Master's Thesis vs. Non-thesis

kihyle
Sun, 18 Jun 2006 23:44:12 +0000

coursework master’s programs are better for those who are preparing for a PhD program

coursework master’s takes only 1 year to complete and focuses on you successfully completing some classes, some of which will be same as the ones you’ll have to take during first year of PhD program – in the catalog of my school chemistry coursework master’s, for example, is listed to be for those who are preparing to go into teaching or to apply to a PhD program in chemistry

thesis is better for those who are planning to go into workforce – these people have to demonstrate that they have necessary skills and ability to work independently – they work 2 years and complete a “mini”-PhD: they produce one piece of materal of quality that can be published (and for PhD you take 2-3 times as long and produce a couple of pieces that are published) – so in summary, thesis masters is like a short-term PhD and is intended for those who don’t want to apply for a full PhD but rather want to finish up with school quicker and go into industry