Analytic Quality Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Home
Citation reference: Harvey, L., 2004-24, Analytic Quality Glossary, Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/
This is a dynamic glossary and the author would welcome any e-mail suggestions for additions or amendments.
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Master's degree
Master's degree is an award higher than a bachelor’s degree.
In some settings involves a programme of study distinct from a bachelor’s degree. In other settings, the master’s degree is the basic higher education degree.
In Europe, the Bologna process is leading to the development of programmes that clearly demarcate the end of bachelor’s study and the start of master’s study, usually in a ‘three plus two model’, that is, three years full-time equivalent bachelor’s study as a normal prerequisite for two further year’s full-time equivalent master’s study.
In the British context, Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) (undated) defines a master’s degree as:
MA/MSc degrees are awarded to graduates who have undertaken a further course of study, after an honours degree, either full-time or part-time. Masters degrees may be taken following a period of work experience and some courses take the form of company training programmes. MPhil degrees may be awarded following a period of research rather than a course of study. Some old Scottish universities award MAs instead of bachelors degrees.
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) (undated) defines master's degree as follows:
A higher education qualification, typically lasting at least one year, characterised by a greater depth of study and specialisation than a bachelor's programme, located at level 7 in The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, at level 7 in the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales, and at level 11 in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
Higher Education Authority [Ireland] (HEA, 2004) defines a master’s degree as:
A postgraduate degree that requires from one to three years’ study.
Northeast Texas Network Consortium defines:
Master's degree: An advanced degree awarded by a university after completion of studies beyond a bachelor's degree.
Higher Education Authority (HEA) [of Ireland] 2004, Glossary http://www.hea.ie/index.cfm/page/sub/id/519
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), undated, Glossary, available at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/glossary/, accessed 31 December 2016, not available 20 June 2019.