Should I Get a Master's Before a Doctoral Degree?
Do you need a master's degree to get a Ph.D.? No, but experts suggest considering these key factors before deciding.
Should I Get a Master's Before a Ph.D?
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A master’s eases the transition to graduate work and may make you more competitive when applying to doctoral programs.
Although it's not usually a requirement, earning a master’s degree before applying to a Ph.D. or other doctoral program can be a good way to get accustomed to graduate-level coursework while gaining valuable research experience and connections in your field.
But it can also be an expensive and time-consuming detour on the route to a doctorate, so it’s important to consider whether the benefits of earning a master’s before a Ph.D. outweigh the cost.
Here are some factors experts say you should weigh.
Reasons to Get a Master’s Degree First
Karin Ash, a graduate consultant at Accepted, a college admissions consulting firm, says the research experience students can gain through a master’s tends to give them an edge in doctoral admissions.
Master's studies can also expand opportunities for students who already have significant research work behind them. Ash notes that some students she works with have research experience but choose to explore other research areas through a master's before deciding on a focus for their doctoral studies.
If your undergraduate major was fairly different from what you plan to study at a graduate level, getting a master’s degree first can help bridge the gap, says Julie Posselt, a professor of education and associate dean of the University of Southern California Graduate School. Posselt, who earned her master's before pursuing doctoral studies, says master’s studies can also help you decide whether what you’re studying is right for your academic interests and career goals .
“I learned through my master's program that the field that I had started to pursue was much more narrow than what I wanted for the long term,” Posselt says. “So instead of investing five years in a field, I was able to invest a shorter amount of time – two years – and then make the decision that if someday I wanted a Ph.D., it was going to need to be in a broader field than the one that I had during my master's.”
Ash and Posselt say a master’s can be a good way to network with experts in your field of interest and make connections that will be valuable in a future career.
“A lot of STEM students tell me they don’t have professors who know them as their classes are large,” Ash wrote in an email. “Obtaining a master’s degree will allow them to develop relationships with professors who can then write substantive recommendation letters .”
Reasons to Go Straight to a Doctoral Program
Master's degrees can be expensive , and students often don't receive significant funding to complete their studies.
“My concern is the increasing debt that American students have from their undergraduate education," Posselt says, "and the fact that most master's programs don't fund them, and as a result, students have to take out significant loans" to complete a master’s.
"I always encourage students, if they're going to get a master's degree, to try to find a place where they can get funding along the way,” she says.
On the other hand, Ash says it’s common for Ph.D. programs to be fully funded , so it may be unnecessarily costly to earn a master’s degree first – especially if it means taking out student loans .
In addition to considering the tuition cost, Posselt says it’s important to consider the earnings you could lose by delaying the start of your career by a year or two to pursue a master’s degree.
It's also worth investigating whether the doctoral program you're considering will accept some of the credits you earn in a master's program, as that could shorten your doctoral studies. But Posselt says the transferability of master's-level coursework is relatively weak and varies by institution.
Even if you do apply master's coursework to your Ph.D., it may not be worthwhile.
"Many Ph.D. programs will accept credits from courses taken at the master's level if the coursework is relevant to the program," Ash says. "However, often the applicant is veering to a more specialized education and will need to take the appropriate coursework to become proficient in that subject area. This could mean they end up with many more credits than needed to graduate."
If you’re still unsure whether you should pursue a master’s first, Posselt says it’s important to consider the leverage the degree could have when it comes to doctoral admissions. A master’s is more valuable in some fields than others, she notes, so consulting with advisers and mentors from your undergraduate studies is a good way to determine how useful it will be when pursuing doctoral work.
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Master’s vs. Ph.D.: What’s the Difference and Which One to Choose?
If graduate school is on your radar, one of the first things to consider is what type of degree you should pursue . While a bachelor’s degree is required for any postgraduate study, many people think you need a master’s to pursue a Ph.D., but that isn’t always the case. While there are benefits to receiving your master’s degree before your Ph.D., it’s not always necessary or required. However, there are important differences to note when deciding which type of program to apply to.
Master’s degree
A master’s degree usually takes about two years to complete full time. There are programs that allow a student to attend on a part-time basis, but that of course extends the completion time. Many master’s programs require a thesis to be completed, but not all. A thesis is a research project that is completed during the final year of a master’s program under the guidance of your program chair or advisor.
Under the master’s umbrella, there are quite a few specific degrees you can obtain. Your professional path will determine which of these you pursue.
- Master of Arts (MA) is given for disciplines in the arts and social sciences.
- Master of Science (MS) is given for sciences, health, engineering and statistics.
- Master of Research (MRes) is focused on training students to become researchers. This is advantageous to a student if they’re pursuing a research-based career or planning to apply for a Ph.D. program.
- Master by Research (MPhil) is similar to a MRes but is more advanced and focuses on research topics to be explored in depth. It’s often considered a precursor to a Ph.D. program.
Specialized master’s degrees
There are numerous specialized master’s degrees that are categorized by profession. These are often (not always) preceded by some professional experience prior to undertaking these types of advanced degrees.
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Master of Library Science (MLS, MLIS, MSLS)
- Master of Public Administration (MPA)
- Master of Public Health (MPH)
- Master of Social Work (MSW)
- Master of Laws (LLM)
- Master of Education (MEd, MSEd, MIT, MAEd, MAT)
- Master of Engineering (MEng)
- Master of Architecture (MArch)
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
- Master of Divinity (MDiv)
Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
There are many Ph.D. programs and, in general, it’s considered the most advanced type of research degree you can obtain. Ph.D. candidates are required to complete a dissertation to obtain their degree. Unlike a thesis, a dissertation is longer and consists of original research conducted throughout the entire doctoral study. In some cases, students may be awarded a stipend, or pay, to complete the doctoral program and dissertation.
Ph.D.’s take a considerably longer time to complete than a master’s, five to eight years on average, and they carry a rather high rate of noncompletion due to time and financial commitments. Many Ph.D. programs have stipends available, so it’s important to inquire about that when researching a particular program.
Specialized doctorate programs
As with master’s degrees, there are several specialized doctorate programs specific to different disciplines and areas of study:
- Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
- Doctor of Engineering (EngD/PhD)
- Doctor of Education (EdD/D.Ed)
- Doctor of Social Science (DsocSci)
- Doctor of Professional Studies (DProf)
- Doctor of Architecture (DArch)
- Doctor of Theology (Th.D)
- Doctor of Divinity (DD/DDiv)
- Doctor of Science STEM (Dsc/ScD)
- Doctor of Science Arts & Humanities (DLitt/LitD)
When deciding which one to get, consider your immediate or long-term career goals — which degree would serve you best? In some cases, you can obtain a Ph.D. with just a bachelor’s degree, but often it’s recommended you get a master’s first for the research experience that will be required for a Ph.D.
As with anything, there are exceptions. Students in law school obtain a J.D. (Juris Doctor) but can then further obtain a master’s in a sub-specialty like tax or immigration law. The health care occupations of physical therapist and pharmacist are also doctorate programs obtained post undergrad.
Making your choice
As with any decision, weigh your options, list pros and cons, and go from there. Once you’ve narrowed your options , you’ll have a precise list of programs and institutions generated for your specific goals.