MS vs M.Sc.: Which One to Choose in 2024?

After completing the bachelor’s degree, you may be confused about which course you should take. Generally after completing Bachelor’s, you need to complete a master’s degree. However, choosing the right master’s degree is also important. There are different types of master’s degrees that you can take up in a particular subject. The most common are the MS and M.Sc. If you are also confused between them, here I will help you to get a complete guide on MS vs M.Sc. degrees.

Quick Takeaways

• Both degrees are almost the same and there is not much difference between them.
• Following are the three little factors of differences between both the degrees-

1. List of entrance exams
2. Eligibility criteria
3. Specializations

However, you must read till the end so that you can get a better understanding of MS vs M.Sc. degree.

Is MS and M.Sc. the same?

One of the biggest questions after completing the bachelor’s degree is whether to choose the M.Sc. course or the MS course. Due to this, there is a lot of confusion between both degrees. Both of the degrees are similar that is master degree but the name is different depending upon the region. Suppose you are in India or UK there is an M.Sc. degree. Whereas, if you’re living in America then you will be getting an MS degree. Of Course, there are a few differences between both of the courses. Further, I have mentioned these little differences for your better understanding.

MS vs M.Sc. : What are the main differences?

Following are the three main differences between both of the courses-

1. List of entrance exams

Below I have mentioned entrance exams for abetting in the courses. The entrance exams for both degrees are different. Therefore, I have mentioned the entrance test for both degrees one by one.

M.Sc course

Following are the best entrance exams that you must appear to get admission to an M.Sc. course-

• About IIT JAM (Joint Admission Test for Masters)
• NEST (National Entrance Screening Test)
• GSAT (GITAM Science Admission Test)
• OUAT Entrance Exam
• MCAER CET 

MS courses

Following are the best entrance exams that you must appear to get admission to an MS course-

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
• GRE (Graduate Record Examination)
• IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

2. Eligibility criteria 

Once you have understood the entrance exams that you can take, now is the time to check the eligibility to pursue an MS and M.Sc. degree. For that, I have discussed the eligibility criteria for both languages one by one. 

Eligibility for M.Sc degree

• No age limit to pursue this degree
• B.Sc with minimum cut-off
• The eligibility criteria are different depending on the college you want to enter. Thus you must consult the official website of the university for it.

Eligibility for MS degree

• Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university
• You must have achieved years of education before taking the degree. 
• Have a great again though eligibility criteria may be different for each of the universities and therefore you must look at the official website of the college or university.

3. Specializations

Before going deep into this difference, you must understand that there are a lot of specializations in both of the degrees and I can not include all of them here. Further, I have mentioned the most common one for both of them. 

M.Sc. degree specialization 

Following are the M.Sc degree specializations-

• M.Sc. in Biological Sciences
• M.Sc. in Chemistry
• M.Sc. in Physics 
• M.Sc. in Mathematics 
• M.Sc. in Information Technology 
• M.Sc. in Economics
• M.Sc. in Biotechnology 
• M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology
• M.Sc. in Electronics 
• M.Sc. in Atmospheric Science 

MS degree specialization 

Following are the MS degree specializations-

• MS in Chemical Engineering
• MS in Computer and Information Technology
• MS in Biomedical Engineering 
• MS in Operations Research
• MS in Systems Engineering
• MS in Management Information Systems
• MS in Statistics 
• MS in Environmental Engineering 
• MS in Mathematics 
• MS in Computer Engineering

What are the colleges and universities where you can get both courses?

Following are the colleges/universities where you can get M.Sc courses-

• University of Manchester
• University of Oxford
• University of Cambridge
• Indian Institute of Technology
• National Institute of Technology

Following are the colleges/universities where you can get MS courses-

• California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA 
• Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
• University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
• Stanford University, Stanford, USA

Conclusion

Once you have completed a bachelor’s degree, you will need clarification on whether to choose an MS or an M.Sc. Although both of the colleges are the same you must remember that there are still little differences that you need to remember. The first main difference between the degrees is the entrance test. You will need to take the NEST ( National Entrance Screening Test), GSAT (GITAM Science Admission Test), etc to get admission to the M.Sc. course. Whereas if you want to take an MS course then you will have to take TOEFL or IELTS exams. 

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