Have a Bachelors Deggre but Want to Gey Another Would I Have Tp Start With Basics Again

Whether you've already graduated or are about to graduate from college, if you're request yourself, "Should I get a principal's caste?" information technology'due south fourth dimension to dig deep and discover the respond. A master'southward degree tin be useful for particular careers—simply information technology's also expensive and time-consuming. So is a master'south degree right for y'all?

In this guide, we go over what a chief'due south degree is, four key questions to inquire yourself earlier you decide to get one, the pros and cons of getting ane, and three tips to help you decide on the best principal's caste plan for you.

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What Is a Master'due south Degree?

A chief'southward degree is a graduate degree that indicates you have high-level knowledge of a specific area of study or professional practice. These degrees are the get-go level of graduate degrees, followed only by doctoral degrees, such as the PhD.

Primary'southward degree graduate programs are offered all over the globe at public and private colleges and universities. Most people earn their principal's degrees in one to 3 years of continuous full-time study. In the United states, ii years is a mutual length for many principal's programs.

In terms of prerequisites, yous'll typically demand to have at least a bachelor's degree in order to enroll in a master's caste program.

There are many kinds of master's degrees you can earn. Here are some of the most common:

• Main of Arts (MA)
• Master of Scientific discipline (MS)
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
• Principal of Business Administration (MBA)
• Chief of Engineering (ME, MEng)
• Chief of Instruction (MEd)
• Master of Laws (LLM)
• Master of Architecture (MArch)
• Master of Public Administration (MPA)
• Chief of Public Health (MPH)
• Principal of Public Policy (MPP)
• Master of Social Work (MSW)

Should I Become a Master's Degree? 4 Questions to Consider

If you're wondering, "Should I get my primary's?" so information technology's important to ask yourself the post-obit 4 questions before you lot brand any large decisions.

#i: Am I Passionate About the Topic I Want to Report?

Start things first, are you lot passionate about the subject area area you lot want to report at the master's level? If your answer isn't a resounding "yes," then information technology'll be ameliorate to reconsider getting a principal'due south degree—at to the lowest degree in that particular topic.

Simply why is passion and then important?

The reality is that information technology can be difficult to detect the willpower to finish grad school if you're not all that invested in the topic yous're studying or are but in school considering you don't know what to practice with your life.

I myself knew a couple of people who ended upwardly dropping out of master's programs one time they realized it wasn't actually the topic they wanted to study (for the record, they both switched to unlike master's programs).

Leaving a master'southward program isn't a failure by any means, but trust me when I say that your life will exist a lot easier if you have a clear idea of what you want to report (and why) before you employ to master's programs.You don't want to feel every bit though y'all wasted time, free energy, and money on a grad program that ultimately didn't help you reach your bookish or professional person goals.

Before y'all decide to become for a master'south degree,try to envision yourself as a grad educatee,taking classes in the discipline, researching it, and writing papers most it. If these thoughts excite you, so this field is likely a skilful fit for you. If you experience hollow or apathetic, however, y'all should reconsider whether it'due south truly worth getting a master'southward degree in this field of study.

If you're really on the debate about earning a main'due south caste—maybe the topic you're thinking of studying is completely different from what y'all majored in every bit an undergrad—you might desire to consider taking some community college courses in that field to help you become a much clearer sense of how grad school will exist.

#2: Will Getting a Master's Degree Help My Career?

Some other important question to ask yourself is how this particular master's caste can aid you in your professional goals.

In that location are two general categories of graduate degrees:

• Academic degrees
• Professional person degrees

Bookish master's degrees are primarily focused on increasing your mastery of a specific field of report that connects to your bookish and intellectual interests (which you might or might not desire to use in your career).

Many students choose to get a master's degree as a pace toward getting a doctoral degree—ofttimes a PhD—inorth their field of study. Bookish grad programs besides more often than not crave a master's thesis or capstone project and are more inquiry-oriented.

Examples of bookish primary'due south degrees include the MA and MS.

By contrast, professional master'south degrees are much more than strongly tied to your career interests, education you about the industry y'all want to enter and equipping you lot with fundamental skills you will need to succeed professionally.

