The CGS Professional Master's Initiatives are designed to help member institutions respond to documented local and regional workforce needs and student interest/demand for master's programs that prepare graduates for careers in business, government and non-profit (BGN) employment sectors. In the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, baccalaureate graduates generally have insufficient technical or disciplinary background, limited mastery of desired skills sets, and not enough understanding of non-academic work to qualify for professional employment. Doctorate graduates are often over-qualified in research but lack professional skills required for BGN careers.

Traditional disciplinary master's programs have generally focused on preparing graduates for doctoral programs or professional areas such as law or medicine. Three exceptions, engineering, social work, and public administration have developed master's-level programs that prepare graduates for non-academic careers. But in most Liberal Arts disciplines, few graduates (roughly 20% in the natural sciences and social sciences; 40% in the humanities) ever pursue graduate education, and those that do most often do so in education, business, or health professions rather than their undergraduate major area. Professional master's degrees provide an alternative to doctoral education for those preparing for BGN careers.