master's degree is an
academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone a course of study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific
field of study or area of
professional practice.
[1] Within the area studied, graduates possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of
theoretical and applied topics; high order skills in
analysis,
critical evaluation and/or professional application; and the ability to
solve complex problems and think
rigorously and independently.
[2]The two most common types of master's degrees are the
Master of Arts (M.A.) and
Master of Science (M.S.); these may be course-based, research-based, or (more typically) a mixture of the two. Some
universities use the
Latin degree names; because of the flexibility of
word order in Latin, the Master of Arts and Master of Science may be known as magister artium or artium magister and magister scientiƦ or scientiarum magister, respectively.
Harvard University and the
University of Chicago for instance, use A.M. and S.M. for their master's degrees and
MIT uses S.M. for its master of science degrees. Master of Science often is abbreviated MS or M.S. in the United States,
[3] and MSc or M.Sc. in
Commonwealth nations and Europe.
A
dissertation may or may not be required, depending on the program. There are various degrees of the same level, such as
engineer's degrees, which have different names for historical reasons.
There has recently been an increase in programs leading to these degrees in the United States; more than twice as many such degrees are now awarded as compared to the 1970s.
[4]In some languages, a master's degree is called a magister, which is
Latin for master (teacher), and magister or a
cognate can also be used for a person who has the degree.
Structure
Further information:
Master's degree in North America and
Master's degree non-EuroamericanThere are a range of pathways to the degree, with entry based on evidence of a capacity to undertake higher degree studies in the proposed field. The master's is usually offered at a
postgraduate level, although it is also offered as an
undergraduate degree. Some university programmes provide for a joint bachelor's and master's degree after four or five years.
[
edit] Duration
In the recently standardized European System of higher education (
Bologna process), a master's degree corresponds to a one- or two-year postgraduate program (60 to 120
ECTS credits) undertaken after at least three years of undergraduate studies. It provides higher qualification for
employment or prepares for
doctoral studies. In general, though, the structure and duration of a program of study leading to a master's degree will differ by country and by university:
In some systems, such as those of the
USA and Japan, a master's degree is a
postgraduate academic degree awarded after the completion of an academic program of one to six years in duration.
In the systems of a limited number of countries, such as England, Scotland (students entering their education after July 2007), and Ireland, a master's degree can be both an
undergraduate academic degree awarded after the completion of an academic program of four (or sometimes five) years, or a
postgraduate academic degree awarded after the completion of an academic program of one to two years.
[
edit] Admission
In countries in which a master's degree is a
postgraduate degree, admission to a master's program normally requires holding a
bachelor's degree (in the United Kingdom an 'honours' bachelor degree), although relevant work experience may qualify a candidate. Progressing to a
doctoral program sometimes requires that the candidate first earn a master's degree. In some fields or postgraduate programs, work on a doctorate begins immediately after the bachelor's degree, but the master's may be earned along the way, as a result of the successful completion of coursework and certain examinations. In some cases the student's bachelor's degree must be in the same subject as the intended master's degree, or in a closely allied discipline; in others, the subject of the bachelor's degree is unimportant.
[
edit] Comparable European degrees
In some European countries, a
magister is a
first degree and may be considered equivalent to a modern (standardized) master's degree (e.g., the
German university
Diplom/
Magister, or the similar 5-year or 7-year diploma awarded in several subjects in
Greek,
Spanish,
Italian,
Polish, and other universities and polytechnics).
In the
Francophone countries, a
DEA is the
postgraduate degree and considered equivalent to the master's degree (e.g., in
France and the French-speaking
Belgium, a
DEA is a one- to two-year degree taken after the
Licence), after the application of
Bologna process, the
DEA had been given a new name: MAS (Master of Advanced Studies).
In
Switzerland, the old
Licence (four to five years in duration) is considered equivalent to the master's degree.
[5]In Denmark the title candidatus or candidata (female) abbreviated cand. is used as a master's equivalent. Upon completion of for instance, a engineral master's degree, a person becomes cand.polyt. (polytechnical). Similar abbreviations, inspired by Latin, applies for a large number of educations, such as sociology (cand.scient.soc), economics (cand.polit. or cand.oecon), law (cand.jur), humanities (cand.mag) etc. A cand. title requires the obtainment of a bachelor's degree. In Sweden, the title of kand. equivalates to a bachelor's degree.