A professional degree is meant to prepare you lot for a specific career or field. Many careers, such as lawyers, doctors, and pharmacists, require you to earn a series of professional degrees (usually master's and doctoral degrees).

Examples of professional degrees include the MBA and LLM.

Ultimately, when it comes to getting a primary's degree, you must ask yourself: how much are y'all expecting your degree to assist you lot in your career?There is no correct answer hither, though ideally your master's degree will help you either progress in or jump-start your career.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in certain professional person fields, having a primary's degree will earn yous more money than if you had only a bachelor'south degree. These fields include the following:

• Business organisation
• Education
• Healthcare and social service
• Stem

So if you lot plan to get a master'due south degree in any of these four fields, you can rest bodacious that doing and so will almost likely have a positive effect on your career trajectory.

If you desire to get a master's caste in a field not listed above, don't freak out just yet—this doesn't mean your caste will exist totally useless when it comes to your career. As long equally you have an idea of how you'd like to apply your chief's degree and how information technology tin provide you with the critical skills you need to succeed in a specific task, it'll almost likely be a good option to make.

#3: Will I Have to Pay for the Degree?

Different doctoral programs, many of which are fully funded for up to 5 years, master's degrees in the US are rarely funded. Therefore, information technology'south of import to detect out whether yous'll have to pay for your master'south degree—and whether you think the plan is worth the cost tag.

Again, at that place's no right or wrong choice here. Some people are perfectly content to pay for office or even all of their master's degrees, peculiarly if the degree is substantially guaranteed to help with their careers. Others, even so, are adamantly confronting taking out loans and forking out thousands of dollars for a degree that might non actually help their careers or raise their earning potential.

My personal advice? Try to pay every bit piffling as you can for a master's degree.

Often the price simply isn't worth it, especially if you're planning to get an academic degree and not a professional person degree (which is typically more likely to ensure you lot a steady career).

Remember that master'due south programs in the US range significantly in how much they cost. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average almanac price (tuition + fees) for grad schoolhouse in 2012-thirteen was $16,435.

In my experience, though, this number seems to be on the lower end of the spectrum. As The Best Main'south Degree notes, primary's degree programs in the United states of america tin can toll in the range of $30,000 to $120,000, with some even exceeding this "maximum"!

This is why I strongly propose looking for master's programs that award scholarships or fellowships. Grad programs oftentimes list scholarships on their programme and/or fiscal aid pages.

You tin can also look for external scholarships geared toward grad students. For tips, cheque out our list of 47 grad schoolhouse scholarships and our guide on how to discover grad school scholarships.

#iv: Am I OK With Not Working?

A master's degree is generally a commitment of at to the lowest degree one year—usually two or 3—which means you (nearly likely) won't be working a full-time job during this time.

Before you lot decide to do a chief'south program, make certain you're 100% OK with taking a break from working (or, if you're going straight from undergrad to grad school, delaying entering the workforce).

If you're immature (in your 20s or and then), taking a couple years off for school shouldn't have much of a negative effect on your career trajectory or professional person options.

But if you're older and more established—maybe y'all have a successful career or a family to intendance for—taking time off from piece of work to get a primary's degree could have more than of a negative impact on your life than you might retrieve.

For 1, you likely won't be making much, if whatever, money while you lot're a grad student (unless you lot're receiving a stipend or working part-time), and then this kind of lifestyle definitely requires sacrifice.

Secondly, it can exist difficult to get dorsum into the workforce in one case you get your main's degree since you might not have the connections you once had and might lack some practical, on-the-chore skills.

6 Pros and Cons of Getting a Chief's Caste

Now that you accept a ameliorate idea of whether or not a primary's caste is right for you, let's take a wait at the biggest pros and cons of getting 1.

Pros of Getting a Master's Degree

• It'll expand your knowledge of a particular discipline area: This is possibly the #1 reason most people opt for a master's degree, whether it's mainly to quench your own intellectual curiosity, bolster your career opportunities, or both. Getting a main's degree also means spending your time reading, researching, and writing—all of which are incredibly valuable, transferable skills.

