Fellowcraft Degree: Meaning and Progression
The Fellowcraft is the second of three degrees conferred in a Blue Lodge, the foundational unit of Freemasonry. It occupies the middle position between the Entered Apprentice and Master Mason degrees — a placement that is architectural in intent, not merely sequential. This page examines what the degree means, how it is conferred, where it fits in the broader journey of Masonic membership, and why its symbolism has been described by Masonic scholars as the most intellectually demanding of the three.
Definition and scope
The term "Fellowcraft" derives from medieval guild usage, where a fellow of the craft was a working artisan — no longer an apprentice, not yet a master. That occupational ladder maps directly onto the degree's philosophical purpose: the Fellowcraft is a man in active study, midway through a structured progression of moral and intellectual formation.
Within the context of Masonic degrees, the Fellowcraft is sometimes called the degree of the middle chamber, a reference embedded in its central allegory. The ritual presents the candidate journeying toward a symbolic wage — not in coin, but in knowledge. The seven liberal arts and sciences (grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy) are specifically named and elaborated during the degree. Geometry receives particular attention, identified in the ritual as the foundation of architecture and, by extension, of right thinking itself.
The degree's scope is national in the sense that it is conferred under the authority of individual Grand Lodges across all 50 U.S. states. While the core symbolism and allegory are substantially uniform, the precise wording, length, and ceremonial emphasis vary by jurisdiction — a detail that often surprises candidates who have read general accounts of Freemasonry and expect complete uniformity.
How it works
The conferral follows a set ritual performed by Lodge officers in a formally opened Lodge room. The candidate — already an Entered Apprentice — is tested on his proficiency in the first degree before proceeding. This proficiency requirement is a formal gatekeeping mechanism, not a formality. A candidate who cannot demonstrate competence in the Entered Apprentice degree is not advanced.
The structure of the Fellowcraft degree ceremony follows this sequence:
- Opening of the Lodge in the Fellowcraft degree, requiring all present to hold at least that rank.
- Examination of the candidate on Entered Apprentice proficiency.
- Preparation of the candidate — symbolic in nature, echoing the first degree with meaningful variations.
- Obligation — a formal pledge taken by the candidate within the Lodge.
- Lecture and instruction covering the working tools of the Fellowcraft (the plumb, the square, and the level) and the symbolism of the two pillars, Boaz and Jachin, associated with the porch of Solomon's Temple in biblical accounts (1 Kings 7:21).
- Middle Chamber lecture — typically the longest and most discursive element, addressing the liberal arts and sciences, the letter G, and the staircase allegory.
The working tools are worth pausing on. The plumb admonishes rectitude of conduct; the square teaches morality; the level reminds members that all human beings stand on equal footing before time and eternity. These are not decorative metaphors — they are the explicit didactic content of the degree, enumerated in language that has remained largely stable for centuries.
Common scenarios
Most candidates pass through the Fellowcraft degree within weeks or months of receiving the Entered Apprentice degree, depending on their Lodge's conferral schedule and their own preparation pace. Lodges that confer degrees at every stated communication (typically monthly) may move candidates through all three Blue Lodge degrees within a quarter. Others confer degrees at special called communications, extending the timeline.
In some jurisdictions, a candidate may receive all three Blue Lodge degrees in a single day during what is called a "one-day class" or "festival." This practice is common in the Scottish Rite bodies of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, where candidates often petition the Blue Lodge and the appendant bodies simultaneously. Critics of the one-day format argue it compresses material that merits individual attention; supporters note that Masonic education is a lifelong process that begins, not ends, at the Master Mason degree.
The Masonic ritual and ceremony surrounding the Fellowcraft is also the setting where certain symbols receive their first extended treatment. The square and compasses, probably the most recognized Masonic symbols, are presented with specific positional variations across the three degrees, and the Fellowcraft position is distinct from both the first and third.
Decision boundaries
Understanding what the Fellowcraft degree does — and does not — confer is necessary for anyone navigating Masonic membership. A Fellowcraft Mason is a member of a Blue Lodge but holds incomplete standing. He may attend Lodge when opened in the Entered Apprentice or Fellowcraft degree but not when the Lodge is opened in the third degree for business. He cannot vote on Lodge matters, hold office, or petition for appendant bodies such as the Scottish Rite or York Rite, all of which require the Master Mason degree.
The distinction between Fellowcraft and Master Mason is therefore consequential. Remaining at the Fellowcraft level indefinitely — possible but unusual — places a man in a structural limbo within the institution. The masonic-membership-requirements page addresses this in more detail for those weighing the full commitment.
The degree itself draws on a body of philosophical architecture that has shaped Masonic thought for centuries. For anyone exploring Freemasonry as an institution — its history, structure, and purpose — the Freemasonry homepage offers the broader orienting context from which this degree takes its meaning.