What is a master's degree, and what is the initial requirement?
A master's degree is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery.A master's degree can be obtained either as a separate degree or as part of an integrated course.Master's graduates are expected to possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theoretical and applied topics, high order skills in analysis, critical evaluation, or professional application, and the ability to solve complex problems and think independently.
The University of Toulouse was founded in 1233 by a Papal bull who said that anyone admitted to the master's degree should be allowed to teach in any other university.The original meaning of the master's degree was that someone had been admitted to the rank of master.In other universities, a teacher should be admitted to the same rank.This was formalised as the licentia docend.The English universities used to refer to the teachers in the lower faculties as masters and the higher faculty as doctors by the 15th century.The Master of Arts was awarded for the study of the trivium.[4]
The pattern of degrees from the late Middle Ages to the 19th century was to have a bachelor's degree in the lower faculties and a PhD in higher faculties.The first master's degrees in the United States were awarded at Harvard University.In Scotland, the pre-Reformation universities developed so that the Scottish MA became their first degree, while in Oxford, Cambridge and Trinity College, Dublin the MA was awarded to BA graduates of a certain standing without further examination.The master's degree at Harvard was awarded Oxbridge-style three years after the BA, despite the fact that candidates had to pass a public examination.[7]
Master's degrees expanded in the 19th century.The MA was the only master's degree awarded at the start of the century.The University of Glasgow introduced the Master in Surgery degree.This was adopted throughout Scotland as well as by Cambridge and Durham in England and the University of Dublin in Ireland.The Master of Surgery was the same as it was in Europe when the Philadelphia College of Surgeons was established in 1870.10
Although there were major doubts as to the quality of the Scottish degrees of this period, Edinburgh maintained separate BA and MA degrees until the mid-nineteenth century.The Lord Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh told the House of Lords that the universities in England gave degrees after a considerable period of residence.All the statutes of the Universities in Scotland which imposed conditions on the grant of degrees were dead letters.[12]
The University of London and the newly established Durham University both had separate exams for the MA in England, but only in 1840.The MA as an examined second degree was under threat by the middle of the century, with Durham moving to award it to those who gained honours in the BA in 1858, along with the Oxbridge MA and Edinburgh.The Queen's University of Ireland in 1850 was one of the new universities established by the British Empire along the lines of London.
The idea of a master's degree as an earned second degree was not well established until the 1870s in the US.It was possible to earn an MA by examination in the same institution.In Michigan, the "in course" MA was introduced in 1848 and was last awarded in 1882.[19]
The Master of Science was the most important master's degree of the 19th century.The first two forms of this were awarded in 1858 at the University of Michigan.In 1876, the "in course"MS was awarded.The degree took a while to arrive in Britain.The University of London was granted a new charter in 1858 that gave it the power to confer degrees in arts, laws, science, medicine, and music.The same two degrees, again omitting the master's, were awarded at Edinburgh, despite the MA being the standard undergraduate degree for Arts in Scotland.In 1862, a Royal Commission suggested that Durham should award master's degrees in theology and science, but it was not enacted.The honours school of natural sciences in Oxford introduced the Master of Natural Science in 1877, along with the MA and BA degrees, to be awarded to students who took their degrees there.A statute to establish the faculty of Natural Sciences at Oxford was promulgated in 1879, but a proposal to change the degree to a Master of Science was rejected in 1880.Oxford went on to award BAs and MAs in science after dropping the scheme.
The first Master of Science degree in Britain was at Durham in 1878.Those with an ordinary bachelor's degree are not required to take a further examination for the MA at the Victoria University.[29]
There were four different types of master's degree in the UK at the beginning of the 20th century.The London Daily News called Oxford and Cambridge's MAs "the most stupendous of academic frauds" in 1903.A Scotch M.A., at the most, is only the equivalent of an English b.a.Defending the ancient universities said that the Cambridge M.A. was a common standards for degrees.It is absurd to describe one of their degrees as a bogus one because other modern Universities grant the same degree for different reasons.[31][32]
The Master of Commercial Science was first awarded in 1901.This was the first master's degree in business.In 1903, Manchester established a Faculty of Commerce, awarding Bachelor and Master of commerce degrees.As honours degrees became the standard undergraduate qualification in the UK, the automatic master's degrees for honours graduates vanished.In the 1960s, new Scottish universities reintroduced the BA as their undergraduate degree in Arts, restoring the MA to its position as a postgraduate qualification.Oxford and Cambridge renamed many of their postgraduate bachelor's degrees in the higher faculties as masters degrees.The Oxford BLitt, BPhil, and BSc became the MPhil and MSc in 1982.36
The establishment of a Master of Engineering degree was proposed by the Engineering Council in 1983.These were up and running by the mid 1980s and were followed in the early 1990s by integrated master's degrees in other sciences such as MChem, MMath, and MGeol.The Dearing Report into UK Higher Education in 1997 called for the establishment of a national framework of qualifications and identified five different routes to master's degrees.
