MA
Abbreviation with 10 meanings
| Stands for | Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 10 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Education & Academia, Government & Politics, Medical, Units & Measurements, Military, Business & Finance |
| Also written | Ma, mA |
MA has ten meanings. The most common are Massachusetts (US state) and Master of Arts (degree); it can also stand for Medicare Advantage, Medical assistant, Milliampere, Master-at-Arms and Meta-analysis, plus 3 more listed below.
Meanings of MA at a glance
| # | MA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | Geography & Places › US State |
| 2 | Master of Arts | Education & Academia › Degree |
| 3 | Medicare Advantage | Government & Politics › Public Program |
| 4 | Medical assistant | Medical › Healthcare Credential |
| 5 | Milliampere | Units & Measurements › Engineering Unit |
| 6 | Master-at-Arms | Military › US Navy and Coast Guard Rating |
| 7 | Meta-analysis | Medical › Medical Research |
| 8 | Morocco | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 9 | Megaannum (million years) | Units & Measurements › Time |
| 10 | Moving average | Business & Finance › Stock Market & Investing |
1. Massachusetts
Geography & Places · US State Abbreviations
Massachusetts, officially a commonwealth and called the Bay State, ratified the Constitution on February 6, 1788, as the sixth state. Boston is the capital and largest city; the state was home to Plymouth Colony (1620) and to the first battles of the Revolution at Lexington and Concord.
Example: Tuition bills are mailed to the registrar's office in Cambridge, MA 02138.
Newspapers and AP write Mass., as in D-Mass. MA has been the code since 1963; people often guess MS, which is Mississippi, or mix MA with MD and ME. MA also means Master of Arts and is Morocco's ISO country code. Residents and state agencies use the short form Mass in names such as MassDOT.
2. Master of Arts
Education & Academia · Degree Abbreviations
Graduate degree, typically one to two years, in the humanities, social sciences, education or the arts, earned through coursework and often a thesis, capstone or comprehensive exam. In US doctoral programs students frequently receive an MA en route to the PhD after completing coursework.
Example: She is pursuing an MA in English literature with a thesis on Toni Morrison.
AP style writes M.A. and "master's degree" in running text. Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin grant an MA to their BA graduates several years after graduation without further study, and the ancient Scottish universities award an MA as a four-year undergraduate degree. Harvard and Brown write AM.
3. Medicare Advantage
Government & Politics · Public Program Abbreviations · also used in medicine
Private health plans approved by Medicare that provide Part A and Part B benefits, usually with prescription drug coverage and extras such as dental and vision. More than half of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in MA plans.
Example: She switched from Original Medicare to an MA plan with a $0 premium during open enrollment.
Medicare Advantage is also called Medicare Part C. It began as Medicare+Choice in 1997 and was renamed by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Most plans use provider networks and prior authorization, a frequent source of complaints. Plans are paid a monthly amount per enrollee adjusted for health risk, which has drawn scrutiny over coding practices.
4. Medical assistant
Medical · Healthcare Credential Abbreviations
Clinic worker who rooms patients, takes vital signs, gives injections in many states, collects specimens and handles scheduling and records under the supervision of physicians or other providers.
Example: MA roomed patient, updated medication list and administered flu vaccine.
Certification is voluntary in most states but preferred by employers; common credentials are CMA, RMA and CCMA. MAs do not hold a nursing license, so they should not be introduced as nurses. Medical assistants are one of the fastest-growing jobs in outpatient care.
5. Milliampere (mA)
Units & Measurements · Engineering Unit Abbreviations
One thousandth of an ampere, used for small electronic circuits, LEDs, sensors, USB current and battery drain. A typical indicator LED draws about 10 to 20 mA, and USB 2.0 ports supply up to 500 mA.
Example: The board draws 35 mA in active mode and under 1 mA in sleep.
Electric shock severity depends largely on current: around 1 mA is barely perceptible, while roughly 10 to 20 mA through the body can make it impossible to let go. That is why GFCI outlets trip at about 5 mA of leakage. Battery capacity is rated in mAh, milliampere-hours.
6. Master-at-Arms
Military · US Navy and Coast Guard Rating Abbreviations
Navy law enforcement and security professionals who conduct patrols, investigations, antiterrorism and force protection, and handle military working dogs. Masters-at-arms protect ships in port, bases ashore and high-risk transits.
Example: MA2 Byrne and her working dog swept the pier before the carrier moored.
In the age of sail the master-at-arms kept discipline and taught swordsmanship and small arms. The rating expanded significantly after the 2000 attack on USS Cole and the September 11 attacks, when force protection became a priority. The Army and Air Force equivalents are military police and security forces.
7. Meta-analysis
Medical · Medical Research Abbreviations
Statistical method that combines results from multiple studies addressing the same question to produce a pooled estimate with greater precision than any single study. Results are displayed in forest plots showing each study's effect and the combined effect.
Example: The MA pooled 22 trials and found a modest benefit with substantial heterogeneity.
The term was coined by statistician Gene Glass in 1976. Heterogeneity between studies, measured with statistics such as I-squared, determines whether pooling is sensible, and funnel plots look for publication bias. Fixed-effect and random-effects models make different assumptions. In health insurance MA means Medicare Advantage.
8. Morocco
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Morocco's code comes from its French name, Maroc; Rabat is the capital and MAR the alpha-3 code. Morocco reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, the first African team to do so.
Example: Argan oil from MA is pressed by women's cooperatives near Essaouira.
On US envelopes MA means Massachusetts, and in academia it means Master of Arts. The dirham trades as MAD.
9. Megaannum (million years) (Ma)
Units & Measurements · Time Abbreviations
One million years, used in geology and paleontology for ages before the present: the dinosaurs other than birds died out about 66 Ma. It combines the prefix mega- with a, the symbol for annum.
Example: The Chicxulub impact occurred about 66 Ma, ending the Cretaceous period.
Geologists often reserve Ma for dates (millions of years ago) and use Myr or m.y. for durations. Popular writing prefers mya or "million years ago". Zircon crystals from the Jack Hills of Western Australia, the oldest known pieces of Earth, date to about 4,400 Ma.
10. Moving average
Business & Finance · Stock Market & Investing Abbreviations
Average of an asset's price over a set number of recent periods, recalculated each period so that it "moves" with new data. Traders use MAs to smooth price noise and identify trends, such as the widely watched 50-day and 200-day averages.
Example: The stock fell below its 200-day MA, a level many technical traders treat as a sell signal.
A "golden cross" occurs when the 50-day MA rises above the 200-day MA, and a "death cross" when it falls below. The two main types are the simple moving average (SMA) and the exponential moving average (EMA). MA also abbreviates Massachusetts and Master of Arts.
Related abbreviations
More US state abbreviations
- IN – Indiana
- KS – Kansas
- KY – Kentucky
- LA – Louisiana
- MD – Maryland
- ME – Maine
- MI – Michigan
- MN – Minnesota
See all 51 US state abbreviations →
More degree abbreviations
- LHD – Litterarum Humanarum Doctor (Doctor of Humane Letters)
- LLB – Legum Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Laws)
- LLD – Legum Doctor (Doctor of Laws)
- LLM – Legum Magister (Master of Laws)
- MAcc – Master of Accountancy
- MALS – Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
- MAR – Master of Arts in Religion
- MArch – Master of Architecture
See all 139 degree abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.