Some Masters degrees are often designated as ‘vocational’ or ‘professional’, which refers to those degrees that offer a more practically orientated curriculum. The Master in Architecture (MArch), Master in Accountancy (MAcc) and Master in Business Administration (MBA) are all examples of such professional degrees.Other Masters are designated as ‘research’ Masters and have their core emphasis on the theoretical frameworks of the subject studied. As such, the research Masters often provides the basis for further doctoral study. A Masters program may also be offered as a joint program by more than one education institution.The majority of students studying a Masters degree will end their academic education at this level and therefore the knowledge and skills gathered during their Masters studies will impact directly on their career opportunities. The various types of Masters degrees are as diverse as there are fields of academic studies and acomplete listing of Masters qualifications would exceed the scope of this overview. The basic degree types, however, can be narrowed down to the following:

Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Engineering (MEng), Master of Law (LLM) and Master of Business Administration (MBA).

In some higher education systems throughout Europe, the traditional degree system incorporates the equivalent of a Masters in the first-degree studied. In Germany, for example, the Diplom/Magister is considered to be equivalent to a Masters degree elsewhere. However, with the completion of the Bologna Accord in 2010, all universities in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) will have switched to a ‘three cycle’ system whereby a Bachelor qualification corresponds to the 1st cycle with typically 180- 240 ECTS credits, a Masters equates to a 2nd cycle qualification (60 – 120 ECTS) and the doctoral degree forms the 3rd cycle. Whether a full-time Masters is one or two years in length depends on the respective country’s Bachelor structure. Although the Bologna Declaration was intended to make the European higher education system more transparent, the varying length of the Bachelor degree programs may, in some cases, lead to confusion and it is recommended that you check with the university of your choice what the minimum ECTS credit requirement is for entry to their Masters programs. Some countries also distinguish between a consecutive and a non-consecutive Masters program. The former represents a course structure that follows in direct association with the preceding Bachelor program, the latter allows for a gap in between the Bachelor and Masters studies during which the student may gain work experience.

In the US higher education system a full-time Masters degree is a first-graduate level, or 2nd cycle degree and generally takes two years to complete but the time frame might vary depending on the structure of the degree program. As in the

European system, the Masters in the US may be considered as a terminal professional degree or second degree that may or may not lead to PhD studies. In some subjects, i.e. the behavioral and natural sciences, it is increasingly common

practice to proceed directly from the Bachelors degree to doctoral studies. In these subjects a Masters degree is often considered unimportant for professional purposes. In other fields, a Masters is a required or expected qualification for entry into the job market. The fields where Masters are most frequently awarded are business, education, health and medical fields, engineering, public administration and social services. In both, the European and the US context, Masters programs can take on a variety of formats, which will determine the duration and, on occasions, the fee level of a program.

The most common formats are summarized below:

Full-time: generally either one or two year in duration, depending on the country’s education system and the course structure. Allows for a full immersion into the subject matter in a compact period of time. A full-time Masters is the predominant mode of study for students interested in the qualification.

Part-time: may be anywhere from two to five years in duration, depending on program structure, institution policies and the local education system. Part-time Masters have become increasingly popular as they enable a student to be employed

while studying. Essentially, a part-time program contains the same course modules as its full time counterpart, taught over an extended period of time to lessen the weekly course load of the student.

Executive: an executive level Masters program seeks to accommodate professionals with a full-time work schedule and offers its course modules primarily on evenings and weekends. An executive Masters degree often requires a great

degree of discipline on behalf of the student as the course requirements are condensed into compact modules in which a large amount of material is covered over a shorter period of time.

Online: in an online Masters program all course modules and course material are taught entirely online. Tutors are available through various online channels and forums. As such, it offers the greatest flexibility in studying, but also requires the most discipline and self-motivation on the students’ part. While many online Masters programs are entirely serious and reputable, there may be a danger that some degree mills might offer their titles as online programs. It is important to research the

institution in question very carefully.

Distance Learning: the distance learning program enables the student to work on the course modules from home in their own time and on their own pace. In an increasing number of cases local colleges act as teaching centres to provide

additional support to students. With distance learning programs contact to the tutor is often more direct and frequent that in online Masters modes, although for some courses the terminology of online and distance learning is interchangeable. As with the online Masters degrees, caution is recommended when selecting a distance learning program as the number of insincere offers continues to increase. The requirements for entry to a Masters program are equally varied. As previously