Graduate academic and professional degree programs
These degrees are offered at four-year colleges and universities and at graduate academic and professional schools. You must have a Bachelor’s degree before you can move on to pursue a graduate academic or professional degree. Students studying to earn one of these degrees must take highly advanced and specialized courses in a specific academic or professional field. It generally takes two years of full-time study for a master’s degree, and three to four years of full-time study for a doctorate degree.
- Graduate academic degree programs require advanced study in an academic field. They emphasize theory, as opposed to practical application, with the goal of contributing to the body of knowledge on a subject. Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) are examples of graduate academic degrees.
- Graduate professional degree programs require advanced study in a professional or vocational field. They emphasize the practical application of knowledge to a professional practice, and are usually required in order to get a license to work in that profession.[2893] Master of Engineering (M.E.) and Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) are examples of graduate professional degrees.
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U.S. Dep’t of Educ. Office of Vocational and Adult Educ., Take Charge of Your Future: Get the Education and Training You Need (2012); see also Quick Guide: Your College Degree Options, College Board, www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges/college-101/quick-guide-your-college-degree-options. ↑