Entered Apprentice Degree: What Candidates Need to Know
The Entered Apprentice degree is the first of three degrees conferred in a Masonic Blue Lodge, and it marks the formal threshold between the outside world and membership in Freemasonry. What happens in that room, why it happens in that particular order, and what a candidate is expected to bring to the experience — these are questions worth answering plainly. The degree is steeped in ritual and symbolism, but it is not mysterious in the way that popular culture suggests. It is, at its core, a structured ceremony of initiation built around a specific philosophy of self-improvement.
Definition and scope
The Entered Apprentice degree takes its name from the medieval guild system, where an apprentice was the entry rank — someone who had been formally accepted into a craft but had not yet demonstrated mastery. Freemasonry inherited that framework, and the Entered Apprentice (commonly abbreviated EA) represents the same concept: a man who has been admitted into the fraternity but stands at the beginning of his Masonic education.
Within the three-degree structure of the Blue Lodge, the Entered Apprentice degree is the foundation. It cannot be skipped, deferred, or substituted. No candidate proceeds to the Fellowcraft degree — or eventually the Master Mason degree — without first receiving the EA degree. That sequential structure is not bureaucratic formality; the degrees are designed to build on each other, with each conferring specific obligations, modes of recognition, and symbolic content that the next degree will reference directly.
The degree is governed at the Grand Lodge level. Each state Grand Lodge in the United States maintains its own ritual standard, which means the exact language, movements, and ceremonial details vary somewhat between, say, the Grand Lodge of Virginia and the Grand Lodge of California. The underlying structure, however, is consistent across jurisdictions — a product of Freemasonry's common heritage, as documented in Freemasonry's history in America.
How it works
The EA degree ceremony unfolds in a lodge room arranged for the purpose, with lodge officers occupying specific stations and the candidate entering in a prescribed manner. The ceremony includes an obligation — a formal pledge the candidate takes voluntarily — as well as the communication of certain modes of recognition and the delivery of a lecture that explains the symbolism of the degree.
The ritual draws heavily on the symbolism of stonecutting and architecture. The rough ashlar — an unfinished stone — represents the candidate at the beginning of his Masonic work. The smooth ashlar, a dressed and finished stone, represents the ideal he is working toward. That image is not decorative; it frames the entire philosophy of self-improvement that runs through Masonic philosophy and core principles.
A structured breakdown of what a candidate typically encounters:
- Preparation — The candidate is prepared outside the lodge room in a manner that is symbolic rather than elaborate, designed to reinforce the themes of the degree.
- Admission — The candidate is admitted to the lodge room through a specific process involving the Tyler (the lodge's outer guard) and the Inner Guard.
- Obligation — The candidate takes a formal oath at the altar, before the open Volume of Sacred Law, in the presence of the lodge.
- Investiture — The candidate is presented with a white lambskin apron, the first and most significant symbol of Freemasonry. The Masonic apron's meaning and history extend back through centuries of fraternal tradition.
- Lecture — The Working Tools of the Entered Apprentice are presented and explained. In most American jurisdictions, these are the 24-inch gauge and the common gavel.
- Charge — A formal charge is delivered, outlining the duties and conduct expected of an Entered Apprentice.
The entire ceremony typically takes between 60 and 90 minutes, depending on the lodge and the number of candidates.
Common scenarios
Most candidates receive the EA degree as a single individual — one man petitioning one lodge, going through the degree on his own scheduled evening. Some lodges, particularly larger urban lodges or those with active membership drives, confer degrees on 2 or 3 candidates simultaneously, which is procedurally acceptable under most Grand Lodge regulations.
A candidate who travels frequently or relocates during the degree process may find the lodge accommodating — Masonic lodges extend what is called "masonic courtesy" to visitors and candidates affiliated with other jurisdictions. However, a man cannot advance to Fellowcraft in a different lodge than the one that conferred his EA degree without specific dispensation from the relevant Grand Lodge.
The time between receiving the EA degree and being eligible for the Fellowcraft degree varies. Most lodges require a candidate to be proficient in the EA degree — meaning he can answer questions about its content in open lodge — before advancement. Some lodges accomplish this in 4 to 6 weeks; others have a longer minimum interval set by Grand Lodge statute.
Decision boundaries
The Entered Apprentice degree sits at a clear boundary: a man who has received it is a Mason in the most foundational sense, but not a full Master Mason. He may attend lodge, but his participation is limited — he cannot vote, cannot hold office, and cannot visit lodges as a full member. That liminal status is intentional. The masonic degrees overview clarifies what privileges attach to each level.
The distinction between an Entered Apprentice and a Master Mason is not merely ceremonial. A Master Mason holds full fraternal standing, is recognized by all regular lodges globally, and is eligible to petition appendant bodies of Freemasonry such as the Scottish Rite or York Rite. An Entered Apprentice holds none of those privileges. The degree is a beginning — architecturally appropriate for a craft whose central metaphor is building something that lasts.
Candidates exploring what comes before this step will find the full process outlined at the Free and Accepted Mason reference home, which covers petitioning, investigation, and balloting in sequence.