Difference Between Master of Arts and Master of Science (With Table)

Education has proven to be an important aspect of the innovation and development of humankind. It is considered to be an important necessity for living a good life and contributing to society and the world. Nowadays, the government is coming up with several schemes and programs to provide education to children up to a fixed age. It makes sure the future of the country is in safe hands that lead it towards development.

Master of Arts vs Master of Science

The main difference between Master of Arts and Master of Science is that both of them are opted by different types of students, the student who is more creative and wants to explore the history and culture or any language is mostly like to go for the master of arts whereas a student who likes to experiment with different chemicals or have a keen interest in mathematics or physics would go for master of science. To complete the degree, certain requirements should be met in both fields. Master of Arts is attending the seminars while in Master of Science it is writing thesis and doing research.

Master of Arts is a degree for 2 years of span. It is chosen by individuals interested in other subjects than accounts and science mostly. They explore their creativity and intellectual knowledge the most. It improves the overall personality of an individual, too, as it results in good communication and inter-personal growth of the student during the course.

Master of Science is also a degree of 2 years but in the science field. It is persuaded by a person who wants a future in science or mathematic field, for example, doctor, scientist, mathematician, etc. it mainly focuses on experiment and research and requires patience and determination.

Comparison Table Between Master of Arts and Master of Science

Parameters of Comparison

Master of Arts

Master of Science

Focused on

Humanities

Science and maths

Subjects included

Communication, teaching, literature, etc.

Biochemistry, engineering, mathematic, etc.

Expected work

Teaching, journalist, digital marketer, etc.

Lab work, scientific research, evaluation, etc.

Best suited for

Creativity

Strong logical and mathematical research.

Requirement

Attending seminars

Thesis and research

What is Master of Arts?

Master of Arts is a post-graduate degree in Arts that can only be done after completing the undergraduate degree. This degree is available in most colleges all over the world. It focuses on mostly humanities subjects. And the duration of this course is mostly 2 years but can vary depending on the country. The students without an undergraduate degree cannot pursue this course. It can be pursued as full-time, part-time, and as a correspondence course.

Master of Arts Skills Set

Although it contains a wide range of subjects but below are few skills that aspirants should have for this course:

  • Communication skills: this course is largely based on language and literature. There the student must have good communication skills.
  • Analytical and creative thinking: some subjects under this course required creative and analytical thinking both.
  • Management and problem-solving skills: the student should be able to manage his time and subject schedule and also have problem-solving skills so that he does have to ask for help more frequently.
  • Intellectual curiosity and ability to work under pressure: the student must be curious to know more details and information about his subject along with the ability to work under pressure that can be due to a lot of subjects.

What is Master of Science?

Master of Science is a course for 2 years generally in the science field that can only be pursued after completing the graduation degree in science. It includes all the major subjects related to science and experiments. It provides professionalism in subjects such as Environmental Sciences, Food Sciences, Life Sciences, Botany, Biotechnology, Microbiology, etc. it offers practical knowledge as well as in the respective fields chosen by the students.

This is mostly opted by students who take science and their main subject in the initial year of education. The main of this course is to specialize the students in the respective subject so that they can achieve the occupation desired by them. Each subject offers several other courses.

Writing a thesis is an important part of this course, which can be or 6 to 9 units and require deep and extensive research. And laboratories work and experiments are used by the students to defend this thesis.

Few skills are required in students, who want to pursue this course, such as,

  • Patience and determination: it is an important skill that a science student must have as research and successful experiments can take months, if not years.
  • Determination and attention to detail: science is a subject where a tiny drop of water can change the entire experiment. Therefore, the student must be attentive and determined.

Main Differences Between Master of Arts and Master of Science

  1. Both Master of Arts and Master of Science are focused on different topics and stream it is opted by students who take arts and science respectively in the previous educational year in school level. Master of Arts is focused on humanities, whereas Master of Science is more focused on science and mathematics.
  2. Both of them differ in terms of subjects that are included in the course as they focus on different fields. Master of Art generally consists of subjects related to communication, literature, language, etc., whereas Master of Science consists of subjects such as biochemistry, engineer, mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc.
  3. As they are related to different fields of knowledge and experience, therefore, they also differ when it comes to the expected work after the completion of the degree. In the case of Master of Arts, the most expected work can be of lecturer, journalists, digital marketing, influencer, etc., while in case of Master of Science, it can be lab work, nurse, scientific research, evaluation, experiments, etc.
  4. They are mostly opted by different students with different interests and nature, master of arts are suited for a person who is more creative and is interested in creative thinking and analysis along with communication skills while master of science is best for a student with strong logical thinking and who is interested in mathematical research.
  5. Both of the fields require different things for completing the degree for example, in the master of arts attending seminars is very important as it is the main source of gaining knowledge, whereas in the master of science, writing a thesis and doing research on several topics is the most important task.

Conclusion 

Therefore, there should not be any confusion or lack of knowledge between both. They are among the courses that are chosen by most of the population. It is because they offer a wide variety of knowledge and experience in their respected field. They are persuaded by completing the graduation in bachelors of Arts and Science respectively. Some people believe both of them are like opposite sides of a river, which is true (as all the differences mentioned above), but sometimes, they also have similarities, a person can be interested in both of them, and for example, a person can like English language and mathematics at the same time.

Except this the most common master degree is persuaded in commerce known and Masters in Commerce or M.Com.

References 

  1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14790530801936528
  2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/963917/