Sorry, I’m a bit thrown off. What degree are you referring to?

Masters is usually about 2 years, though it could be longer in some cases or if worked on part-time. PhD is often 4-6+.

What 3-4 year degree did you mean? Bachelors?

I assume they're referring to Professional (Graduate) degrees, like JD or MD.

	▲	annzabelle 6 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Are there professional degrees like that for, say, mathematics or physics? An aside, the Actuarial profession's fellowship credentials (FSA/FCAS) are considered to be roughly equivalent in content to a professional doctorate (not counting a medical residency), and have a completely different format. It's mostly exam based from pure self study, and aspiring actuaries typically work full time in the industry after passing the first 2-3 exams and finishing a bachelor's (which can be in any subject). Typical travel time from the first exam to the fellowship credential is 6-8 years, IIRC. Employers pay employees for some study time and for exam leave for each exam, with a bonus for each one passed. I bring this all up because there are a lot of other ways for education to be structured outside of the BS -> MS -> PhD pathway, and there are ways for learning to be integrated with industry.