In the United States and Canada, an academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses established in an academic major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word "major" is also sometimes used administratively to refer to the academic discipline pursued by a graduate student or postgraduate student in a master's or doctoral program. The term may also apply to a focused field of an academic discipline that a student chooses at the doctoral studies level.