The Quality Assurance Agency was charged with drawing up the framework.
In 2000 renewed pressure was put on Oxbridge MAs in the UK Parliament, with Labour MPJackie Lawrence introducing an early day motion calling for them to be scrapped and telling the Times Higher Education it was a "discriminatory practice" and that it "devalues and undermines the efforts of students atThe Quality Assurance Agency conducted a survey of 150 major employers and found that nearly two thirds thought the Cambridge MA was a postgraduate qualification.[42]
The first framework for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was released in 2001.The title "master" should only be used for qualifications that met the learning outcomes specified in this document.Many of the Dearing Report's concerns were addressed by it.Some masters degrees in science and engineering are awarded after extended undergraduate programmes that last, typically, a year longer than an honours degree.The Oxbridge MA issue was addressed, as it was noted that the MAs granted by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are not academic qualifications.The first framework for qualifications of Higher Education Institutes in Scotland was published in January 2001 and used the same qualifications descriptors and credit values.The title "master" should only be used for qualifications that meet the learning outcomes and credit definitions, as a small number of universities in Scotland have a long tradition of labeling certain first degrees as "MA".Reports of Agency reviews of such provision will make it clear that the title reflects Scottish custom and practice, and that any positive judgement on standards should not be taken as implying that outcomes of the programme were at postgraduate level.[42]
The creation of the European Higher Education Area was started by the Bologna declaration in 1999.This led to the adoption of master's degrees across the continent, replacing older long-cycle qualifications such as the Magister and state registration.In 2004, ECTS credit guidelines were developed and descriptors were introduced for all three levels.There were questions about the status of the master's degrees in the UK.The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been aligned with the overarching framework for the EHEA with these being accepted as masters-level qualifications.
The form 'Master of...' is used for the title of the master's degree.It is specified.The most common titles for master's degrees are the Masters of Arts and the Master of Science.A degree consists of a mixture of research and taught material.There are 47 and 48 words.
The Doctor of Philosophy title indicates an extended degree with a large research component.The Master of Studies is one of the generically named master's programs.There is a Professional Master's.Postgraduate master's degrees that are oriented towards professional practice are often more specifically named for their field of study, for example, the Master of Business Administration.
The form "Master in..." is sometimes used, particularly where a faculty title is used for an integrated master's in addition to its use in a traditional postgraduate masters.There are two masters in science and arts.This form can also be used with other master's degrees.There is a master's degree in accounting.The Masters of Arts and Master of Science degrees may be known in some universities as Magister artium and Magisters scienti, or reversed from the English order to Artium magister andScienti.Harvard University, the University of Chicago, and MIT are examples of reversed usage.For these degrees.In Latin, the forms "Master in Science" and "master of science" are the same.
Full stops are not used in degree abbreviations in the UK.The Gregg reference manual recommends placing periods in degrees in the US.The Chicago Manual of Style suggests writing degrees without periods.BS, PhD.[54]
M.S. is the abbreviation for Master of Science.In countries following the United States usage, you can get anMS or M. Sc.The degree of Master of Surgery is referred to in countries following British usage.The title "doctor" is used in Australia in some extended master's degrees.These are still master's degrees and may not be referred to as doctorate degrees, nor may graduates use the title "doctor".[55]
Master's degrees are classified by the United States Department of Education as research or professional.There are research master's degrees in the US.or M.S.Prerequisites include the completion of taught courses and exams in a major and one or more minor subjects, as well as a research thesis.Professional master's degrees can be structured like research masters.It is possible to substitute a project for the thesis if you concentrate on a specific discipline.48
Master's degrees are classified by the Australian Qualifications Framework as research, coursework or extended.Two thirds of the content of a research master's degree is research, training and independent study.A coursework master's degree typically lasts one to two years and consists of structured learning with some independent research and project work.It takes three to four years for an extended master's degree to contain significant practice-related learning that must be developed in collaboration with relevant professional, statutory or regulatory bodies.61
Master's degrees may be taught or research in Ireland.Master's degrees are usually one to two years and can be either 120 or 60 credits.[62]
There are pathways to the degree with entry based on evidence of a capacity to undertake higher level studies in a proposed field.Depending on the program, a PhD may or may not be required.The structure and duration of a program of study leading to a master's degree will vary by country.
