In the United States, a master's degree is of two main types: academic and professional. An academic master's degree is usually earned by students who study courses in the social sciences, physical sciences, arts and humanities. Master of arts and master of science are two of the most common degrees earned in pursuing academic master's degrees.
Academic master's degrees usually take about two full years of study, and at the end of the coursework a student either takes a comprehensive exam or produces a thesis. Non-thesis master's degrees have more extensive coursework, while degrees requiring a thesis give students more time for research.
A professional master's degree is specifically designed to train students to excel in a specific profession. Because of this, its coursework is usually more structured when compared to an academic master's degree, and students pursuing the same professional master's degree often take the same coursework. Some of the popular professional master's degrees include the master of social work, master of business administration and master of fine arts degrees. Most professional master's degrees do not require a thesis or a bachelor's degree in the same field of study.
The major difference between an academic and a professional master's degree is that professional master's degrees are considered "terminal" programs. This means that professional master's degrees are not designed to enable students to pursue a doctorate in their chosen field. For example, earning an MBA does not necessarily mean that a student can apply for a doctoral degree in business administration.
Depending on your field of study, the master's degree you want to achieve may require either a thesis, a comprehensive exam that covers all the courses you have taken, or both. Additional undergraduate courses may also be required, especially if the master's degree you want to take is not directly related to your bachelor's degree.
Universities and colleges also often require prospective graduate students to take either the Graduate Record Exam, or GRE; or the Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT. The GMAT is for students wishing to enroll in graduate business and law schools, while the GRE is a generic exam for all other prospective graduate students.
Sometimes these tests are waived by the admitting college or university, especially if the student applying has previous working experience in the field of study. For example, an accountant who has been working for five years or so may be admitted to an MBA program without taking the GMAT.