• It can open up upward new career paths: Whether or not you lot need a main's degree to nab a job you lot want, there's no incertitude getting one will make you more marketable in general and permit you lot to stand out in a positive light. This advantage is especially applicable to those getting a master'due south degree in club to make a career switch.

• It can increase your earning potential: Co-ordinate to the BLS, master'south degree holders in 2017 fabricated a median $ane,401 a week; these median wages are higher than what bachelor's degree holders ($1,173) and high school graduates ($712) made. In other words, earning a chief'south degree means higher wages on average. (This is a general tendency; weekly earnings can vary a lot depending on factors such as the field, amount of work experience, etc.)

Cons of Getting a Master'due south Degree

• It's expensive, peculiarly if y'all don't become whatever scholarships: Equally mentioned, scholarships and fellowships for master'south degree programs are unfortunately pretty rare, which means you lot'll almost likely have to pay a huge sum of money for your degree out of pocket, through pupil loans, or both.

• Information technology takes a while to get one: Principal's degrees in the United states of america usually have around two years. Even though this isn't as long every bit information technology takes to get a bachelor'southward degree, information technology's still a decent clamper of time you lot'll need to be willing to dedicate entirely to school, significant you'll be taking valuable time away from accumulating work feel.

• Information technology's not guaranteed to become you a better task or higher salary: Despite the general benefits a master's degree can have regarding jobs and salary potential, getting a primary'south degree does not automatically mean you'll be nabbing only the best jobs available and getting instant pay raises. A lot of your professional success will depend on non just what type of master's degree you get but likewise how you use it, what kind of career you lot build with it, your location, how good yous are at your chore, and and then on.

What Should You Get a Primary's Degree In? iii Essential Tips

Fifty-fifty if you know y'all want to get a primary'south degree, sometimes deciding what discipline area to get a degree in can be tricky. Here are some tips to help you answer a fundamental question: what should y'all get a main's caste in?

Tip 1: Determine Your Biggest Passions and Interests

Regardless of whether your intellectual or professional person passions accept changed since you got your bachelor'south degree, take time to consider what kinds of topics you're deeply interested in.

Information technology should be a discipline area you can readily envision yourself researching, reading most, and writing about as your solar day-to-day "job."If the idea of studying this topic excites and inspires you lot, so it'll likely be a great field for you lot to pursue a main's degree in.

But what if you're equally interested in two topics? In this case, you have a few options:

• Choice the field that'due south more relevant to your professional person goals: For case, if you're interested in both English lit and estimator scientific discipline but plan to get into web design in the future, a computer science degree will be far more than useful.

• Consider doing a caste or dual degree that combines both fields: For example, if you're interested in Chinese and police, yous might want to wait into dual caste programs that let you study both Chinese and police force, such as the dual JD/MA plan at the University of Michigan.

• Use to programs in both fields and choose a program to attend based on factors such equally location, funding, etc.: If you really can't make up one's mind between the ii, then it might be all-time to simply apply to the programs that interest you in both fields. Once you detect out which programs you lot've been accepted to, you can make your decision on where to become (and what field to study) based on other important factors to y'all, such every bit how much financial aid y'all received, where the school is located, and how highly ranked the program is.

Tip 2: Consider Your Professional Goals

Before choosing a field in which to go a principal's degree, endeavor to visualize your future career path:

• What kind of industry or field practice y'all desire to work in?
• What kinds of jobs do you run into yourself working?
• Do these jobs often require or strongly adopt a primary's degree?

It's helpful to first figure out the full general field you're interested in studying at the graduate level. For example, say you majored in English and are now thinking of breaking into writing and editing. Options for possible master's programs could include the post-obit:

• English/literature
• Artistic writing
• Publishing
• Professional writing
• Technical writing
• Communication
• Journalism
• Marketing/advertising

In one case you have a general idea of the manufacture or field y'all want to have a career in, begin thinking about specific skills and topics you want to learn, and expect for principal's degree programs that can assistance you go an expert at these.

