A Master of Arts (M.A.) (postgraduate) (Magister Artium = latin) and Master of Science (Magister Scientiæ) degrees are the basic type of in most subjects and may be entirely course-based, entirely research-based or (more typically) a mixture.Master of Arts (M.A.) (North America)
Admission to a master's program is normally contingent upon holding a bachelor's degree, and progressing to a doctoral program usually requires a master's degree. In some fields or graduate programs, work on a doctorate begins immediately after the bachelors degree. Some programs provide for a joint bachelor's and master's degree after about five years. Some universities use the Latin degree names, and due to the flexibility of word order in Latin, Artium Magister (AM) or Scientiæ Magister (SM) may be used at some schools. For example, Brown University, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania use the degree abbreviations A.M. and S.M. for some of their master's degrees.
A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. The degree is typically studied for in Fine Art, Humanities, Social Science or Theology and can be either fully-taught, research-based, or a combination of the two. At Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, however, it is awarded without further examination to those who are entitled to the undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Arts after a certain number of years, and in the ancient universities of Scotland it is awarded as a first degree to undergraduates.
Theological Degrees: Theological degrees require special attention because they are amongst the oldest Master's degrees offered by universities. In the discipline of theology there are at least four master's degree programs. The standard degree for pastoral ministry is the Master of Divinity (M.Div, formerly Bachelor of Divinity) which is required by many ordaining denominations as it is the most comprehensive program usually entailing biblical studies (including the original languages) church history, theology, counseling and church administration. The M.Div. balances academic rigor and pastoral approaches. The second is the Master of Arts in Practical Theology (M.A.P.T.) This degree is designed for those with a prior BA in Bible and Theology who desire to focus primarily on pastoral theology and sharpen skills in spiritual formation and church leadership. While just as rigorous academically as the M.Div. the M.A.P.T. tends to focus primarily on that which is imminently "practical" in church leadership. The third possibility is the Master of Arts in a specialized area. This degree is usually shorter in duration and is focused on individuals who want to specialize in a specific area of ministry such as Spiritual Formation, Christian Education, Philosophy, and so on. The fourth is the Master of Theology (Th.M.). This final degree is considered higher both in rank and in academic repute than the M.Div. M.A.R. or the M.A.P.T. and is more academic in nature rather than practical. The Th.M. is technically a half-step between the Master's and Doctoral level. The Th.M. almost always requires a thesis of at least 100 pages