Graduate Degrees

Education in the United States will almost certainly be different from the system offered in your country. This chapter gives an introduction to the graduate degrees available in the United States, the different types of institutions, and some key terms and ideas you will come across if you want to study at a U.S. university.

Graduate Degrees

The two graduate degrees offered in the United States are the master’s degree and the doctoral degree; both involve a combination of research and coursework. Graduate education offers a greater depth of training than undergraduate education, with increased specialization and intensity of instruction. Study and learning are also more self-directed at the graduate level than at the undergraduate level.

Graduate courses assume that students are well prepared in the basic elements of their field of study. Depending on the subject, courses may be quite formal, consisting primarily of lecture presentations by faculty members, or they may be relatively informal, placing emphasis on discussion and exchange of ideas among faculty and students. Seminars involve smaller groups of students than lecture courses and may require students to make presentations and participate in discussions. Class participation, research papers, and examinations are all important in graduate education.

a)   Master’s Degrees

The master’s degree provides additional education or training in a specialized branch of knowledge, well beyond the level of a bachelor’s degree. Master’s degrees are offered in many different fields, and there are two main types of programs: academic and professional.

Academic Master’s: The Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Science (M.S.) degrees are usually awarded in the traditional arts, sciences, and humanities disciplines. The M.S. is also awarded in technical fields such as engineering and agriculture. These programs usually require one or two academic years of full-time study beyond a bachelor’s degree and may lead directly into doctoral programs

Many master’s programs offer a thesis and a non-thesis option. The degree is the same in both cases, but the academic requirements are slightly different. Students in non-thesis programs usually take more coursework in place of researching and writing a thesis, and they take a written comprehensive examination after all coursework is completed. Students in degree programs that include a thesis component generally take a comprehensive oral examination covering both coursework and the topic of their thesis.

Professional Master’s: These degree programs are designed to lead the student from the first degree to a particular profession. Professional master’s degrees are most often “terminal” master’s programs, meaning that they do not lead to doctoral programs. Such master’s degrees are often designated by specific descriptive titles, such as Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Master of Social Work (M.S.W.), Master of Education (M.Ed.), or Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.). Other subjects of professional master’s programs include journalism, architecture, and urban planning. Professional master’s degrees are oriented more toward direct application of knowledge than toward original research. They are more structured than academic degree programs and often require that every student take a similar or identical program of study that lasts from one to three years, depending on the institution and the field of study.

One main difference between master’s programs is whether or not they are designed for students who intend to continue toward a doctoral degree. Those that do not lead into doctoral programs are known as terminal master’s programs. Most professional master’s degrees fall under this category. Some departments only admit potential doctoral candidates; although they may award a terminal master’s degree to students who complete a certain level of coursework but do not go on to pursue a doctorate. Other departments require a master’s degree as part of the requirements for admission to their doctoral programs.

b) Doctoral Degrees
The doctoral degree is designed to train research scholars and, in many cases, future college and university faculty members. Receipt of a doctoral degree certifies that a student is a trained research scholar in a specific discipline.

At the doctoral level, the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) is the most common degree awarded in academic disciplines. In professional fields, other doctoral degrees include the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and the Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.).

To receive a doctoral degree, candidates must pass a comprehensive, or “qualifying,” examination, usually after three to five years of study and completion of all coursework, and when the student and adviser agree that the student is ready. This exam is designed to test the student’s ability to use knowledge gained through courses and independent study in a creative and original way. Students must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of their chosen field of study.

After finishing their coursework and passing this exam, students must complete an original piece of significant research, write a dissertation describing that research, and successfully defend their work before a panel of faculty members who specialize in the discipline. This may take an additional two to three years. To earn a doctoral degree, therefore, may take anywhere from five to eight years beyond the bachelor’s degree, depending on the field of study.

There are also many nontraditional doctoral programs in the United States; these programs might have very different types of requirements from traditional programs. Before applying to any program, make sure you know what is required to enter it and obtain a degree. This information is usually available from university catalogs and websites or directly from individual departments.

c) Doctor of Medicine 

d) Law Degree (LL.M. And J.D.)