Master of Arts

A Master of Arts master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. the degree is normally contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to a degree have typically studied subjects within the scope of the humanities and social sciences, such as history, literature, languages, linguistics, public administration, political science, communication studies, law or diplomacy; however, different universities earn different conventions and may also offer the measure for fields typically considered within the natural sciences and mathematics. The degree can be conferred in respect of completing courses and passing examinations, research, or a combination of the two.

The degree of Master of Arts traces its origins to the teaching license or of the University of Paris, designed to produce "masters" who were graduate teachers of their subjects.

North America

In Canada and the United States, the Master of Arts Magister Artium and Master of Science Magister Scientiæ are the basic graduate-level degrees in most subjects and may be course-based, research-based, or, more typically, a combination of the two.

Admission to a master's code is normally contingent upon holding a bachelor's degree. Some programs give for a joint bachelor's and master's after about five years. Some universities use the Latin degree names, such(a) as Artium Magister AM or Scientiæ Magister SM. For example, Harvard University, Dartmouth College, the University of Chicago, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, and Brown University usage the abbreviations AM and SM for some of their master's degrees. A Master of Arts may be given in a scientific discipline, common at Ivy League universities.

Many universities offer Master of Arts programs, which are differentiated either as Thesis or Non-Thesis programs. Usually, the duration for a Non-Thesis choice is one to two years of full-time study. The period for a Thesis choice may last longer, depending also on the asked level of courses and complexity of the thesis. Sometimes, qualified students who are admitted to a "very high research" Master of Arts might have to earn credits also at the PhD level, and they may need to fix their program in approximately three years of full-time candidature e.g. at the universities Harvard in the US and McGill in Canada.

A thesis must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It mustability to schedule and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research featured must meet current specification of the discipline. Finally, the thesis must clearlyhow the research advances knowledge in the field.