Students undertaking an M.A. will choose subjects such as literature, theater, history and philosophy. An M.S. degree might be in subjects such as physics, mathematics, forestry, economics and chemistry.
Post-graduate students can apply to do their M.A. or M.S. at any college that offers them, although some prefer to stay in their undergraduate college. Several M.A. and M.S. programs in the U.S. require that students do their post-graduate work in a field related to their undergraduate study, although it is possible to do a degree in a discipline unrelated to a bachelor's degree. The decision on whether a student can do a degree in a field other than their college degree major is often discretionary.
Both degrees are normally completed in one to two years and are often a prerequisite for a doctoral degree. Neither degree is academically superior to the other, and the choice between an M.A. or M.S. may be influenced by vocational considerations or personal academic interests.
Statistics indicate that business or science postgraduate degrees have more long-term earning potential than liberal arts degrees. U.S. Census Bureau figures show that the average liberal arts M.A. earned just just $5 a month more than someone with a bachelor's degree in the same subject. Social science master's degrees are slightly more lucrative but still worth less than an M.S. degree or the average bachelor's degree. However, someone with an M.S. in engineering can expect to earn over $362.000 more than someone with a bachelor's degree and someone who went to business grad school can expect to earn over $375.000 more than a bachelor's degree holder.
Postgraduate degrees that have more incremental earning potential may have higher study costs. More expensive degrees likely to lead to lucrative careers are usually in science-based, rather than liberal arts subjects. Writing in a New York Times blog, Richard Vedder, director of the Center of College Affordability and Productivity, said that "some master's programs will cost a student only perhaps $10,000, while others (e.g., an expensive two-year M.B.A. program) might run over $100,000."
When deciding which of these master's degrees to pursue, students should consider their previous academic work, as well as professional goals, advises the University Language Services website. The transition to a more technical field of study may be difficult for someone with a humanities background. I