@BryanKrause Given the extremely short time-span of a semester, learning the "material" is not a clear option. Material sources are lecture notes (both loosely typed/written and dictated), the prescribed textbook, reference textbooks as prescribed, study guides (unavailable if new uni) and cliff's notes and dummies guides which more entertain than actually give enough point by point summarization or topic coverage that flows along with the syllabus.

@Nick You have a different view of education than me then. Good luck.

@BryanKrause after you told me about Dr. of Science, I found further information about academic degrees in Postgraduate Education. It turns out a lot of degrees have no uniform definitions; their definitions depend on not only countries but also time.

@CaptainBohemian Indeed, the same is true for every degree. Equivalencies are only ever loosely equivalent.