How Long Does It Take to Earn a Master’s Degree?

Is earning a master’s degree a quick sprint or a long journey?

After completing graduation, going for a master’s in India is a big commitment. You might have the question in your mind, ‘How long is a master’s degree?’ To kickstart your career, having a master’s degree is a necessity. To meet specific market demands, a specialization is required to acquire in-depth knowledge and increase the chances of getting promoted or placed in the top companies.

How long does it take to get a master’s degree?

The exact time entirely depends on the type of program. Although most of the master’s degree courses follow a similar timeline. It can vary up to 2 years.

If you are an aspiring lawyer, you will find yourself studying from 1 to almost 2 years for an LLM.

Again goes for engineering. For medical students, there are various other specializations, and all of them follow a similar timeline in most cases. 

What are the key factors that affect the length of a master’s degree?

The master’s degree course timeline is affected by numerous factors. They are:

• Curriculum: These programs are measured by credit hours around the world. For example, you need to finish a certain amount of work in 1 credit hour. Therefore, more credit hours equal a heavier workload. In the United States, 30-50 credit hours are required to complete a master’s program.
• Full-time/part-time master’s program: Usually students prefer full-time courses to get graduated. That way, one can invest the entire time in rigorous study and research to finish the intensive study in the allotted timeline. However, on the other hand, part-time students take longer to complete since they pursue this aside from their jobs or other similar things. Although it allows fewer credit hours, it might be less stressful, but the time gradually increases. 
• Distance Learning: Today, especially after Covid, online learning has become more handy and easier to get access to. People with full-time jobs can easily sign up for distance learning master’s courses. But again, if we carefully analyze, distance learning takes longer to finish the course than full-time learning. 
• Accelerated Degree Programs: This is an interesting program where it allows students to study both bachelor’s and master’s programs at the same time. One can work on these two simultaneously, and within just a 5-year time span, students graduate from both.
• Internships: Often internships are included as a part of the master’s program, which definitely affects the timeline of the program. Some might add additional length to complete the internship, which can take from months to a year. Two-year MBA program students prefer completing the internships during the summer breaks.

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

This originally takes 2 years to complete and get graduated. However, one might bump into programs in one-year versions, popular in European countries. These will accelerate your speed and cover the entire syllabus the same as a two-year program but faster and within a year. One might assume that this is the faster way to get a master’s degree, but it comes with equal responsibilities. These are designed so that students are able to return to their full-time work quicker.

Final Thoughts

You might question yourself, ‘Is a master’s degree worth it?’ Well, it is. Moreover, when there is a will, there is a way. Choose the program that suits your preferences and how far you can put your full efforts in studying. People from various backgrounds do not always afford the time and money. It’s better to make a list of your priorities and then go for the program that suits your best interest.

Also Read: How MBA can fast-track your career growth