on-line college you have chosen for the application formalities.

Graduate schools require a bachelor's degree from an accredited college. The required GPA (Grade Point Average) of the degree differs from school to school. You need to take at least one of the standardized admission tests such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogy Test (MAT). Business Administration/Management courses require the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) score. Students from non-English speaking countries will have to get TOEFL score too. Some universities require you to write an essay or statement of purpose while filling up the application. Reference letters also carry considerable weight.

Usually older people find it tough to get good GRE/GMAT scores. Since most of the distance education programs are targeted at the employed people who don't have the time to attend regular college many schools relax the traditional admission procedure for older applicants. Especially on-line colleges are relatively flexible and give more importance to other criteria such as GPA score, work experience and career achievements.

The time frame to earn the degree varies from school to school. Master's programs are normally completed in 18 months to two years time in the regular course. But a distance program may take much longer, probably two-three years. Some on-line colleges facilitate faster completion compared to the distant education programs of regular colleges. You can earn an on-line bachelor degree within 13-18 months. Doctoral programs through correspondence may take four-eight years to complete.

Better compensation and promotions are motivating many employed people to pursue correspondence graduate courses. Studies show that graduate employees earn 40-50% more than non-graduates.