List of Master's Degrees in North America - Engineering

Engineering

The Master of Engineering (Magister in Ingeniaria) degree is awarded to students who have done graduate work at the master's level in the field of engineering. In the United States, engineering candidates are typically awarded MS degrees, although a growing number of schools also offer an MEng (e.g. the University of California, Berkeley). The distinction between the two programs varies between schools, but the MS is largely considered an academic degree, whereas the MEng is a professional degree. In the UK and Canada, candidates are generally awarded MSc, MASc or MEng degrees.

In Canada, the Master of Applied Science (MASc) is awarded to master's degree students with a research focus (having completed work leading to a thesis), while an MEng is awarded to master's degree students with a coursework focus and the completion of a research paper. The distinction between MASc and MEng is not definite since some universities grant only an MEng and some universities grant only an MASc, be it either research or coursework-focused.

In Francophone universities, however, the Master's Degree is frequently equated to the very often, lower-level, Maîtrise and is often abbreviated the same way as in English. For example MSc also stands for Maitrîse ès Sciences.

The Master of Science in Engineering is a post-graduate degree to be differentiated from the Master of Engineering. It requires a thesis and qualifies students holding it to apply for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Engineering.