WPML Red Banner english
Carlos-barraza-logo-50

What is a masters degree and what is it for?

When it comes to updating our knowledge and gaining new skills in the working world, there are a number of specializations that can help us achieve our goal such as a bachelors degree and masters degree.

In this case, learn what a masters degree is and what it is for, also evaluating why it could be the best specialization for you.

what is a masters degree
Written by

This post is also available in: English Español Deutsch Français

Table of Contents

What is a masters degree?

When we talk about a masters degree, we are referring to postgraduate academic degree programs that require a bachelor degree, and in order to obtain the masters degree it is necessary to submit a final paper or thesis. 

The objective of the masters degrees is to achieve a theoretical, practical and professional deepening in a specific area.

This is a postgraduate course that is ideal for all those people who are looking for a more professional than academic update, and this is an important difference.

When we talk about an academic update we are referring to that type of development of new knowledge in the theoretical part of a career.

When it is seen from the professional side, then it encompasses the reality of the business and labor world of our days, learning not only from concepts but also from real cases.

The minimum duration of a master’s degree is about 500 hours (which is expected to be completed in 1 to 2 years). But depending on the area in which you are upgrading then it may take a little longer. 

Why study a masters degree program?

Among the main objectives that all professionals should set for themselves is to differentiate themselves in a labor market as competitive as the one we live in today in any sector.

Nowadays, greater specialization in a specific area is required, and this is precisely the type of specialization that a masters degree is capable of providing.

It might help you improve your job situation

Among the reasons for studying a masters degree, the strongest points are always the improvement of employability.

Depending also on the area in which you develop, the employment situation may improve more or less, although the interest of employers in you will always be noticeable.

In companies today there are a number of positions that become very much in demand, and that the basic studies are no longer enough to fill them. If we investigate a little we can find innovative master’s degrees that will help us to prepare ourselves to opt for one of the above.

It might represent an improvement in your salary

If you are still in the student stage, and you still do not know whether to reach a certain point to start working, you may be interested to know that one of the benefits of studying a masters degree is the fact that, when you go to the labor sector, your salary will improve a lot since it will go hand in hand with your knowledge. 

Besides, the skills that you will be assumed to have will also play a great point in your favor in all of this. Basically, your profile will have much more value added to it, and this will positively affect your salary.

It will update your knowledge

Whoever tells you that there is a profession where after leaving college you don’t need to continue studying is because he or she has been left in the past. Every day, new information, methods, trends, and more are always coming out to complement what you already know.

In case you are still looking for answers to why study a master’s degree you should know that this is the perfect opportunity to update your knowledge and skills.

This makes it that much more important to also know the subject matter of the specialization you have taken to perfection.

It will open you doors to new countries

As well, masters degrees have become an opportunity for students to have international experiences and it means as the first step to work abroad.

Or as there exist universities who offer dual degree programs, a student can gain knowledge in different areas of his interest.

This could be one of the main reasons to study a masters degree, because it enriches a person not only with the experience gained at the foreing university, but also with what involves going abroad and traveling the world.

As a recommendation, it would be better to choose among international masters degrees than choosing an online masters degree from a foreign country.

Why?

By just being online, there are many experiences that are being left out when moving abroad.

An international online masters can have really good information, but being actually in the foreign country will challenge the person in different aspects of life, that eventually those experiences will help him or her to face their future daily job tasks.

Envato Elements Digital banner
Envato Elements Digital Mobile banner
Successful Masters PHD Graduation College Concept

What is the purpose of studying for a master's degree?

The answers to “what’s the point of studying for a master’s degree?” can be many. But we have extracted a couple of reasons that, complemented with everything we have been telling you so far, we believe will be enough to understand the importance of getting this type of specializations:

To learn by doing

In most cases, the studies considered as the “base” of the specializations give us very little of the practical part of the professions, since they are based on providing all the theory that a professional needs to perform the various functions in the future.

By studying a master’s degree you are basically being instructed in practice, where you learn practical and real cases of the area in question, with the intention that the professional leaves there knowing the labor and business reality of the moment in which he/she lives.

