You can earn a master’s degree in science in the United States by successfully completing all of the required coursework at a public or private accredited college or university. General education courses or core classes will be required, such as English Composition I and II, Oral Communication, and Introduction to Psychology or Introduction to Sociology. Elective classes are almost always required as part of a master’s degree in science’s requirements. These are classes that aren’t necessarily related to your major, and you have more leeway in selecting which subjects to study to fulfill the electives requirement. Keep in mind that whether you’re majoring in a “soft science,” such as library science or political science, or a “hard science,” such as computer science or forensic science, your core classes and electives will likely differ.
A master’s degree in science can be obtained in a variety of ways. You might want to start your studies at a two-year community college, where college credits are less expensive than at four-year institutions. The highest degree you can get from these two-year schools is an associate’s degree, but it can also be the first step toward a master’s degree. If you go this route, make sure that all of your credits will be accepted at the four-year institution of your choice so that you can transfer in as a third-year student with junior status and be well on your way to earning your bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree is required to pursue a master’s degree in science.
After earning your bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university, you’ll be able to start working on your master’s degree in science, which takes at least two years to complete if you work full-time. Even if a student attends full-time, which means taking 12 or more credits at a time, the terms two-year and four-year college are often misleading because it takes the average student three and five years to complete them. If you do not plan to pursue your master’s degree in science at the same institution where you earned your bachelor’s degree, you will need to make sure that all of your credits will transfer to your preferred graduate school. Some schools are accredited on a regional level, while others are accredited on a national level. Regionally accredited schools do not always accept credits earned at nationally accredited institutions.
Other requirements for obtaining a master’s degree in science typically include writing a thesis to obtain a bachelor’s degree before continuing on to study for another two years to obtain a master’s degree. You may also be required to complete a practicum or hands-on training, depending on the specific science in which you major. The majority of your major-related coursework will not be introduced until junior year.