Degrees in Freemasonry

Masonic Degrees are alternatively known as titles or ranks. There are 3 degrees within Freemasonry: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. These degrees have nothing to do with academic education; in common with all Masonic symbolism, the names are drawn from the history of ancient stonemasons where a new recruit was first apprenticed to a Fellow of the Craft, ultimately becoming a Fellow himself on completion of his apprenticship, and finally, after showing sufficient proficiency and skill, becoming a Master Mason. In Freemasonry, the new recruit or initiate, is given the degree of Entered Apprentice. Once he has learned by heart, and performed, some of the ritual work (the script if you like) to be done in the lodge, he can then be passed to the next degree, that of a Fellowcraft. Similarly, by further "floor work" he is finally raised to the degree of Master Mason. The process from initiation to becoming a Master Mason can take from as little as 3 months to several years, depending on the amount of work the lodge has to do, the number of times a particular lodge meets every year, and ultimately on the amount of effort the individual Mason is prepared to put in.