I would say earning a master's degree depends on the subject you wish to earn your master's in and which college or university you want to attend. The traditional face to face approach to earning a master's degree may take longer again depending on the institution you are investigating.Earning a master's degree from an accredited online university offering intensive courses in your subject area my take you 11 months however, you must weigh the time needed to take accelerated courses and you may have to defend the university as "legitimate" to those employers who are still in the 20th century in their attitude toward online degrees.