2 Year or 1 Year MA?

[Mmphln]

I was wondering how important time length is to people trying to decide between schools? For myself, I kindof relish the idea of getting the MA over with in one year like the UK schools do, but at the same time I wonder if that's enough time to do a proper degree

[Tiglath-Pileser III]

Most MA programs in the Americas are two year programs. In some circumstances, a one year MA acts as a qualifying year for a PhD program. Think of a one year MA as a "try it before they buy" program. If you do well, it can lead to an admission into the PhD program. Or, if you don't do well, it's kind of a "thank you for playing" prize. Many schools when looking at your Master's qualifications will not so much look at the final degree, as the coursework you did leading up to that degree.

So, here is the rub. If you are using an MA as a stepping stone to get into a PhD program, adcomms are going to look for two years or more of graduate coursework, i.e., does your coursework add up to what they would recognize as a MA. If you are using the MA as a means to become an expert at a particular subject without the entanglement of a dissertation, a two year MA may be appropriate. If you are doing it to impressed an employer in the private sector, you may want to do a one year since corporations look at final degree completion instead of course work. If you have been already doing Master's studies for five years and need an extra MA for credibility with adcomms, then you may want to consider the one year MA.

Which direction you choose will depend upon what are your educational goals.

[Think_Positive]

I think it totally depends on what field you're entering and what kind of goals you have for your career. Can you provide a little more information on what you're going for?

[rising_star]

If you do a 1-year MA, it's really hard to apply to PhD programs while you're still in it. Think about how hard it would be to get good recommendations from professors you've only had for 3 months (or less if you're in the UK for the degree). I did a 2 year MA (the norm in my discipline) and it was a fantastic experience. My final semester, I was taking just one seminar and writing my thesis so there was time for both without a crazy amount of stress.