What is a Masters Degree?
A Master's degree is a graduate program that involves specialized knowledge and concentrated study in one area and generally awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one to two years in duration.The master degree is awarded after you earn a specified number of credits according to the requirements of a college or university degree program. In the United States the number of credits typically represents one to two years of full-time college or university study that are completed after a student earns a bachelor's degree. A master's degree generally requires 1.5 to 4 years of study depending on whether you enroll full-time or part-time in your program and the nature of the program.The Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees are the basic type in most subjects and may be entirely course-based, entirely research-based or a mixture. The Master degree is intermediate between a bachelor degree and a doctorate. In some fields, one customarily earns a masters before a doctorate; in others, work on a doctorate begins immediately after a bachelor's degree.Types of Master Degree Programs:
There are two main types of master's degree, the MA (Master of Arts) and the MS (Master of Science):
- Master of Arts
A post-baccalaureate degree awarded upon completion of at least 30 semester hours of graduate credit, usually in the humanities or social sciences. May or may not include research and a thesis, depending on the field of study.
- Master of Science
A post-baccalaureate degree awarded upon completion of at least 30 semester hours of graduate credit, usually in the sciences or professions. Research and a thesis are required in most of the sciences.
Other master degrees and their abbreviations:
- MAED - Master of Arts in EducationMSN - Master of Science in NursingMPA - Master of Public AdministrationMSW - Master of Social WorkMFA - Master of Fine ArtsMA - Master of ArtsMAE - Master of Architecture EngineeringMAG - Master of AgricultureMAR - Master of ArchitectureMBA - Master of Business AdministrationMEN - Master of EngineeringMM - Master of MusicMS - Master of ScienceMSCIS - Master of Science in Computer Information SystemsMJA - Master of Justice Administration
- MSIA - Master of Science in Information Assurance
Online Master Degree Programs Available
College-Degrees.com features online universities and colleges offering online master degree programs in the following disciplines:
- Accounting & Finance
- Aviation Science
- Business Leadership
- Business Management
- Computer Science
- Contract Management
- Counselling & Psychology
- Criminal Justice
- Digital Security
- Diplomacy
- e-Commerce & e-Business
- Education
- Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Health Care Administration
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- Health Sciences
- Human Resources
- Human Services
- Industrial & Manufacturing
- Information Systems
- Information Technology
- Journalism & Communication
- Nursing
- Project Management
- Public Administration
- Public Health
- Social Work
- Taxation
- Technology Management
- Telecommunication
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