Graduate studies

Education at the graduate and the undergraduate levels are different in a fundamental way. Undergraduate studies emphasize basic skills and memorization. Students at the Master’s level get deep into their subject matter adhering to sets of best practices. At the Ph.D. level graduate students go into theory and models that are fundamental to their educational interest. The main difference between the two levels of graduate studies is not just the final objective or level of knowledge but at the degree of abstractedness of the content of study.

A graduate with a Master’s degree is expected to complete practical tasks whereas a graduate with a Ph.D. is expected to work at a theoretical level wherein different tasks can be developed, studied, and evaluated.

Their main difference in training is that a Ph.D. will mostly work at an abstract level whereas a Master’s has expertise to implement and complete practical tasks within prescribed rules, guidelines or paradigm with limited regards to the foundational theoretical constructs upon which those are built. Master's apply theory while Ph.D develop them.

Disclaimer: This brief discussion only applies to differences in the studies that Master's and Ph.D. students undertake, and not to the actual differences in intellectual capabilities or activities the same students end up doing in their professional life, which may clearly contradict what is presented here.