In the US and Canada, master's programs are usually two years long.If a student petitions for a master's degree, it may be granted along the way as an intermediate qualification.Some universities allow students to earn a master's degree in the evening if they work during the day.[63]
Postgraduate master's degrees in the UK can take one to two years full time or two to four years part time.Master's degrees can be classified as either "research" or "taught", with taught degrees where research makes up less than half of the volume of work being further subdivided into "specialist or advanced study".Research degrees are not typically credit rated but may take up to two years to complete, while taught degrees take a full calendar year (180 UK credits, compared to 120 for an academic year).The MPhil usually takes two years.A master's degree with an additional year of study (120 credits) is always a taught degree and can be obtained in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.It was 55, 65, and 66.
If you follow on from an Australian honours degree in a related field, you will get an extra six months to complete your master's degree.The master's degree can take up to two years at some Australian universities.61
A second cycle is defined in the Overarching Framework of Qualifications for the European Higher Education Area.The minimum requirement for a master's degree is at least 60 credits.European master's degrees should last for between one calendar year and two academic years, since 60 ECTS credits are allocated to the learning outcomes and associated workload of a full-time academic year or its equivalent.In England, Wales and Northern Ireland level 7 qualifications and the Framework for Qualification of Higher Education Institutes in Scotland level 11 qualifications are required for postgraduate and integrated master's degrees.69
Irish master's degrees are 2 years for taught degrees and 1 year for research degrees.The FQ-EHEA is compatible with these.71
Successful completion of a bachelor's degree is required for admission to a masters degree.In countries where the bachelor's degree with honours is the standard undergraduate degree, this is often the normal entry qualification.Students in the arts and humanities will often have to submit a portfolio of work.73
Students in the UK need to have a 2:1.To be accepted into a taught master's course and possibly higher, students need to provide evidence of their ability to pursue a postgraduate degree.In the US, graduate schools may require students to take at least one standardised test, such as the GRE, or the LSAT.75
A magister is a first degree and may be considered equivalent to a master's degree in some European countries.clarification needed
The European Higher Education Area is moving to a three-cycle system of degrees under the Bologna Process.In Cyprus, Ireland and Scotland, 90 ECTS credits is the main form of credit for the second cycle of a master's degree.The combined length of the first and second cycles varies from 3 + 1 years to 4 + 2 years.31 EHEA countries have integrated programmes that combine the first and second cycles.The UK has an integrated master's degree in subjects allied to medicine.The integrated master's degrees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are the longest at four years.[78]
After obtaining a Bachelor's degree, students are able to continue their studies with a Masters degree.The Specialization Degree is a post-graduation degree.There are post-graduation programs.There are 2–3 years of graduate-level studies at the Master's program.Usually focused on academic research, the Master's Degree requires the development of a thesis to be presented and defended before a board of professors after the period of research.The Degree Specialization comprehends a 1–2 years studies, but does not require a new thesis to be proposed or defended, being usually attended by professionals looking for training on a specific area of their knowledge.
There are many Brazilian universities that offer anMBA program.The Specialization Degree is not equivalent to a United StatesMBA degree as it does not formally certify the student with a Master's degree.A M.B.A. degree needs to comply with a minimum of 400 class-hours.It is almost impossible to finish a master's degree in less than 18 months due to the workload and research required, and an average time for the degree is 2.5 years.The master's degree requires physical attendance, while the Specialization and M.B.A. degrees can be offered as distance education courses.In Brazil, the degree can be used to differentiate yourself in the job market or to pursue a PhD.The European (Bologna Process) 2nd Cycle is related to the North American master's.
To get a postgraduate degree, two or three years of study are required.
In the Indian system, a master's degree is a postgraduate degree and requires two years to complete.The degrees are not limited to the following.