It is a great opportunity for networking

When you are carrying out the “base” studies for specializations, you do have the opportunity to make good contacts with those who you hope will be your colleagues in the future, but this is something that rarely happens.

One of the reasons why studying a master’s degree you should take the most is the fact that it will allow you to be in contact with active professionals in your sector. And, in the case that it is online, you have the opportunity to meet colleagues from all over the world.

It will bring you up on a personal level

Whoever tells you that you can be a great professional, leaving aside how much value you have on a personal level, is completely wrong. Although the key is not to mix these two aspects of our life, one does influence the other.

Studying a masters degree always goes beyond that, it is a process in which you learn to open your mind to other realities, to have confidence and autonomy in your work and, for sure, it will help you to see paths that you might never have thought of otherwise.

Is it worth it to study a masters degree program?

There are a lot of questions that are rising lately, is it still worth it to go to the university and choose among the degree programs, when the entrepreneurship vs employment discussion comes up since there are plenty of digital entrepreneurs making money.

At the end, the question is, what are you going to do with the knowledge that you acquired.

And the reality is that some study programs are not as good as they might seem.

Students go to the classrooms, and depending on it, students will be spending time just checking out their phones, listening to what the professor is saying, but what does really stay in the student?

In the entrepreneurship vs employment comparison, to be an entrepreneur actually there is no need for a bachelors degree or masters degree, unless you are going to work in a specific career as doctor, but even that there are doctors that are not properly and really healing even if they come from universities with prestige, but that is a whole different topic.

How the future will be in terms of universities who are offering their masters degrees?

Well, university is a networking place, where for the masters degree it should be learned how people are getting results in their jobs and sharing those experiences of what has worked and what has not worked.

There are different learning methods, and just reading theories might not be the best solution for the students of the future.

So when it is worth it to study a masters degree program, when both the university and the student can convert the theory into practical solutions and innovations.

The master business student using smartphone for searching the social knowledge

Are online masters programs the future of learning?

For self learners, this might be a good way to keep learning, but it will be worth more what is learned in the 5 minutes changes between clases with the classmates to share their experiences, rather than the full hour in the online class.

Online masters degrees have become pretty popular in the last few years, and are being sold with the idea of improving the career of someone, but a number in paper won’t actually prove the attitude of someone who actually wants to improve.

The school system has been established as if there is always a higher level to be reached out, so it has created plenty of online masters programs so as if just having a bachelor program is not enough.

Certainly, online master degree programs have reduced the degree cost, and it has become more accessible for more people to study in prestigious universities.

What master degree should I get?

The good thing is that universities all around the world have a wide variety of undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees to choose from.

It is already in the past when students must leave their hometowns to study their undergraduate degree or their graduate degree.

There are pros and cons of online masters programs, but we can have access to them easier than in the past.

To know which master’s degree someone should get, there are several questions to be answered by the person.

Is this the field I am interested in? Do I want to perform in the same industry, or do I want to study something more broad? Study in my country or study in another country?

How much does the degree cost? Is the university well ranked? Is the university in a good city?

Should I pursue a business degree, a finance degree or engineering degree? And plenty of questions will pop out for any student.

And what is pretended with too many questions is to avoid selecting a masters program that at the end is just a waste of time.

The decision is personal and it should be aligned to the professional interest of the person. 

It would help even more to do the proper research of the master programs that are available in the specific place where a person wants to study or topic of his interest, and then do a comparison.

Do masters degrees pay off?

Overall, there is no education that will pay off if the person doesn’t have the attitude to move forward, and do the work that is required to generate value.

No matter if it is a bachelors degree or a masters degree, the person has to convert the knowledge into action.

The results in his new job or new company will be the ones that will show if the degree paid off or not.

As well, there are countries with low masters degree costs like Germany, where the cost is almost nothing compared with the costs of earning masters degree in the United States.

Certainly, in a masters program in Germany where a student might have to pay nearly 200 euro per semester, it will quickly pay off as soon as the person starts generating income.

More about Professional Career
WPML Red Banner english