Graduation is how the higher education course is called, being the first level of university education. Completing the degree is what allows the exercise of the chosen profession, if this is linked to the requirement of a diploma, such as medicine and dentistry.
Undergraduate courses are divided between bachelor degree, graduation and superior in technology, the latter also called technological graduation. Graduates of these courses are called graduates, or specifically bachelor, graduate and technologist.
Most graduations give the title of bachelor, such as mathematics, engineering and law. THE graduation it is a model of a course aimed at training teachers, and the curriculum includes a good part of the subjects of the bachelor's degree plus specific courses in pedagogy. O higher technology course it has a shorter format than a bachelor's or a bachelor's degree, and it has a more technical and less theoretical character.
Graduation is a formal course, recognized by the Ministry of Education, and has specific rules for its functioning within Faculties and Universities. They are mostly face-to-face, that is, they require the student to travel to the classroom to fulfill the class hours and take the exams.
THE distance graduation it is a teaching model in which students fulfill their hours virtually, using information technologies such as computers or tablets. Even in this format, some face-to-face hours are required to exchange with teachers, ensuring quality teaching and adequate assimilation of contents by the student.
After graduation, students who want to continue their studies can take the postgraduate studies, those that are still divided between Lato sensu (specializations and MBA's) and stricto sensu (Masters and PhDs).
Learn more about the meaning of postgraduate studies.
The word graduation also refers to grading action. Grading is dividing something into levels, or degrees, on a scale.
The hierarchical scales and divisions can be called graduations, being even used for social positions, order of military positions, and even in cartographic and musical scales.
In university terms, there is no exact synonym for graduation in Brazil. You can use the term higher education, but that covers other types of courses.
Regarding graduation levels, it can be used as synonym scale, position and hierarchy.
See also: meaning of level of education and difference between lato sensu and stricto sensu.