Masters Overview

Masters fundamentals

• Specialised graduate programmes that focus on practical knowledge and vocational or technical expertise in a specific career field.
• Awarded upon completion of one to two years of advanced graduate study after completing a Bachelor’s degree, with the length depending on the field of study and the conferring institution.
• Recognises heightened expertise in an academic discipline or professional field of study, gained through intensive course work and, in most cases, the preparation of a culminating project, scholarly paper, thesis, or a comprehensive examination.

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Types of Masters degrees

There are two common categories of Masters programmes which differ mainly on the basis of the topics and course work being studied. In both cases, students need to have earned a Bachelor’s diploma to pursue a Masters degree.

Master of Arts - MA

The Master of Arts degree requires a minimum of 30 graduate hours of credit and is usually awarded in subject areas such as Fine Arts, Social Sciences or Humanities. This degree sometimes requires the completion of both research work and a thesis and it takes two years to complete.

Master of Science - MS or MSc

The Master of Science degree is a post-baccalaureate degree that requires the completion of at least 30 graduate hours of credit and is usually awarded in subject areas with a scientific focus. This degree typically requires the completion of both research work and a thesis and it takes two years to complete.