Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts (BA, B.A., AB or A.B. from the Latin artium baccalaureus or baccalaureus artium) is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both. Bachelor of Arts degree programs generally take three to four years depending on the country, academic institution, and specific specializations, majors or minors. The word baccalaureus or baccalarium (from the Latin bacca, a berry, and laureus, "of the bay laurel") should not be confused with baccalaureatus (translatable as "gold-plated scepter" by using the Latin baculum and aureatus), which refers to the one- to two-year postgraduate Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree (Baccalaureatus in Artibus Cum Honore) in some countries.

Diplomas generally give the name of the institution, signatures of officials of the institution (generally the president or rector of the university as well as the secretary or dean of the component college), the type of degree conferred, the conferring authority and the location at which the degree is conferred. Degree diplomas generally are printed on high quality paper or parchment; individual institutions set the preferred abbreviation for their degrees.

Master of Arts

A Master of Arts (Latin: Magister Artium; abbreviated M.A., MA; also Latin: Artium Magister, abbreviated A.M., or AM) is a type of master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with the Master of Science degree. Those admitted to the degree typically study English, History, Communication, International Relations, International Business Administration, European Studies or other of the Humanities, Philosophy and Social Sciences; however, different universities have different conventions and may also offer the degree for fields typically considered within the natural sciences and mathematics. The degree can be conferred in respect of completing courses and passing examinations, in respect of research, or a combination of the two.

The Master of Arts degree traces its origin to the teaching license, or Licentia docendi, for the University of Paris.

Germany

In Germany, the traditional equivalent of the postgraduate Master of Arts was the Magister Artium. This degree, which usually required 5 years of studies, did exist in former West Germany and in reunited Germany, but not in former East Germany where all degree courses led to Diplom degrees. Traditional Magister degrees were granted in social sciences and most of the humanities (International Business, Affairs, European Studies and Economics included), with the exception of visual and performing arts such as music and theatre.

Master

Master, masters and the Master may refer to:

Ranks and titles

Master of Arts in Teaching

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) or Master of Science in Teaching (MST) degree is generally a pre-service degree that usually requires a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree. While the program often requires education classes in order to meet state licensure requirements, it emphasizes advanced coursework in a specific academic discipline to enhance one's knowledge in that subject area. Furthermore, it focuses on educating the candidate in practical teaching skills for use as a teacher, as opposed to focusing on performing research in the educational field. Candidates usually spend a semester as a full time student teacher in order to earn the degree. There are two general models that (MAT) degrees follow: A 5th year model in which students spend one year extra beyond their bachelor’s degree to earn a master's degree and an initial teaching license; and a Flex program which usually offers part-time weekend and evening courses to accommodate professionals who are changing careers. The Master of Arts in Teaching degree is often advantageous to middle school and secondary school teachers because it allows them to focus on subject area knowledge in their undergraduate program and then acquire pedagogical skills in their graduate studies. It differs from the Master of Education (M.Ed) degree which is usually geared toward practicing teachers, or toward those who desire to serve as counselors (school or otherwise) or as educational administrators.

Community development

The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad term given to the practices of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of communities, typically aiming to build stronger and more resilient local communities.

Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people with the skills they need to effect change within their communities. These skills are often created through the formation of large social groups working for a common agenda. Community developers must understand both how to work with individuals and how to affect communities' positions within the context of larger social institutions.

Community development as a term has taken off widely in anglophone countries i.e. the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand and other countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. It is also used in some countries in Eastern Europe with active community development associations in Hungary and Romania. The Community Development Journal, published by Oxford University Press, since 1966 has aimed to be the major forum for research and dissemination of international community development theory and practice.