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Is there an MBA. graduate, doctorate crowd here on GAF?

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I graduated last year and have been working in Pre Sales at a software company for a year now. I plan on doing an MBA in maybe 3-5 years to pivot my career if I need to.
 
backslashbunny said:
There isn't much of a real reason to get a MS in anything else. Usually if you are considering a MS a PhD would serve you better.

Same with professional programs. The MBA is what I consider a professional degree, as with a law degree or pharmacy degree. Also true for many engineering/computer/tech stuff.

I am getting a MS tax, which is more of a professional degree, like a MBA but specialized. I wouldn't have bothered were it not for the CPA.
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MFAs are pretty common in my circle of friends (film production)
 
Anybody here doing an MBA with a focus/specialisation/emphasis on Project Management?

I'm about to do a PMP program and then get the PMP certification. Thinking my next step would be an MBA, but wondering if other people here have done it, are doing it, or have looked into it? Unsure how valued it is generally.

Another concern of mine is having to do an online MBA (I'd be working full time) - am I losing a lot of value and 'prestige'?
 
Soka said:
This is bad advice. It might be applicable to certain fields, but there's no reason that people have to get an MS before a Ph.D.
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backslashbunny said:
Really? I've never heard this before. All of my PhD friends went into their PhD programs directly, unless they couldn't get accepted the first round and were forced to get the master degree before applying. I do know some PhD candidates that can't finish their PhDs are awarded a Masters as sort of a consolation prize.
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I know a lot of programs, including top tier USA Universities, don't even offer Masters and only give them to people that drop out (or are dropped) from their PhD programs. Those programs have a tacit Master program: they require taking number of units along with everything else a PhD program requires. Those programs take 6+ years to complete for most students.

In contrast, the one I'm in requires a Masters degree for admission, but I'm not expected to take any more courses and the projected completion time is 3.5-4 years. Isn't this system more fair to students? You get a sample of higher level study and research at the chosen field before committing to 6+ years of your life to a narrow field at PhD level. You get a useful higher degree that can be used to find work (or apply to another program) before committing to a narrower, more difficult path. And the intermediate degree is not a failure/consolation degree, since is perfectly normal for many people to just aim for the Masters degree. The last point is important for the student Self-esteem imo.

Now, if you want a PhD on Physicis at MIT, yeah, It might not be a good idea to do a Masters first. (Unless they take the credits from a MSc from, lets say King's College London. Do they do that?) My point is that such a system isn't a good one.
 
Lonely1 said:
I know a lot of programs, including top tier USA Universities, don't even offer Masters and only give them to people that drop out (or are dropped) from their PhD programs. Those programs have a tacit Master program: they require taking number of units along with everything else a PhD program requires. Those programs take 6+ years to complete for most students.

In contrast, the one I'm in requires a Masters degree for admission, but I'm not expected to take any more courses and the projected completion time is 3.5-4 years. Isn't this system more fair to students? You get a sample of higher level study and research at the chosen field before committing to 6+ years of your life to a narrow field at PhD level. You get a useful higher degree that can be used to find work (or apply to another program) before committing to a narrower, more difficult path. And the intermediate degree is not a failure/consolation degree, since is perfectly normal for many people to just aim for the Masters degree. The last point is important for the student Self-esteem imo.

Now, if you want a PhD on Physicis at MIT, yeah, It might not be a good idea to do a Master first. (Unless they take the credits from a MSc from, lets say King's College London. Do they do that?) My point is that such a system isn't a good one.
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There are definitely some benefits to doing a MSc first. Here in Canada, in my field it's almost impossible to do direct-entry PhD programs, as they expect you to do an MSc first. I know in the States for the most part it's the opposite. So I guess it just comes down to which schools you wish to apply to.
 
I have a BS in Computer Systems Engineering, a M.Eng in Systems Engineering and a PMP certification. Seeing more and more people pursue graduate degrees/professional certifications in my line of work.
 
I start grad school next week at Temple University! Master's program in educational psychology. I hope I don't GAF too much instead of studying...
 
Socreges said:
Anybody here doing an MBA with a focus/specialisation/emphasis on Project Management?

I'm about to do a PMP program and then get the PMP certification. Thinking my next step would be an MBA, but wondering if other people here have done it, are doing it, or have looked into it? Unsure how valued it is generally.

Another concern of mine is having to do an online MBA (I'd be working full time) - am I losing a lot of value and 'prestige'?
Click to expand...

