Master of Advanced Studies - Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in France and Francophone Countries

Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in France and Francophone Countries

After the Bologna Process in 2002, the Master of Advanced Studies came into existence. In France it is called a "Master 2" (M2) or based on the goal of the student, more specifically the "Master Recherche" or "Master Professionnel". It is an optional second year added to the pre-Bologna Process maîtrise (originally one-year of study) now called the "Master 1" (M1). Prior to the Bologna Process, France had the diplôme d'études approfondies (DEA) and diplôme d'études superieures spécialisées (DESS). Entry into both degrees required the student to have completed the pre-Bologna Process maîtrise equivalent to a baccalauréat+4-years of higher education. The DEA and DESS was sanctioned as the first of four years of doctoral studies. The DEA required a thesis with a defense and prepared the student for further education (a doctorate). The DESS required an internship with a presentation and prepared the student to enter into a career. The duration of the DEA and DESS were officially one year but often took up to two years, depending on the university requirements—especially with the DEA. The DEA was generally equivalent to the North American "All But Dissertation" or ABD status within a doctoral program or a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) or Master of Research (M.Res.) degree. In 2006 a French decree on doctoral studies eliminated the DEA and DESS and reduced the doctoral studies from four to three years, moving the first year of the original doctoral studies program to the master's program creating the Master of Advanced Studies (Master 2 (M2)).

The DEA and DESS were offered in many places and may continue to be offered in countries which apply the French university style, sometimes with some minor differences, such as Quebec, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia and most Francophone countries.

In the French-speaking universities in Switzerland the DEA, now Master of Advanced Studies was equivalent to the Master's degree in the English-speaking countries, and it was a one to two-year degree taken after a Licence (4-years Swiss graduate degree). It generally consisted of a number of courses, with examinations and grades, followed by research in a scientific laboratory. The students would then write a substantial thesis about the scientific work they did, and defend this thesis in front of a committee. The Master of Advanced Studies remains a common post-graduate degree in Switzerland.

In Europe, the DEA's degrees are progressively subsumed into the Bologna process Master's degrees and research-oriented (Master of Advanced Studies).

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