Bachelor, Master, MBA, Doctorate, Magister. If you are looking into the topic of higher education, you will encounter a lot of abbreviations. And quite a few of them cause confusion. What distinguishes a B.A. from a B.Sc.? Is an MBA the same as an M.A.? And what about the Austrian Mag.? Here you get a clear overview of all academic degrees in the German-speaking region.
The Bachelor: First Academic Degree
The Bachelor is the first academic degree in the Bologna system. It typically comprises 180 ECTS credits and takes 3 to 4 years (6 to 8 semesters). The most common variants:
- B.A. (Bachelor of Arts): Humanities, social sciences, and business studies
- B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science): Natural sciences, technology, psychology, computer science
- B.Eng. (Bachelor of Engineering): Engineering
- LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws): Law
The Bachelor qualifies you for entering the job market and is a prerequisite for a consecutive Master's degree. Part-time, you can complete the Bachelor alongside your job in 4 to 6 years, depending on the part-time model and recognition of prior learning.
The Master: Depth and Specialisation
The Master builds on the Bachelor and comprises 60 to 120 ECTS. The standard study period is 1 to 2 years (full-time). The common degrees:
- M.A. (Master of Arts): Humanities, social sciences, and business studies
- M.Sc. (Master of Science): Natural sciences, technology, psychology
- M.Eng. (Master of Engineering): Engineering
- LL.M. (Master of Laws): Law
There are two types: consecutive Masters require a Bachelor's degree in a related field. Professional Masters are aimed at working professionals and often require work experience rather than a specific prior degree.
The MBA: A Special Case Among Master's Degrees
The MBA (Master of Business Administration) is the best-known professional Master's degree. It is aimed at working professionals with leadership ambitions and teaches generalist management knowledge: strategy, finance, marketing, leadership, and organisational development.
An MBA is not a specialist Master's and does not replace an M.Sc. in Computer Science or an M.A. in Psychology. Its value lies in breadth: you learn to lead a company or department. In many industries it is a career accelerator, especially in management, consulting and international environments.
Good to know
An MBA and an M.A. are academically equivalent. Both are Master's degrees. The difference lies in content and target audience. Those who want to deepen subject expertise choose the M.A. or M.Sc. Those who want to build management competence choose the MBA.
The Doctorate: The Highest Academic Degree
The Doctorate is the highest academic degree. It involves independent research (a dissertation) and takes 2 to 5 years. The common titles:
- Dr. rer. nat.: Natural sciences
- Dr. phil.: Humanities
- Dr. rer. pol.: Economics and social sciences
- PhD (Doctor of Philosophy): International doctoral degree, increasingly common
The prerequisite is typically a Master's degree. A part-time doctorate is possible and offered by a growing number of universities, typically over 3 to 5 years.
Special Case: Magister (Mag.) in Austria
The Magister (Mag.) is an Austrian academic degree that was the standard qualification before the Bologna Reform. It is equivalent in value to today's Master's degree. Many Austrian universities still award the Mag. for certain fields of study (e.g. Mag. iur. for Law).
If you hold a Mag., you have a full Master's-equivalent degree and can proceed directly to a doctoral programme. In the Bologna system, the Mag. is recognised as Master's-equivalent.
The Bologna System: How the Degrees Relate
Since the Bologna Reform (1999), the European higher education system follows a three-tier structure:
- Level 1: Bachelor (180-240 ECTS, 3-4 years)
- Level 2: Master (60-120 ECTS, 1-2 years)
- Level 3: Doctorate (2-5 years)
The degrees are comparable and recognised throughout the EU. This makes it easier to move between countries and universities. The recognition of prior learning for a Master's also works much more smoothly within this system.
Academic Degrees at a Glance: ECTS, Duration and Access
The overview below summarises what each level demands in volume, time and prerequisites. The duration given is the typical part-time duration, not the full-time standard period, because for working professionals that is the more relevant figure.
| Qualification | ECTS | Typical part-time duration | Access requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| University certificate | 5 to 30 | 3 to 12 months | Depending on the programme, university entrance qualification or relevant work experience |
| CAS, DAS, MAS (Switzerland) | CAS from 10, DAS from 30, MAS from 60 | CAS 6 to 12 months, MAS 2 to 3 years | Usually a university degree plus practice, sometimes admission sur dossier |
| Bachelor | 180 to 240 | 4 to 6 years | Abitur, Matura, Fachhochschulreife or vocational university access |
| Master (consecutive) | 60 to 120 | 2 to 4 years | A Bachelor in a related subject |
| MBA and professional Master | 60 to 120 | 2 to 3 years | A first degree plus work experience; some programmes accept long leadership experience instead |
| Doctorate | Usually no ECTS count, structured programmes list course components | 3 to 5 years | A Master or equivalent, plus a supervision commitment |
Two columns deserve a second look. The ECTS figure tells you how much work sits behind a qualification: one ECTS credit equals 25 to 30 hours, so a Bachelor worth 180 ECTS stands for roughly 4,500 to 5,400 hours. And the access column often decides more about your route than the ECTS column does, because it sets where you may start at all. What prior learning can shorten is covered in having ECTS recognised and in the credit transfer check.
