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Master of Science



 
 
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MSc, M.Sc., M.S. or S.M.) is a postgraduate academic master's degree
Master's degree

A master's degree provides a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of profession. Within the area studied, graduates possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theory and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, Critical thinking and/or professional application; and the ability to problem solving a...
 awarded by universities in a large number of countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences and occasionally in the social sciences.

Master of Science (M.Sc.) academic degree has been recently introduced in Germany, as the once common Diplom
Diplom

Diplom is an academic degree in some European countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia, Croatia, Serbia, Education in Ukraine, Belarus, Greece and Hungary....
 programs typically lasting five years were replaced by separate three-year bachelor and two-year master programs. It is awarded in the natural sciences, mathematics and computer science fields, and depending on the focus of studies also in engineering or economics.






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A Master of Science (; abbreviated MSc, M.Sc., M.S. or S.M.) is a postgraduate academic master's degree
Master's degree

A master's degree provides a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of profession. Within the area studied, graduates possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theory and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, Critical thinking and/or professional application; and the ability to problem solving a...
 awarded by universities in a large number of countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences and occasionally in the social sciences.

Germany

The Master of Science (M.Sc.) academic degree has been recently introduced in Germany, as the once common Diplom
Diplom

Diplom is an academic degree in some European countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia, Croatia, Serbia, Education in Ukraine, Belarus, Greece and Hungary....
 programs typically lasting five years were replaced by separate three-year bachelor and two-year master programs. It is awarded in the natural sciences, mathematics and computer science fields, and depending on the focus of studies also in engineering or economics. The completion of a scientific thesis
Thesis

A dissertation is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification....
 is required. All Master's degrees in Germany are designed to certify an equal level of education and qualify for a doctorate
Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree that in most countries represents the highest level of formal study or research in a given field. In some countries it also refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to practice in a specific profession ....
 program.

The degree Master of Science is often awarded in English form, but institutions can alternatively award it in the German form, Magister der Wissenschaften. The graduate needs to use it as awarded and cannot choose which form to use.

United Kingdom


The MSc is typically a "taught" postgraduate degree, involving lectures, examination, and a short project. Taught masters programmes involve 1 or 2 years of full-time study (or the equivalent period part-time). Some universities also offer research MSc programmes, where a longer project or set of projects is undertaken full-time.

Until recently, both the undergraduate and postgraduate masters degrees were awarded without grade or class (like the class of an honours degree). Nowadays however, masters degrees are normally classified into the categories of Pass and Distinction, with some universities also using an intermediate Merit category.

The Master of Science degree should not be confused with the more recent MSci, or Master in Science degree, now offered by UK institutions. This is an extended undergraduate degree, with honours
British undergraduate degree classification

The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grade scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied in other countries, such as India, the Republic of Ireland, Kenya, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Malta and Canada....
 awarded, and is intended to better prepare students for postgraduate study. Many research universities are now demanding MSci degrees for entry to Ph.D.
Ph.D.

Ph.D. or PHD may stand for:* Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group* Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip...
 research programmes.

This education pattern in United Kingdom is also followed in Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
 and in many Commonwealth Nations
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
 such as Malta
Malta

Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
, and Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.

United States

The Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts is a Postgraduate education academic degree master degree awarded by University in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in English language, Fine Arts, History, Humanities, Philosophy, Social Sciences or Theology and can be either fully-taught, research-based, or a combination of the two....
 (Magister Artium) and Master of Science (Magister Scientiæ) degrees are the two primary types in most subjects and may be entirely course-based, entirely research-based or (more typically) a mixture.

Admission to a master's program is normally contingent upon holding a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
, and progressing to a doctoral
Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree that in most countries represents the highest level of formal study or research in a given field. In some countries it also refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to practice in a specific profession ....
 program may require a master's degree. In some fields or graduate programs, work on a doctorate can begin immediately after the bachelors degree. Some programs provide for a joint bachelor's and master's degree after about five years. Some universities use the Latin degree names, and due to the flexibility of word order in Latin
Latin grammar

The grammar of Latin language, like that of other ancient Indo-European languages, is highly inflection, which allows for a large degree of flexibility when choosing word order....
, Artium Magister (AM) or Scientiæ Magister (SM) may be used at some schools.

See also

  • Master of Science in Accounting
  • Master of Science in Engineering
  • Master of Science in Management
    Master of Science in Management

    Master of Science in Management, abbreviated MSc, is a Master of Science academic degree commonly found in the United Kingdom. It is the academic alternative to the professional MBA, and like all MSc degrees it requires a lengthy dissertation before a graduate is admitted to it....
  • Master of Science in Nursing
    Master of Science in Nursing

    A Master's of Science in Nursing is an advanced-level quaternary education Academic degree for Registered Nurses. It is required to become an advanced practice nurse, such as a Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Midwife, Nurse Administrator, or a Clinical nurse leader, and is considered an entry-level de...