I can't speak to the PMP thing, but my school did not offer a Project Management concentration for the MBA program. I ended up not doing a concentration.

I have two concerns with doing an online MBA vs. a more traditional program. Part of it is that I think there is a very real view that an online degree, regardless of which kind it is, is second-tier compared to the on campus equivalent. If you don't have to declare that your degree was from an online program, this is less of a concern.

The more important consideration is that you are almost eliminating the network-building portion of your education. The contacts and relationships you'll develop in a more traditional program are at least as valuable as anything you're going to pick up in the classroom. Your school might have programs in place to help mitigate this to some degree, but I wanted to point it out.
 
I've been curious about this and hope someone here might have some insight. Is a Masters of Studies in Law a valuable degree? I have a BBA and a Bachelor's in Political Science and would want an MSL in Business Law. It's a one year program and wondered it it'd have any value.
 
In one week I will be starting my MPA in Inspection and Oversight with a specialization in Fiscal Policy and Analysis. When I complete that I think I will take a year or two off from school and then return to pursue a PhD in either psychology or something related (possibly Industrial Psychology). I received my BA in psychology.
 
I have a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering. Ours was a five year Master's program though; you were accepted into a specific engineering department after your first year (three semesters, we went year round) and then were expected to stay through to your MEng. Unless you ended up sucking and were kicked out of course.
 
Got my MET. Some of my best memories are from my time there. May look into a PHD when one of note exists and won't potentially overqualify me for my work.
 
Lonely1 said:
I know a lot of programs, including top tier USA Universities, don't even offer Masters and only give them to people that drop out (or are dropped) from their PhD programs. Those programs have a tacit Master program: they require taking number of units along with everything else a PhD program requires. Those programs take 6+ years to complete for most students.

In contrast, the one I'm in requires a Masters degree for admission, but I'm not expected to take any more courses and the projected completion time is 3.5-4 years. Isn't this system more fair to students? You get a sample of higher level study and research at the chosen field before committing to 6+ years of your life to a narrow field at PhD level. You get a useful higher degree that can be used to find work (or apply to another program) before committing to a narrower, more difficult path. And the intermediate degree is not a failure/consolation degree, since is perfectly normal for many people to just aim for the Masters degree. The last point is important for the student Self-esteem imo.

Now, if you want a PhD on Physicis at MIT, yeah, It might not be a good idea to do a Masters first. (Unless they take the credits from a MSc from, lets say King's College London. Do they do that?) My point is that such a system isn't a good one.
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So, I'll agree there are potential benefits to earning an MS before earning a Ph.D., but I disagree that people "shouldn't" get a PhD without first having an MS. I think there are far too many variables to make such a blanket statement. I know many people that earned an MS (spending 2-3 years to do so) then transferred universities to earn a Ph.D. but had to spend another 4-5 years for that... on the other hand, I know people in the same Ph.D. program that came in straight from earning a BS and earned their Ph.D within the same 4-5 years, essentially bypassing the 2-3 years needed for the MS. If along the way they were unable to finish their Ph.D., they'd still be able to earn the MS anyway... so, in this scenario, there's really no downside to going straight for the Ph.D. That's how departments around here seem to work, anyway.

My point is, if someone believes they're highly interested in a field and have a use for the degree, they should go for the Ph.D. If they're not sure they need a Ph.D. or are really lacking the confidence that they can complete it, then of course getting an MS first is probably a very reasonable plan for them. It's just not as simple as "people should get an MS first" without strongly considering their options based on their specific goals, capabilities, school's policies, etc.
 
Soka said:
So, I'll agree there are potential benefits to earning an MS before earning a Ph.D., but I disagree that people "shouldn't" get a PhD without first having an MS. I think there are far too many variables to make such a blanket statement. I know many people that earned an MS (spending 2-3 years to do so) then transferred universities to earn a Ph.D. but had to spend another 4-5 years for that... on the other hand, I know people in the same Ph.D. program that came in straight from earning a BS and earned their Ph.D within the same 4-5 years, essentially bypassing the 2-3 years needed for the MS. If along the way they were unable to finish their Ph.D., they'd still be able to earn the MS anyway... so, in this scenario, there's really no downside to going straight for the Ph.D. That's how departments around here seem to work, anyway.

