For example, if I got a degree in art or fashion just because I liked it, but then I got a masters in accounting or economics…would that look good or bad for job interviews? I just feel curious. I realize a masters would only add to all of the money I’d be paying, but how does it look to employers?
if you want to get accepted into a masters program in any subject, you’ll probably have to major, or at least minor, in that subject.
It’s not like you can be a figure skater and then suddenly expect to make the cut for the Olympic swimming team.
@menloparkmom I’ve read about that…that’s actually a myth! http://ainsleydiduca.com/2011/10/04/grad-school-myth-1-without-bachelors-degree-cant-get-masters/
@GMTplus7 That was what I was wondring about. It might not be common, but wouldn’t it be interesting?
Does anyone think it would make my resume more competitive, since I have something that’s different from everyone else?
You’re putting the cart before the horse, in wondering about your marketability to employers after u get the masters degree. First u need to get admitted into a masters program in that major-- the admissions is competitive. U will need to cut a good score on the subject matter GRE and get recs.
Op,
you refer to one blog and based on that one post, you think its myth??
good luck with that …
:))
instead -try doing in depth research on graduate school admissions websites. Thats where when you will find info re:graduate school admissions requirements and how to best prepare for graduate school.
@menloparkmom Did you read the post? the woman who wrote it has a master’s degree!
Because all masters degrees are the same… I know the admissions process for my schools masters in geology very well. While some applicants may not have majored in geology, geophysics, or hydrology, it is unheard of for successful applicants to not come from either a geology or related program or an extremely mathematically intense BS undergrad.
By the way, this is what Harvard expects from successful applicants to its graduate economics program
You can be the most talented artist in the world, but if you don’t have an extremely firm grasp on basic econ and advanced math concepts, one of the best econ schools in the world does not want you.
The experience of one blogger with a professional terminal masters program should not be the basis on which you base your major.
“The experience of one blogger with a professional terminal masters program should not be the basis on which you base your major.”
exactly!
BTW, My DS is at Caltech getting his PhD in Geophysics.
and there is NO WAY he would have even been considered for any Masters program without a BS , great GRE’s great LOR’s, and a high GPA in his major - Geology.
OP -Trust the people on this website. We know what we are talking about.
OP, if you did an undergraduate degree in art or fashion, you probably would have little or no chance of admission to a master’s program in economics or accounting. However, you quite possibly could gain admission to an MBA program, depending on whether or not you had appropriate preparatory coursework, a good GPA, good GMAT scores, good LORs, appropriate work experience, etc. Appropriate preparatory coursework might include principles of econ, calculus, statistics, and some basic social science courses (e.g., intro psychology and sociology). Employers would focus on your MBA, not your undergrad major. MBA programs don’t presume any particular undergrad major, though to be competitive, you probably would need some demonstration of basic quantitative skills and social science and economic concepts through your undergrad coursework. Perhaps, you’d want to consider a double major, a minor, or a certificate program in business or in a social science or economics. If you had an interest in the business side of art or fashion, going for an MBA might be one pathway you could pursue. Depending on particular interests, other business-related pathways (at the undergrad or graduate level) might include retailing or consumer economics (for fashion), fashion/textile management/marketing (for fashion), arts administration (for art), or nonprofit management (for art).
“if you want to get accepted into a masters program in any subject, you’ll probably have to major, or at least minor, in that subject.”
That is incorrect. While most applicants would have a major in the same field (or sometimes, a minor) in which they want to pursue a master’s, it is not always necessary. You would, however, need an undergraduate degree or prerequisite coursework in a relevant field. Many people switch fields from undergrad to grad school. Moreover, many advances in a discipline come at its intersection with other disciplines and many disciplines are interdisciplinary, so applicants from other disciplines might be attractive in many fields. Finally, many graduate and professional programs are in graduate-only fields; obviously, they draw their applicants from students who did not major in those fields as undergraduates and who might come rom a variety of undergraduate majors.
