A master鈥檚 degree is a graduate degree. Graduate education comes after undergraduate education, and you must complete a bachelor鈥檚 degree before starting a master鈥檚 program. Graduate degrees include master鈥檚 degrees and doctoral degrees.
A bachelor鈥檚 degree is an undergraduate degree, usually completed in about four years. It gives you broad foundational knowledge in a major field plus general education courses. A master鈥檚 degree typically takes one to two years and goes deeper into a specialty, building advanced skills and expertise.
Doctoral degrees, or PhDs, are the highest level of education. They take several years of study and research and focus on producing original work that adds to the field. If you are considering graduate school, compare whether a master鈥檚 degree is better than a bachelor鈥檚 for your goals, review the skills a master鈥檚 degree builds, and check whether online master鈥檚 degrees are credible.

