With increasing numbers of people entering the work force with bachelor's degrees, master's degrees have come to be regarded as symbols of expertise in a specific field. An undergraduate degree, on the other hand, represents a general education with required courses in a core of disciplines, such as language and writing, social sciences, physical sciences and mathematics. In addition, some students work towards master's degrees with the expectation of commanding higher salaries in their chosen fields.
The main types of master's degrees earned today are Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS) and Master of Business Administration (MBA). Most individual disciplines fall under those headings; however, certain schools and subjects have their own degrees. The most recognizable among these include Master of Social Work (MSW), Master of Library Science (MLS), Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Master of Public Health (MPH). Some schools award degrees in individual disciplines, such as Master of Chemistry, but generally, such a degree would be called Master of Science.
The variety of available master's programs and the diversity of students mean that the time required to complete a degree varies both among and within programs. Full-time students may be able to complete degrees within 1 year, whereas students who work at full-time jobs can study only part time, which may take up to 6 years. Although requirements differ from school to school, students must complete their degree work within a specified period of time, often 5 to 7 years.
Within the United States, a master's degree applies universally to a post-bachelor degree specializing in a certain discipline and generally earned in 2 to 5 years. European education has not used the same terminology with the same meanings. Because the master's degrees vary among countries, the European Commission sought to unify educational practices by making programs comparable and degrees compatible with their counterparts in other member nations. This unification resulted in the "Bologna Process," a creation of a European Higher Education Area to apply standards to education throughout Europe (see Resources below).
As previously mentioned, master's programs and students vary greatly. Some degrees require the students to conduct independent research and prepare a thesis, which must be publicly defended in the same way that a doctoral dissertation is defended. In place of a thesis, some students can write an expository essay based on critical review of the scholarly literature on a topic. Other programs have the students earn a passing grade in a comprehensive examination, oral or written, which is evaluated by a committee of professors.