Writing Academic Degrees Correctly: CV and Signature
An academic degree is not part of your name, it is a right to carry a title. That is why there are rules, and they get broken regularly.
Before or after the name. Bologna degrees such as B.A., M.Sc. or MBA follow the name in the German-speaking region, separated by a comma: Lars Ritter, MBA. A doctorate goes before the name: Dr. Anna Meier. The Austrian pre-Bologna degrees, above all the Magister, also go before the name: Mag. Anna Meier.
Order with several degrees. Degrees that follow the name are usually listed in descending order, highest first. In my case that reads: Mag. Art. Lars Ritter, MBA, MSc, BA. The Austrian Magister goes in front, the remaining degrees follow from the highest to the first.
The exact form comes from the certificate. Whether B.A. or BA, whether Mag. or Mag. Art.: what counts is what your certificate says. Anyone who shortens or extends it on their own carries a degree in a form that was never awarded. In Switzerland that can become an issue under competition law, and in a hiring process it is unnecessary risk in any case.
What does not belong in the title line. Dr. cand., Dr. des. or MBA student are not awarded degrees. A doctorate in progress belongs in the body text. For foreign qualifications, clarify the rules on carrying the title before you carry it, because they differ by country and awarding institution.
On your CV, the education entry carries the dates, the qualification, the programme and the university. How to build the education block as a whole is covered in your degree on your CV.
The highest degree is not always the best one. The best degree is the one that fits your career goal. A Bachelor may be enough. Sometimes you need a Master's. And a doctorate is necessary for very few career paths.
Which Qualification Fits Your Goal
The levels are sorted; the decision is not. It rests on three things: what your target role formally requires, what prior learning you bring, and how many hours you realistically have per week. In a free initial consultation I place that for your case, and I will also tell you when a level is not needed at all. I go through the options for the Bachelor, the Master, the MBA and the doctorate.
Conclusion
Academic degrees follow a clear logic: Bachelor as foundation, Master as specialisation, doctorate as research pinnacle, with certificates and the Swiss CAS, DAS and MAS as shorter formats alongside. The MBA is the special case for management careers, academically equivalent to a specialist Master and substantively something else. Which qualification is right depends on your career goal, your prior experience and your available time, not on the height of the level. And once you hold it: write it exactly as the certificate does.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a B.A. and a B.Sc.?
Both are Bachelor degrees at the same level. The B.A. covers humanities, social sciences and business, the B.Sc. covers natural sciences, technology, psychology and computer science. Which one you receive depends on the subject, not on the value of the degree.
Is an MBA the same as a Master?
An MBA is a Master, specifically a professional Master of Business Administration. It is academically equivalent to an M.A. or M.Sc., but it teaches generalist management knowledge instead of subject depth. For leadership roles it is often the better fit.
Do I need a Master to start a doctorate?
Usually yes, a Master degree is the standard prerequisite for a doctorate. An Austrian Mag. counts as Master-equivalent and qualifies as well. Part-time, a doctorate typically takes 3 to 5 years.
What does the Austrian title Mag. mean?
The Magister (Mag.) was the Austrian standard degree before the Bologna Reform and is equivalent in value to today's Master. If you hold a Mag., you have a full Master-equivalent degree and can proceed directly to a doctorate. It is carried before the name, not after it.
In which order do you write several academic degrees?
Bologna degrees such as B.A., M.Sc. or MBA follow the name, separated by a comma, and are usually listed in descending order from the highest to the first. A doctorate and the Austrian Magister go before the name. What governs the exact spelling is always the certificate: anyone who abbreviates or extends it is carrying a degree in a form that was never awarded.
The information on this page is general in nature and based on my advisory practice (last updated 31.07.2026). It does not replace an official credit transfer or recognition decision by the respective university and is not legal advice. Specific decisions are made by universities, the ZAB (Germany), the BMBWF (Austria), or the SBFI (Switzerland). I clarify binding next steps with you in the initial consultation.