Remember, there is no higher degree in all of Freemasonry than that of a Master Mason. The third degree taken in a Symbolic, or Blue lodge, represents the highest attainment in all of Freemasonry. Each and every Master Mason stands alongside one another as an equal regardless of class, rank, position, or number of additional degrees taken.
While the numbering system of the degrees seems to indicate a hierarchical structure, in reality, they represent a lateral movement in Masonic instruction. All that the numbers indicate is the advancement of one's Masonic knowledge beyond the foundation of the Craft degrees.
Each of the Scottish Rite degrees in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction falls under the control of the following four separate governing bodies:
Lodge of Perfection: 4º - 14º
Princes of Jerusalem: 15º - 16º
Rose Croix: 17º - 18º
Consistory Guard: 19º-32º
The number and title of each degree in the Rite is as follows:
| Degree Number | Degree Name |
| 4th Degree | Builder |
| 5th Degree | Perfect Master |
| 6th Degree | Master of the Brazen Serpent |
| 7th Degree | Provost and Judge |
| 8th Degree | Intendant of the Building |
| 9th Degree | Master of the Temple |
| 10th Degree | Master Elect |
| 11th Degree | Sublime Master Elected |
| 12th Degree | Master of Mercy |
| 13th Degree | Master of the Ninth Arch |
| 14th Degree | Grand Elect Mason |
| 15th Degree | Knight of the East |
| 16th Degree | Prince of Jerusalem |
| 17th Degree | Knight of the East and West |
| 18th Degree | Knight of the Rose Croix |
| 19th Degree | Brother of the Trail |
| 20th Degree | Master ad Vitam |
| 21st Degree | Patriarch Noachite |
| 22nd Degree | Prince of Libanus |
| 23rd Degree | Knight of Valor |
| 24th Degree | Brother of the Forest |
| 25th Degree | Master of Achievement |
| 26th Degree | Friend and Brother Eternal |
| 27th Degree | Knight of Jerusalem |
| 28th Degree | Knight of the Sun |
| 29th Degree | Knight of St. Andrew |
| 30th Degree | Grand Inspector |
| 31st Degree | My Brother's Keeper |
| 32nd Degree | Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret |
| 33rd Degree* | Sovereign Grand Inspector General* |
*The 33rd Degree is administered only to those who have been elected to receive the honor by the Supreme Council. Election is contigient upon one's ability to produce significant contributions to both society at large and Masonry in general.
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The Bodies of the Scottish Rite, sitting in the Valley of Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acknowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33°, of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America, whose Grand East is in Lexington, Massachusetts.