The degree and its system of medieval universities were gradually formed and developed with the emergence of universities and the development of their internal organizations. The connotation of degree is constantly changing and gradually develops into a modern degree system.

The original intention of a degree is a teaching license, which is equivalent to the title of master in the handicraft guild. For a long time, there was no difference between a master's degree and a doctor's degree. They were all called professors, but they were called by different names. For example, at the University of Bologna, teachers are called doctors; In Paris University, teachers are called masters. Rushmore, a historian of medieval universities, once said: "The three titles of master, doctor and professor were completely synonymous in the Middle Ages". There are some differences between the two degrees, mainly because the master's exam is not open, and those who pass the exam issue certificates and obtain teacher qualifications; The doctoral examination was held in public with a grand ceremony. The original intention of obtaining a degree is to obtain the qualification of teachers, not as a symbol of academic qualifications and academic level in the modern sense. At that time, the University of Bologna was the center of studying law, and the teacher became a doctor, while the teacher who taught "Seven Arts" at the University of Paris became a master. Later, it evolved into that only those who completed the "Seven Arts" and obtained a master's degree were eligible to take courses in theology, medicine and law, and those who completed the courses in theology, medicine and law were awarded a doctorate. In this way, the four subjects have been divided, forming a division between low subjects and high subjects, and a division between masters and doctors. Master's degree is only awarded to graduates who have completed seven liberal arts courses, while doctor's degree is generally awarded to graduates who have completed advanced courses, mainly referring to students who have completed legal, medical and theological courses.

The bachelor's degree came into being later than the master's degree and doctor's degree, about13rd century. Bacca-laureate is a term in the guild, which originally means "novice", that is, the master's helper. After a certain number of years (usually 5-7 years), students are allowed to give private lessons and try out teaching as assistant professors. In the Middle Ages when the upper and lower disciplines were separated, the bachelor's degree was clearly awarded to graduates who had studied three kinds of arts (grammar, rhetoric and dialectics) in the art department. It means that a bachelor is not only a candidate for a master's degree, but also an assistant of a professor, that is, a teaching assistant. For example, in the University of Bologna, it is stipulated that students cannot be teaching assistants without the consent of the dean of the law department, and this permission is only valid for a specific time and syllabus. By the middle of13rd century, this system was adopted by universities all over the world.

In this way, after the bachelor's degree was fixed, the ancient degree system was finally formed, including bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctoral degree. The meaning of ancient degree has also evolved from the title and business license of representative teachers to the graduation standard of high and low disciplines, and finally it has become a double proof of both teaching qualification and academic level of universities. In fact, only a few students who study in universities can finally get their degrees. According to the records of a German university in the15th century, only 30-40% of the students in this university actually got a bachelor's degree, and only about 10% got a master's degree.