Master, master's, masters/ Bachelor, bachelor's, bachelors? What is the difference among them?

Question

Answer

Master/bachelor is the noun - the person.
Master's/bachelor's is the possessive form.
Masters/bachelors is the plural form of the noun. (Masters (degree) is also a level of higher education.)

Examples:

Noun: "My master is very harsh on me." "He is a bachelor because he is not married."
Possessive form: "My master's house is always kept clean." "A bachelor's pad is typically quite small and very untidy."
Plural noun: "They are masters of the skateboard - they skate really well!" "Lots of older bachelors join dating websites."

I hope this helps!

Answer

Usually, you use the apostrophe:

I earned a bachelor's degree in 1959. (I am a very old man.)

I did not have the time or money to study for a master's degree.

*****

In conversation, you do not need to include "degree":

I have only a bachelor's. So I could not get any  jobs that required a master's.

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