Master Degree

A master's degree is a postgraduate degree or post post-baccalaureate degree which normally takes between one and two years to complete through full time study mode. The master's degree takes one year to complete in most British universities and Australian universities and most European universities. Master's degrees take 2 years to complete in American universities and Canadian universities.

Most master's degrees taught by British universities are one year master's degrees The most common master's degrees are the Master of Arts MA and the Master of Science MSc. There are many other types of masters degrees.

Master's degrees are taught through all modes of study including full time study, part time study, online study and distance learning.

Most master's degrees consist of a taught course and research thesis. The taught courses are advanced courses, are taken on campus or through online study and are assessed by a combination of exams and course work. The research thesis is a significant scholarly work based on independent research. Students who complete only the taught courses part of the master's degree are awarded the postgraduate diploma.

The master's degree prepares students for undertaking further studies such as a PhD. Many universities require students to be holding a master's degree in order to apply to a PhD or a doctorate degree.. master's degree graduates have much better job prospects and are paid higher salaries and hold more senior job positions and responsibilities.

Master's degrees are taught for almost every specialization and there are various master's degree title including:


British Master's degrees
UK universities teach and award two basic types of master's degrees: the taught master's degree which is one year if taken in full time study, 2-year if part time study or distance learning or Online learning. the research master's degree which is 2-year full time study and 3-year part time study or distance learning or online study. The taught master's degree

The taught master's degree consists of taught courses, coursework and a dissertation. It typically takes one year to complete, unlike American Universities or universities in the USA where the master degree takes 2 year to complete. Educators have determined the two systems to be roughly equivalent, as the UK master degree system is more specialised and condensed than the US master degree system. The British universities taught master degree is taught over a period of 12 months full time study and is usually divided into three semesters.

At most UK universities students are likely to take taught courses in the first semester and in the second semester and then spend the third semester (normally the summer months) researching and writing a dissertation of about 10,000 words. Students who are studying a science master degree, Engineering Master Degree or computing master degree or any other science or technical master degree may take a practical project or lab based project instead of the dissertation.

In most master degrees taught at British universities, assessment in taught courses part of the master degree is based on a combination of formal examinations and assignments. However the master degree overall assessment is based on the strength of the final project and other work submitted earlier in the year, as well as the taught courses formal written examination.

The research master's degree
The research master's degree as the name implies, is research-based. It contains a large amount of independent work and little if any taught coursework. This master's degree is normally takes two years to complete.

While many research master's degree students continue on to a doctoral program, the degree can stand alone and offers a compromise between the classroom emphasis of the taught master's degree and research focus of the doctoral level. To earn a research master's degree, students will need to write a thesis which is usually between 30,000 and 40,000 words under the supervision of a tutor appointed by the university to guide and supervise the student.

To join a research master degree course you would need to submit a brief research proposal (roughly 2000 worlds) outlining the research topic or research subject which will be submitted to the university along with the admissions application form and academic certificates. Based on this research proposal the university will appoint a suitable tutor as a supervisor who will guide the student throughout the master degree programme.