Short answers, pulled from the story.
A bachelor's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded by higher education institutions upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years, depending on the institution and academic discipline. The two most common forms are the Bachelor of Arts, BA, and the Bachelor of Science, BS or BSc.
The word comes from Medieval Latin baccalaureus and Modern Latin baccalaureatus. In the 12th century, bachelor referred to a knight bachelor who was too young or poor to gather vassals under his own banner, and by the end of the 13th century it was used by junior members of guilds or universities. Through folk etymology, baccalaureus became associated with bacca lauri, meaning laurel berry, in reference to laurels awarded for academic success.
A bachelor's degree generally takes between three and six years. In the United States it is typically designed for four years and 120 instructional credit hours, while in England, Wales and Northern Ireland it usually takes three years, and in Scotland honours degrees take four years.
An honours degree generally requires a higher academic standard than a pass degree, which is also known as an ordinary or general degree, and in some systems requires an additional year of study. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, honours degrees are classified as first class, upper second, 2:1, lower second, 2:2, and third class.
Yes. In Canada, graduate-entry programs titled as if they were doctorates, such as MD, JD and DDS, are considered bachelor's degrees despite their names. The Scottish MA and the Canadian MD also carry non-bachelor's titles but are classified as bachelor's degrees.
The Bologna Process led many European countries to reintroduce or restructure the bachelor's degree as a first cycle qualification leading into a master's. Germany reintroduced it in 1998, the Netherlands in 2002, and France made the three-year licence standard under the 2004 LMD reform.