Say yous're the English major interested in establishing a career in writing and editing. Mayhap you're not as interested in reading as you are in writing. Then as a result, you beginning to think it might exist better to look primarily at principal'southward degree programs that focus on how to write professionally.

In this instance, a program that centers on writing as a career versus as an art, such as NYU's MS in Professional Writing and Emerson's MA in Publishing and Writing, would be a better fit for your goals.

Of form, this doesn't hateful y'all can't apply to other programs, such every bit creative writing MFAs. But thinking about the skills you want to learn should help you narrow downwards what kind of program yous remember will benefit you the virtually in your future endeavors (whatever those may exist).

If you're struggling to determine what kind of career you want, there'south no harm incoming together with a job coach or getting in touch with your undergrad institution'due south career services heart.

Tip 3: Get to Know the Program

In one case you have an idea of what topic you lot want to study in a chief'due south program and what kind of career you envision yourself having, it'south time to figure out what programs will work best for you.

Hither are some actions y'all tin accept once you lot've constitute a programme you desire to apply to:

• Read the programme's official website: Go online and read everything in that location is to know most the master'southward programme you're considering. Commencement with the college or university'due south official website, and pay special attention to pages that particular specific courses students must accept, professors, and graduation requirements.

• Learn about the experiences of real students: Get in bear on with current/old students in the master'southward degree program yous desire to apply to. These are the people who can tell you what to expect in terms of classes, kinesthesia members, the campus surroundings, professional networking opportunities, etc.

• Visit the campus, if possible: This isn't a necessity, but oftentimes seeing the campus and program in-person can give you a clearer motion-picture show of how you'll fit in on a day-to-solar day footing.

• Get to know the electric current faculty: This is generally more important for those seeking PhDs, just even for prospective primary's students, it'south definitely helpful to learn more about faculty members by reading their profiles on the schoolhouse's website, emailing them, or meeting them in person.

• Find out about funding: This primarily depends on your fiscal situation and what you lot're willing to pay for grad schoolhouse. But every bit I mentioned, information technology's best to pay as lilliputian as y'all can for your chief's caste. Find out whether the program offers scholarships and how many students get one each year. In general, amend-funded chief's degree programs should be higher on your list of schools—but this doesn't mean funding is by far the most important cistron.

Conclusion: Should I Go My Master's?

To wrap upward, there'southward no articulate answer to the question, "Should I get a master's caste?" Indeed, your answer to this will depend on the future you envision for yourself. In other words, what kind of career do y'all want? And how will a master's degree assistance you succeed in your endeavors?

Before you outset applying for master'south caste programs, ask yourself these four critical questions:

• Am I passionate about the topic I want to study?
• Will getting a master'south caste help my career?
• Will I have to pay for the degree?
• Am I OK with not working?

At that place are many pros and cons to getting a master'south caste.The biggest pros are that information technology'll teach you more almost a specific subject area, open up up potential career paths, and possibly increment your earnings. The cons are that master's degrees can be expensive, accept a while to earn, and are by no means 100% guaranteed to nab yous a better job or college bacon.

If yous've decided to get a master'due south caste, groovy! Now, it's time to answer the side by side big question: what should yous get a master'southward caste in? Here are three tips to help you decide on the best program for you:

• Determine your biggest passions and interests
• Consider your professional goals
• Go to know the program

After reading this, you should now have a far clearer vision for your time to come, regardless of whether there's a chief'southward degree in it or non!

What'south Next?

What exactly is grad school? Learn about why information technology might be a practiced idea for you lot to proceed your educational activity beyond undergrad to get a master's or doctoral caste. Likewise, our expert tips can aid you decide whether grad school is worth it for y'all.

Paying for a principal'southward degree can exist tough. That's why it's important you know how to get the most out of FAFSA.

Lots of primary'due south programs require applicants to take the GRE. Get an overview of what a adept GRE score is with our expert guide.

Have friends who also need aid with examination prep? Share this commodity!

About the Author

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor'due south degree from the Academy of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English language in Japan via the JET Programme. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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Source: https://blog.prepscholar.com/should-i-get-a-masters-degree

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