MBA Information and Global News

Master's Degree
Most universities award master of arts (M.A.) degrees in arts, sciences and humanities and master of sciences (M.S.) degrees in applied fields such as engineering. The master of business administration (M.B.A.) equips students with a credential for entry into the business world.

Increasingly, master's degrees are acquiring new names and initials as more and more professional fields design master's degrees as credentials for entry into the field. Such master's degrees, which include the name of the field or specialization as part of the title, usually lead to eligibility for professional certification rather than preparation for doctoral study or teaching.

Master's degrees may require one to two years of courses (30-60 credit hours) concentrated in the field of study, with other courses from closely-related fields. Usually a grade average of "B" must be maintained to receive the degree. Master's degrees may or may not require a thesis in addition to course work.

Doctoral Degree
Doctoral degrees include, for example, the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in the arts and sciences, and the doctor of education (Ed.D.). Doctoral programs almost always require original research leading to the defense of a doctoral dissertation. Students may enter some programs with the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree and take courses for one to two years before beginning dissertation research. in this case, a student may or may not earn a master's degree upon completion of course work. Other doctoral programs begin after the master's degree with little if any course work required. Some programs require that students pass a comprehensive oral and/or written examination to attain candidacy for the degree.

Types of Universities
Universities may be public or private. institutions of high quality are found equally among public and private universities; the principal difference is one of funding. Public institutions are funded partially by the government of the state in which the institution is located (for example, Texas or Florida), and partially by student tuition payments and private donations. Since public institutions are supported by state government, they give preference in enrollment and tuition charges to students from that state. The total cost, however, is usually lower at most state institutions than at private institutions, even for those who are not residents of the state.

State universities fall into two general categories:

Research Universities
Most states have at least one public university designed to provide the traditional variety of educational opportunities in academic fields, These universities, in addition to offering undergraduate education, stress research as well as teaching. As a general rule, they are less likely at the graduate level to place emphasis on applied study and research and more likely to place emphasis on theoretical, or "pure" research.
Land Grant and Sea Grant Universities
In 1862 Congress passed the Morrill Act that provided a grant of land to many of the states to establish a "land grant" university. These universities, in addition to providing a broad general education in many fields, emphasize the application of knowledge in such fields as agriculture and engineering.
The name of a land grant university often reflects this emphasis. Look for "Agricultural and Mechanical University" or "Technological University" to designate a university that stresses applied knowledge. Other states call this type of university a "state" university. More recently some state universities have been designated as "sea grant" universities, to emphasize the importance of marine applications.