A Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) is a non-consecutive postgraduate degree awarded predominantly in European countries. A MAS program offers comprehensive training in a specific field and can either give access to higher qualification in one's profession or lead to a new profession.[1][2] Often grouped with executive masters, MAS programs tend to be interdisciplinary and tend to be focused toward meeting the needs of professionals rather than academics.[3] [4]
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Admission criteria are often more flexible than in consecutive master programs[3] and tend to recognize work experience and non-formal education in addition to formal education[5] [4]. A MAS requires 60-120 ECTS.[6] [7] and usually consists of course work, independent study and a masters thesis[1]
After the Bologna process the Master of Advanced Studies replaced the French diplôme d'études approfondies (DEA) and diplôme d'études superieures spécialisées (DESS)[8] [9] which are former postgraduate degrees.
In France, the DEA was a 1–2 years degree taken after a maîtrise (4-years French master's degree) and was prior to entering a doctoral program. It 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. But in the French-speaking universities in Switzerland the DEA was equivalent to the Master's degree in the English-speaking countries, and it was a 1–2 years degree taken after a Licence (4-years Swiss graduate degree).
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.
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. In Europe, the DEA's degrees are progressively subsumed into the Bologna process Master's degrees and research-oriented (Master of Advanced Studies).
This degree also exists in Spain under the name "Diploma de Estudios Avanzados" or "DEA". It confers a higher qualification credential than a Master of Philosophy or Master of Studies but lower than Doctorate.
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