<p>I completed my master’s degree at Boston Univ. in electrical engineering. I enrolled in the PhD program at Columbia Univ. and dropped out, earning only a master’s degree. Now, I have two master’s degrees, both in electrical engineering.</p>
<p>Is it a good idea to leave one of them out of my resume? I’m concerned two degrees in the same subject will raise a lot of questions and reflect negatively.</p>
<p>Did you do anything unique in each of them? Or was it really just the same thing? If there were differences, you can talk about those.</p>
<p>Thank you for the response. There are some differences in the coursework and I can highlight them on my resume. </p>
<p>However, I’ve been told that if an employer sees two master’s degrees, I will aggressively questioned about why I dropped out and it may also show that I lack the focus to complete the dissertation. Even if it doesn’t hurt, two of the same degrees adds very little value so it’s not worth the risk of leaving them both in. What do all of you think?</p>
<p>if you do leave it out, won’t you be questioned about what you were doing during the 2 (+?) years that are unaccounted for on your resume? why did you dropout? if you have a reasonable explanation, you might be okay with leaving it in. but you’re right: you could easily be seen as a risk for hire if you do not have a reasonable explanation.</p>
<p>You can always cite “personal reasons” for withdrawing from the PhD.</p>
<p>No need to go into details - something like “family issues” should suffice.</p>
<p>Or just say you were eager to do a PhD, but once you got there, realized it wasn’t for you.</p>
<p>I think experience is experience. Its really not about the degree, but the content of your work. I personally would include both schools and your thesis for both degrees. I would not include anything about the PhD.</p>
<p>It’s not like you slacked for two years. I don’t think that having two Masters would negatively impact your chances.</p>