When independence was restored in Lithuania, a single-stage higher education system that had existed hitherto was reorganised into a multi-stage system with Bachelor, Master and Doctoral programme studies. The analysis of Master studies, as a new and atypical phenomenon in Lithuania, highlights the discrepancies between Master programme curricula and its orientation. Master study supervisors, responsible for study curricula and orientation, understand the studies as preparation for research activity, whereas master students and graduates link them to labour market. In Lithuania, academic and professional profiles are not clearly distinguished and defined in Master study programmes; therefore, it is recommended to acknowledge and legitimate academic, professional and even combined profile Master studies. (Contains 1 figure.)