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Not all master’s degrees are the same. One is built to launch a career; the other is built around research and often points toward a PhD. They differ in coursework, funding, and what comes after — so the right pick depends entirely on where you’re headed.
Professional / coursework master’s
Career credential
Academic / research master’s
Research-focused
Do you want to enter or advance in a profession, or move toward research and possibly a PhD?
Does your target career ask for a specific professional degree, or for research training?
Is funding available — and does a thesis-based program open assistantship money a coursework one doesn’t?
Would a professional master’s get you to your goal faster, with less unpaid research time?
A research master’s won’t help much if your goal is a professional role that wants a professional credential — and a coursework master’s won’t prepare you for a PhD the way a thesis-based one does. Decide where you want to land first, then pick the master’s built to get you there.
Think it through: compare a master’s vs. a PhD, decide whether grad school is worth it, and learn how to apply.