There really is such a thing as a glass ceiling. While being held back due to race, religion or gender is slowly but surely being eliminated, there is one case where an employer does have a cause: education. This is a key reason why many professionals are going to online colleges. It allows them to still work and better put themselves to advance.

In the U.S., a masters degree is the next step after obtaining a bachelors. In most cases, a student doesn’t start studying for one until after they’ve put a few years in the working world. As the title implies, the degree signifies its recipient’s further study and specialization in whatever field they took. While there are a number of different variations, the three most common masters degree are for the Arts (MA), Business Administration (MBA) and Science (MS). The only higher level of degree is the doctorate.

Two things that particularly separate obtaining a masters from a bachelors are independent study and doing a dissertation. Like when they were undergraduates, those going for their masters do have to take a certain number of classes, usually referred to as their “core.”

From there though, they must apply this new knowledge in a manner that “adds” to the general knowledge of their chosen field as a whole. That’s where the independent study comes in. It could be a new angle on a play by Shakespeare onto an economic thesis or developing some scientific theory and proving it. Once the independent study is done, the student must defend his research through the dissertation. If the review board approves of the work, the student gets the graduate degree.

Probably the easiest aspects of obtaining the degree are the application process. All a prospective student need do is source out appropriate on-campus or online colleges that offer courses on their chosen subject. It doesn’t hurt to do a little background checking to see what the school’s rep in the field is, but overall at this level the quality of American schools over all is quite fine.

Obtaining financial aid could be a bit trickier, but there are fellowships (as opposed to scholarships) out there to be had with a little effort. Another very common way for candidates to finance this process is to consult with their job about continuing education benefits. From there, they work during the daylight hours and then go to school at night, a particularly win-win situation with the courses available from online colleges – all from the comfort of their homes.