Here are some of the many possible examples of undergrad —> graduate fields in which an undergrad major in the same field might not be necessary for graduate study in that field:
Classics—>Religious Studies
German—>Philosophy
Linguistics—>Psychology
Physics—>Astronomy
Mathematics—>Economics
Statistics—>Educational Psychology
Engineering—>Psychology (Human Factors)
Biology---->Physical Anthropology
Physics---->Atmospheric Science
Biology—>Psychology
Philosophy—>Linguistics
@zapfino, those are all closely related majors assuming that the student in question has taken significant undergraduate work in the other field. A biology major, for example, would not be accepted to a physical anthropology program without some coursework in anthropology. A math major would still have to take prerequisite work in economics to get into an econ program. And a linguistics major would have to take significant coursework to make the switch into psychology.
It’s true that you can major in whatever you want in college and later get a graduate degree in another field. The essential missing piece of information is that you are going to have to take significant prerequisite coursework, often the equivalent of a major, in order to do that graduate program. In that sense, you “can’t” get a bachelor’s degree in art or fashion and then expect to enter an MA program in economics or accounting directly out of undergrad without significant coursework in those fields. Even the post OP posted says that, although the blogger underestimates the number of courses that you will have to take (I have a graduate degree in psychology, and an applicant would have to take at least5-7 courses in psychology to be competitive*).
^@juillet if you read my post more carefully, you will see that I stated that an applicant to a master’s program would need an undergraduate degree or prerequisite coursework in a relevant field. My point was that an applicant would not necessarily need a major in the same field as the intended master’s, if he/she had those prerequisites. We disagree on whether someone with no coursework in a particular field could enter a master’s program in that field. I know quite a few people who have done so. Sometimes they had to complete certain undergrad courses after entering the graduate program, thus lengthening their time to degree. We also disagree on how much prerequisite coursework would be required. You mentioned that often it might need to be the equivalent of a major. Again, I know quite a few applicants who were admitted with much less than the equivalent of a major. I think it depends on the particular department, the applicant’s statement, etc.
I never said that someone with a bachelor’s degree in art or fashion could expect to enter an MA program in economics or accounting. In fact, I said the OP would have little or no chance of admission with that background.
The people who are gatekeepers to master’s degrees have naturally two conflicting motivations: to maintain standards of quality and success in their institution and to have money and enrollment.
As I’ve researched various educational tracks for people on this forum, I’ve learned some things. (I don’t always like them, but I accept the reality of them.) Accepted preparation for graduate programs often is a set of prerequisites which is far less than doing the whole major. And sometimes in these cases the prerequisites can be taken after admission to the program. An example is a program in brewery science or some similar thing at UC Davis - it may be that for odd areas of study a program won’t attract enough graduate students without that flexibility.
Something that comes into play with (the increasingly popular - http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2013/01/08/online-course-enrollment-climbs-for-10th-straight-year) online degrees is a lowering of visibility of student weakness/failure. This, the practical ability to handle much larger numbers of students, and the far lesser cost of educating people online naturally function to reduce the drive for student quality.
http://www.mba-options.com/mba-admission-requirements.html suggests entrance to an MBA program after a bachelor’s degree in anything is highly doable even without resorting to an online degree. From http://catalog.ucdavis.edu/gsm.html: “A bachelor’s degree and a strong interest in professional management are prerequisites for admission to the Graduate School of Management. The school seeks students from diverse professional and academic backgrounds and does not limit its consideration to applicants from any particular category of majors.” I see that courses in accounting are available within that program.
Thanks everyone for all of the information!!!
I`ll keep it short and simple. They don’t care.
You economics is a horrible idea compared to accounting, which can offer jobs in the 6 figure mark, if you’re looking to utilize your degree.
It really depends on the program and degree. Someone with no coursework in English literature or sociology would be very, very unlikely to get admitted to an MA program in those fields. But someone with no coursework in business or public policy could do an MBA or an MPP, because those are professional programs that require no background coursework. Generally speaking, academic programs do require prerequisites and professional programs may or may not. Of course, that can vary; there are some academic programs that are designed for people with little to no background (e.g., many applied statistics MA programs only require three semesters of calculus and linear algebra).
I also said that it might need to be the equivalent of a major. That’s not always the case, but in most *academic/i fields I am familiar with, having the equivalent of a major will make a student MOST competitive for good programs in the field.
Anyway, my main point is that you illustrated a lateral move through related fields. Moving from biology to biological anthropology, for example, is far easier than moving from art or fashion to anthropology.