My point is, if someone believes they're highly interested in a field and have a use for the degree, they should go for the Ph.D. If they're not sure they need a Ph.D. or are really lacking the confidence that they can complete it, then of course getting an MS first is probably a very reasonable plan for them. It's just not as simple as "people should get an MS first" without strongly considering their options based on their specific goals, capabilities, school's policies, etc.
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It also depends on what their final goal is. Do they want to work in academia? Do they just want better options in the job market? Like someone said earlier if you have a degree in Chemistry or something getting a PhD is not going to radically alter your job opportunities.
 
Bam Bam Baklava said:
It also depends on what their final goal is. Do they want to work in academia? Do they just want better options in the job market? Like someone said earlier if you have a degree in Chemistry or something getting a PhD is not going to radically alter your job opportunities.
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Good point. In my field (astronomy) I basically can't do anything with just an MSc.
 
Soka said:
So, I'll agree there are potential benefits to earning an MS before earning a Ph.D., but I disagree that people "shouldn't" get a PhD without first having an MS.
Click to expand...

Yup, I agree with this. There is no blanket statement applicable to whether people should only do a PhD after they have a MS. I have both, and spent a total of 8 years in grad school. But this was only because I "flunked out" of my 1st attempt at grad school and "dropped out" with only a MS. If I didn't, I would have gotten my PhD with only a total of 4-5 years in grad school.
It really depends on the program that you're applying to. If a PhD is what you REALLY want and the place you're applying to allows for it without a MS, go for it.
 
snacknuts said:
I can't speak to the PMP thing, but my school did not offer a Project Management concentration for the MBA program. I ended up not doing a concentration.

I have two concerns with doing an online MBA vs. a more traditional program. Part of it is that I think there is a very real view that an online degree, regardless of which kind it is, is second-tier compared to the on campus equivalent. If you don't have to declare that your degree was from an online program, this is less of a concern.

The more important consideration is that you are almost eliminating the network-building portion of your education. The contacts and relationships you'll develop in a more traditional program are at least as valuable as anything you're going to pick up in the classroom. Your school might have programs in place to help mitigate this to some degree, but I wanted to point it out.
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Very good points, thanks. Stuff to mull over.
 
So I wanted to *bump* this

I'm thinking about going back to school for my master's. When I applied for undergrad, it was based on high school GPA and SAT. Is graduate school the same but based on undergrad GPA and GRE? The school that I'm looking at isn't very clear about it on their website.

Also, I'm wanting to pursue a master's in something that is pretty unrelated to my undergrad degrees, so I'll have to take a handful of undergrad courses before I even could enter the masters program, does anybody have experience with doing that?
 
Arkos said:
So I wanted to *bump* this

I'm thinking about going back to school for my master's. When I applied for undergrad, it was based on high school GPA and SAT. Is graduate school the same but based on undergrad GPA and GRE? The school that I'm looking at isn't very clear about it on their website.

Also, I'm wanting to pursue a master's in something that is pretty unrelated to my undergrad degrees, so I'll have to take a handful of undergrad courses before I even could enter the masters program, does anybody have experience with doing that?
Click to expand...

Grad school entrance is based on your undergrad GPA, GRE, and relevant work/volunteer experience plus maybe some other miscellaneous stuff... So, no high school GPA necessary.

I don't have experience with taking extra undergrad courses unfortunately so I cannot answer that, sorry.
 
Arkos said:
So I wanted to *bump* this

I'm thinking about going back to school for my master's. When I applied for undergrad, it was based on high school GPA and SAT. Is graduate school the same but based on undergrad GPA and GRE? The school that I'm looking at isn't very clear about it on their website.

Also, I'm wanting to pursue a master's in something that is pretty unrelated to my undergrad degrees, so I'll have to take a handful of undergrad courses before I even could enter the masters program, does anybody have experience with doing that?
Click to expand...

Talk to the school you are looking at and the program advisor. They will let you know if you need further undergrad work.
 
Bout to do my dissertation proposal, super nervous, I've been working on this proposal all summer, weird that I'll be working on this project for like 2 years and then I'll have a PHD and then I have no idea what to do haha
 
gazele said:
Bout to do my dissertation proposal, super nervous, I've been working on this proposal all summer, weird that I'll be working on this project for like 2 years and then I'll have a PHD and then I have no idea what to do haha
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Good luck. I'll be preparing for my preliminary exam (same thing as what you're doing it seems) in the next 3-4 months. Should have my PhD within 2 years as well. I think I have some idea of where I want to go though thankfully. What's the focus of your dissertation?
 
