A Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is usually a two-year graduate degree awarded to students in the area of liberal arts, humanities, education and social sciences. Psychology, education, and communications are popular degrees that fall under this category. Depending on the college. there may be additional thesis requirements with a M.A.
While a Master of Science (M.S.) degree is focused on subjects that center around the hard sciences and math, this type of degree can also cross over to subjects like psychology and education where science plays a role. Engineering, mathematics, economics and information systems are all subjects that normally fall under the M.S. category.
For those wishing to specialize in business management, a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) is a popular degree choice. The MBA teaches students about how a business is run and managed, with coursework usually centered around today's modern business environment. Many companies require employees to acquire an M.B.A. before moving into executive leadership roles.
There are a variety of specialized graduate degrees based on specialized career niches, such as the Master of Architecture (M.Arch.), Master of Community Health (M.C.H.) or the Master of Human Resources (M.H.R.). These specialized degree programs may take two to four years to complete depending on the subject.