Master ' s degree A master ' s degree is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high - order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice . Within the area studied , graduates are posited to possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theoretical and applied topics ; high order skills in analysis , critical evaluation or professional application ; and the ability to solve complex problems and think rigor ously and independently . They are awarded after graduation from university . In some languages , a master ' s degree is called a " magister " , and " magister " or a cognate can also be used for a person who has the degree . There are various degrees of the same level , such as engineer ' s degree s , which have different names for historical reasons . See List of master ' s degrees . There has recently been an increase in programs leading to these degrees in the United States ; more than twice as many of such degrees are now awarded as compared to the 1970s . In Europe , there has been a standardisation of conditions to deliver the master ' s degrees and most countries present degrees in all disciplines . Titles . The two most common titles of master ' s degrees are the Master of Arts ( M . A . ) and Master of Science ( M . S . , MSc , M . Si . , or M . Sc . ) ; these may be course - based , research - based , or a mixture of the two . Some universities use the Latin degree names ; because of the flexibility of word order in Latin , the Master of Arts and Master of Science may be known as magister artium or artium magister and magister scientiae or scientiae magister , respectively . Harvard University , University of Chicago , and MIT , for example , use A . M . and S . M . for their master ' s degrees . More commonly , Master of Science often is abbreviated MS or M . S . in the United States , and MSc or M . Sc . in Commonwealth nations and Europe . Other master ' s degrees are more specifically named ( " tagged degrees " ) , including , for example , the Master of Business Administration ( MBA ) , Master of Public Administration ( MPA ) , Master of Laws ( LL . M . ) , Master of Music ( M . M . or M . Mus . ) and Master of Fine Arts ( M . F . A . ) ; some are similarly general , for example the M . Phil . and the Master of Studies ( Advanced Study / Advanced Studies ) . See List of master ' s degrees . Structure . There are a range of pathways to the degree , with entry based on evidence of a capacity to undertake higher degree studies in the proposed field . A dissertation may or may not be required , depending on the program . In general , the structure and duration of a program of study leading to a master ' s degree will differ by country and by university . Duration . In some systems , such as those of the United States and Japan , a master ' s degree is a strictly postgraduate academic degree . Particularly in the U . S . , in some fields / programs , work on a doctorate begins immediately after the bachelor ' s degree , but the master ' s may be earned along the way as a ' Master ' s degree " en route " ' , following successful completion of coursework and certain examinations . Master ' s programs are thus one to six years in duration , with two to three years being a common length of time to complete . By contrast , in some cases , such as the " Integrated Master ' s Degree " in the UK , the degree is combined with a Bachelor of Science , as a 4 year degree . Unlike a traditional MSc , the fourth year finishes at the same time as undergraduate degrees in the early summer , whereas traditional MSc students typically spend the summer vacation completing a dissertation and finish in September . Examples include MMath ( see also Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge ) , MEng and MSci ( not to be confused with an MSc ) . In the recently standardized European System of higher education ( Bologna process ) , a master degree programme normally carries 90 - 120 ECTS credits , with a minimum requirement of at least 60 ECTS credits at master level ( one - or two - year full - time postgraduate program ) undertaken after at least three years of undergraduate studies . It provides higher qualification for employment or prepares for doctoral studies . As one ECTS credit is equivalent to 25 hours of study this means that a master ' s degree programme should include 2250 hours of study . Current U . K . MSc / MA programmes tend to include 1800 hours of study ( or 180 UK credits ) , although many claim to be equivalent to an ECTS accredited master degree . Admission . In countries in which a master ' s degree is a postgraduate degree , admission to a master ' s program normally requires holding a bachelor ' s degree , and in the United Kingdom , Canada and much of the Commonwealth , an ' honours ' bachelor degree . In both cases , relevant work experience may qualify a candidate . In some cases the student ' s bachelor ' s degree must be in the same subject as the intended master ' s degree ( e . g . a Master of Economics will typically require a Bachelors with a major in economics ) , or in a closely allied , " cognate " , discipline ( e . g . Applied Mathematics degrees may accept graduates in physics , mathematics or computer science ) ; in others , the subject of the bachelor ' s degree is unimportant ( e . g . MBA ) although , often in these cases , undergraduate coursework in specific subjects may be required ( e . g . some M . S . F . degrees require credits in calculus for admission , but none in finance or economics ) . Comparable European degrees . In some European countries , a " magister " is a first degree and may be considered equivalent to a modern ( standardized ) master ' s degree ( " e . g . " , the German and Austria n university " Diplom / Magister " , or the similar 5 - year Diploma awarded in several subjects in Greek , Spanish , Polish , Portuguese , and other universities and polytechnics ) .