<p>I’m nearing the end of my undergraduate degree and I’ve been thinking a lot about Master’s vs PhD lifestyles. In the end I’d like to teach (junior college vs university), but I’ve been asking myself if graduate school would really be worth it.</p>
<p>I’ve met multiple (if not, most) graduate students who constantly say; “don’t got to grad school if you want to enjoy your life.” Partially joking, but partially sounds true? Yes/No? </p>
<p>As an undergraduate (chemical engineering) student (at Berkeley), i’ve met an abundance of people who are perfectly content working every hour of everyday to be the best. I love learning, but I’ve realized that one misses out on a lot of opportunities if school is your only passion (meeting women? Traveling?). </p>
<p>I was wondering how Master’s programs vs. PhD programs work.</p>
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<p>I have some interest in going into industry (but enjoy the freedom of research), and possibly going into teaching after I’ve experienced both.</p>
<p>Any thoughts? Feel free to comment and expand, if necessary.</p>
<p>No, a master’s student’s life is not really “more relaxed.”</p>
<p>A master’s student who is pursuing a research-based degree will initially be doing much the same sort of academic work as a doctoral student. The difference is that the master’s student will undertake a smaller and less comprehensive research project.</p>
<p>Stipends and support for master’s students are neither as common nor as generous as support for doctoral students. But if you are on a stipend/support, you will be working basically just as many hours and just as hard as a doctoral student.</p>
<p>Also, you don’t “cram for the thesis.” A master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation is not a test, it’s a original work of academic research.</p>
<p>I think it’s silly to say “don’t go to graduate school if you want to enjoy your life.” I am a sixth year PhD student and I certainly don’t work every minute of the day; I take Saturday and most of Sunday off and I relax during the week, too. I have friends and I certainly enjoy my life. I think about it as a really demanding (but really flexible) job.</p>
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<li><p>Yes and no. It depends on the program. In some places, the MA is just the first two years of a PhD program whereas in others PhD students take different core courses. But the mindset of a PhD student is totally different: you’re in it for the long whole, and focus is more on research.</p></li>
<li><p>Generally speaking, no; but stipends are more available in engineering and some physical and life sciences, so it’s possible in your field.</p></li>
<li><p>No, your life will not be “laid back”. Again, think about it a very demanding job, like BigLaw or being a medical intern. This is moreso true for PhD students than MA students, but graduate school takes time and work.</p></li>
<li><p>Generally speaking better quality/higher-ranked programs do have more selective/competitive application processes. But as to whether the master’s or PhD program is harder to get into, it really depends on the program.</p></li>
<li><p>Is this a question?</p></li>
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<p>Also, it’s generally difficult for people to leave academia and come back - being a professor isn’t necessarily something that you do after you’ve tried other things out; you have to commit to a career in it. Again, the engineering sciences are a bit different because there are more industry and non-academic jobs and thus there is less competition for academic jobs. If you go into research in industry and you publish and write, then you could potentially move back into academia, but if you go be an engineer with a PhD and don’t do any research, chances of moving back into academia are slim.</p>
Well, a research-based masters is essentially a PhD scaled down in every way - length, depth, expectations, etc.</p>
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Funding for masters students is available but is generally both less common and a lower level of support. Rates vary substantially by school - some offer nearly ZERO support for masters candidates. Almost all support will be either hourly or as an assistantship, as fellowships are almost universally limited to doctoral candidates.</p>
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Hardly. While doctoral candidates certainly DO more, the workload will feel similar at each level simply because by the time you get to doctoral study you have already been tempered by your earlier work. Neither is “laid back”.</p>
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Prestige really only indicates the difficulty of entry. Most schools have higher standards for doctoral candidates, but many “high caliber” programs admit few (or NO) masters students.</p>
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Almost always exactly the same application process.</p>
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Teaching at the university level is almost impossible without a PhD, and teaching at the community college level offers poor pay and security, as well as competition with PhD’s either waiting for that university gig or moonlighting from their day jobs.</p>