The master degree

Some students want to continue their education after graduate from college. A Master degree can help students advance their career as it opens new career paths or advancing existing career. There are wide ranges of education programs in the Master's degree, from the general skills to the specific occupations that students need to know.

The general knowledge program is designed for students who want to learn new skills to switch careers when the specific program is designed for students who already have the skills but want to develop specific expertise. For example, a student who has a bachelor's degree in business but want to go into information technology (IT) career may enroll in a general Master' degree in Information System Management (ISM) where he learns the skills needed to work in IT industry. A student who has a bachelor's degree in Information System Management (ISM) should NOT enroll in this type of general program but should enroll in the specific Master's degree program in ISM that focus on a specialty such as Service Management or Network Management. A student who has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science should select a Master's degree in Computer Science focusing on specific area such as Computer Security, Robotics etc. Students want to develop a specialty, to be an expert in that area.

There are many universities that offer a general Master’s program but few would offer programs on the specific areas so it is important to understand the difference and knowing what you are getting into. Master’s programs require approximately two years of training. There are programs only require one year, some designed for part-time students, some also even offer on-line education. The value of these programs is still being debated. However, most programs at top universities are intended for full-time study and last about two years.

There are also two types of Master program: A research Master's degree that allows students to progress toward a doctoral program. Students pursue Master’s degrees to gain exposure to a field related to their doctoral pursuits and build a strong foundation for their research. In this program they must take all the required courses, AND support a professor on the research. Depending on student's performance, the school may or may not accept students into the doctoral program. A Professional master’s degree focuses on a specialty where students learn how to apply certain technology into a special area or application. In this program students take all the required courses AND work on projects to develop their specialty. By graduate with special skills, students can go to work in an area highly valued by the industry.

Master's degrees are commonly viewed as building blocks for career advancement, whereas doctorates tend to be associated with more intellectual and scholarly pursuits. In business and scientific area the doctorate is mostly for teaching or conducting research.

If you plan to pursue a Master's program, you need to do research to find the right university. Make sure you know what you want and in addition, always apply to several universities since admission is very competitive. It is difficult to get in some top schools so you need to be prepared. If you want to go to school in the U.S you need to take the GRE as well as the TOEFL. You also need to write a statement explaining why you want to study in that program and your career goals. Most schools receive application in September to December and process that during January to March. You need to be prepared as early as possible.

Sources

  • Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University

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