Soka said:
Good luck. I'll be preparing for my preliminary exam (same thing as what you're doing it seems) in the next 3-4 months. Should have my PhD within 2 years as well. I think I have some idea of where I want to go though thankfully. What's the focus of your dissertation?
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It's in neuroscience, looking at PTSD using FMRI and EEG

Good luck with your stuff too! That's awesome you know what you wanna do after
 
Hmmm.... my school put together a resume book for the firms that will be attending some major networking events soon. I just looked through it, and mine has by far the worst experience out of anyone included. Guess that means I'm just going to have to dazzle them in the interviews and hope for the best.

It does have me kind of worried though.
 
Eidan said:
Anyone with a Master's in Urban Planning, or pursuing one?
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What's up? Looks like I checked the off topic section at just the right time. I will receive two Masters Degrees from Auburn University in May, one in Community Planning, and another in Public Administration.
Soka said:
This is bad advice. It might be applicable to certain fields, but there's no reason that people have to get an MS before a Ph.D.
Click to expand...
It's probably applicable in fields that don't need a lot of technical knowledge (like liberal arts), but it seems the Masters is becoming a way for people to differentiate themselves as more knowledgeable in their field than BA/S holders. It seems that the PhD is reserved for people that want to be at the "cutting edge" of their field. I think this is because the knowledge required in many fields is become so complex and in-depth that a middle point is needed between BA/S and PhD to illustrate a significant amount of advanced knowledge about something that is greater than a BA/S but less than a PhD.
 
GameGuru59 said:
It's probably applicable in fields that don't need a lot of technical knowledge (like liberal arts), but it seems the Masters is becoming a way for people to differentiate themselves as more knowledgeable in their field than BA/S holders. It seems that the PhD is reserved for people that want to be at the "cutting edge" of their field. I think this is because the knowledge required in many fields is become so complex and in-depth that a middle point is needed between BA/S and PhD to illustrate a significant amount of advanced knowledge about something that is greater than a BA/S but less than a PhD.
Click to expand...

I should clarify. I'm not saying an MS is useless by any means, I'm simply saying that if someone decides to go straight from a BS to a Ph.D., that isn't an inherently flawed plan. The original post I quoted was suggesting that getting a Ph.D. without an MS first is always a bad idea, which I disagree with.
 
I admire some of you guys.

I would really like to go back to school but I'm JUST cleared of all debt. Woohoo. The thought of going back into debt to fund my education frightens the shit out of me but being 36 years old in the industry I'm in (finance/accounting) with only an undergrad degree scares me more. I see people 10 years younger than me with beefier academic accomplishments coming into the picture more and more.

I don't know what to do.
 
ThLunarian said:
Hmmm.... my school put together a resume book for the firms that will be attending some major networking events soon. I just looked through it, and mine has by far the worst experience out of anyone included. Guess that means I'm just going to have to dazzle them in the interviews and hope for the best.

It does have me kind of worried though.
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Go to your career counseling center and discuss ways to polish up your resume, if you can still update the resume book. You likely are not that different from the others - they may have just figured out a more elegant and impressive way to say basic things.

Additionally, GPA will matter significantly (Accounting program right?), so if you're doing okay there, I wouldn't fret too much)
 
Lonely1 said:
I find these Videos amusing:

So You Want a PhD in Clinical Psychology

So You Want to Get a PhD in the Humanities: Nine Years Later

So You Want a Ph.D. in Political Science

IMO, the best one:

So You Want to Get a PhD in Mathematics 2

The part one is bad, though.
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Astrophysics one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfxfnokQuLM

I literally laughed out loud when he said "I'm 32 and haven't seen my advisor in 3 years." Hits a bit close to home, advisor just went on sabbatical. :P
 
So, I got a job offer as a developer. The problem is that I'm not actually searching for one atm, as I'm a full time postgrad student with a scholarship that would be withdrawn if I have a position for more than 10 hours a week. However, I'm indeed worried about my future and I would like to have work experience outside of academia.

Dam, that proposal put a lot of doubts on me :S . Which would be the best answer I can give? I don't want to burn bridges and Im insecure myself about what Is better for my future.
 
backslashbunny said:
I just wanted to tell you that I know personally three people that were working on their PhD, then started working full-time, and quit. They swore to finish their degrees, but never did (life, marriage, kids, etc.) Purely anecdotal, though.

Good luck with what you do.
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And they regret their decision?
 
I just finished my phd in quantum information and successfully defended my thesis on thursday. Now I dont have a job. Woohoo?
 
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