Academic Research: Difference between revisions

A Masters is usually one year long, and it qualifies you as someone with an "expert" knowledge of a particular field. To get a Masters, you're required to show that you have a detailed knowledge of that particular field. There are two types of Masters, 'Taught' and 'Research':   

A Doctorate is usually 3 or 4 years long, and it qualifies you to be a professional researcher. To get a doctoroate, you need to make "an original contribution to knowledge". That is, they're not content with you knowing a lot of stuff, you have to show something that no-one in your field, anywhere, has shown before. You could typically do this by applying a new method to an old area, an old method to a new area, or a new method to a new area! Or something like that. The Doctorate also should prepare you for life as an academic: writing reports, scientific papers, meeting deadlines, interacting with other researchers at conferences, etc.  

* acathala (Computing, DCU)