You only get tech points by researching at the table, afaik.
Getting a "master" rating only makes them better at that particular job -- but the better your scientists are, the more tech points they earn at a time (so master scientists get more tech points than adept scientists than trainee scientists).
If you are really desperate for more points quickly without cheating, you can sit at the research table and force the little guys to work -- I've noticed they do a little "dance" when they gain tech points (it's like a little curtsey), and you can immediately pick them up and put them back at the table to research more. But that's a lot of effort -- I prefer to just let the game run in the background if I'm waiting for tech points.
-- jen