masters/master's

I'd use the apostrophe, definitely and if I were writing about someone who's going for his master's; if the context didn't make it clear, I'd specify his master's in engineering or whatever.


BTW - Was that a correct usage of the dreaded semicolon?

Degree of a master

It should have the apostrophe, because it is the degree of a master. There are places where one might refer to the person as a "master of arts", but that refers to the person rather tha to the degree.

No matter how it's used, it's a master's degree. It was, at least when I went to college, and still is, judging by every university site I visit. "Master's" is more than simply how you say or write something, it's the actual proper name of the degree.

The only "masters" I know is The Masters, which is a stop on the PGA tour.

Jamesaritchie said:

The only "masters" I know is The Masters, which is a stop on the PGA tour.

Click to expand...

"Masters Of War"

Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks.

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly.

. . .

-- Bob Dylan

And there are the so-called "masters of the universe."

After too many years writing news, this is one of the entries you memorize in the AP Stylebook

All three references would have an apostrophe because like someone said, it's just a shortened way to say master's degree. But you wouldn't use the possessive form for something like Master of Science or Bachelor of Arts. And "associate degree" never has an apostrophe because it's not possessive.

Some extra info for you even though you don't want it

Of science and of arts are possessive forms. The 'of' construction is an alternative to the apostrophe and s. Both forms are possessive.

Yah, I meant you wouldn't use the possessive form of the word master. Seemed apparent from the context.

Maybe it's a UK thing? I dunno, I think it looks weird on that website and they blatantly don't use an apostrophe any time they reference it.

If it's different in England than America, that's one rule I didn't know about.

Edited to add: In this case, I'd say it's probably safer to go with what you know instead of what you don't. Unless you can find a reputable source saying it's ok to skip the apostrophe, I wouldn't.

You're still just looking at "It had something to do with the master's degree" in shortened form... same goes for "master's degree programs"

"degree" is the object of the possessive form...

Fallen said:

Ooooh, if it's being written as 'It had something to do with the masters', could it be that no specific possession 'thing' has been given after it, therefore it needs no apostrophe? The same would go for masters programs... Programs is just a generalisation, not a thing, animal, etc. Therefore 'masters' wouldn't have an apostrophe.

Click to expand...

Hi, I stayed out of this thread, because I have little to say on the matter.

The problem reminds of something that cropped up before: "writers forum" vs. "writer's forum" vs. "writers' forum".

The problem is that these all sound the same, refer to the same thing, but show different ways of looking at things. There are two dimensions:

a) plural or singular
b) possessive or plain

Intuition goes for the apostrophe, because we don't generally use plural nouns this way:

- mouse trap (not "mice trap")
- apple tree (not "apples tree")

And so on.

But there is the "customs office", which I don't think I've ever seen written with an apostrophe.

As for the "no specific thing": I don't know. How do we decide what a "thing" is? "A mothers love" looks just wrong, yet I don't think it's any more specific than a program. What about the "office" or "clearance" if prefaced with customs? I think it's more of an idiomatic variation, but how it came to be I don't know.

It's an interesting phenomenon, but not one I know much about.

Technically, one has a Master of Art in Art Education or a Master of Art Education--it's not a masters or master's--but people usually call the degree a master's. Meaning you are a Master of the field--you have learned so much that you are a Master. The degree is often Master of Art in _____ or Master of Science in ______ with the specialty, depending on the University.
Just like with a doctorate most people have a Phd- Doctor of Philosphy in _______, although some have doctorates with other initials. I have a PsyD, Doctor of Psychology. Doctorate in education are EdD (with or without periods--I don't use the periods.)

I recently wrote it using an apostrophe and didn't think twice. But just to confuse things, the UK Government thinks otherwise.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039030

PinkAmy said:

Technically, one has a Master of Art in Art Education or a Master of Art Education--it's not a masters or master's--but people usually call the degree a master's. Meaning you are a Master of the field--you have learned so much that you are a Master. The degree is often Master of Art in _____ or Master of Science in ______ with the specialty, depending on the University.
Just like with a doctorate most people have a Phd- Doctor of Philosphy in _______, although some have doctorates with other initials. I have a PsyD, Doctor of Psychology. Doctorate in education are EdD (with or without periods--I don't use the periods.)

Click to expand...

You are partly right. One who has attained the degree of a Master of Arts is a Master of Arts; but the degree is the degree of a Master. Therefore the degree is called a Master's Degree in Arts.

Fallen said:

I think this is the problem. Some do, some don't. I'd just like to know WHY they don't, lol.

Click to expand...

They're the government; they're wrong about almost everything else, why not this?