Masters Degrees - Are they worth it?

I'm considering a Masters after my degree in Psychology but i'm unsure as yet...wait and see how i go as i've only completed 1 semester so far. :)
 
Yeah, as people have said, that answer is "it depends".

Masters degrees are good if:

* You want to specialise
* You want to move into something different
* You don't fancy getting a proper job yet
* You got a crap degree result and want to prove that you're not a dunce :p

I did one because I wanted to go into software development and my degree (physics) wasn't getting me the job interviews that I wanted. I managed to get funding through some kind of EU grant and so didn't pay a penny towards it. Best of all, it got the result I wanted.

We're not the right people to speak to really. Speak to some people who've actually done the Masters you're applying for if possible.
 
Why do a masters?

Various reasons, each different for each person.

1) You wish to differentiate yourself a little bit more than everyone just with a BSc (and recognise the extra year is an investment and that you will be behind the BSc only candidates in terms of experience.)
2) You love your subject and want to know as much as you can about it
3) Someone else is paying and you have no other plans
4) You dont want to go out into the workplace because your undecided etc. but also dont want to feel like your wasting your time (and can afford not to work)
5) You wish to pursue an academic or research based career, so kinda need the "set" of degrees (Batchelors, Masters and Doctorate) though you could theoretically skip the masters in this case if you feel you can jump straight in.
6) You dont need to work as your retired or not working for some other reason and want to do it purely for the self achievement (as with my grandparents when they retired)
7) Some reason I have not yet thought of.

Its a complicated question with no real answer applicable to everyone. If it feels like something you think you should or want or even need to do and its feasible to do so, then its right for you.
 
I have 2 postgrad diploma's, an honours degree and a masters and I cant even get an interview for a job! Ive been told Im not quallified enough even for temp work!!!! This is from a few places. I currently earn £12,000 a year.
 
Vegetarian said:
I have 2 postgrad diploma's, an honours degree and a masters and I cant even get an interview for a job! Ive been told Im not quallified enough even for temp work!!!! This is from a few places. I currently earn £12,000 a year.
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Just out of curiosity what are your degrees in?
 
Vegetarian said:
I have 2 postgrad diploma's, an honours degree and a masters and I cant even get an interview for a job! Ive been told Im not quallified enough even for temp work!!!! This is from a few places. I currently earn £12,000 a year.
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Then you need better advice from the people who are currently giving it to you imo.

Not one of the people i knew who graduated from a middle of the road ex poly uni is currently out of work, all in jobs of 20k or above after a year bar one who didnt technically graduate and isnt currently trying.

All of the people who graduated from my MSc at a top end red brick either already had jobs lined up or walked into good jobs at banks etc not soon after, with a couple of us staying on to do a PhD (funded oc, so technically im being paid £12,600 tax free plus a bit extra for teaching duties)

If anyone tells you you are underqualified in your chosen field then they are simply not trying hard enough for you imo. You cant just have the paper though, you have to be positive and sell yourself, the paper is just an added incentive / bonus to employers and the process was also a good learning experience for yourself.
 
I'm doing a Masters because they told me it would be easier to change down rather than up once I'd started my course, should I want to. Here I am, in my fourth year. The modules have become very specialist now, which might help in some situations, but not at all in a million others. Hoping it will distinguish me for jobs though.
 
As others have already said, it really depends on your field and most importantly who supervises/teaches your postgrad studies as having a well known specialist teach and mentor you will automatically raise the prestige of what you study.

I can't speak for Geography but I can with (relative) authority from a social sciences and politics background. Pretty much any serious job that's related to my degree requires at the very minimum a first class honours and even then it's pretty much expected that you'll also have a Masters. It's all well and good talking about the future worth of a masters degree, but I wouldn't even get past the door of most things I want to do without at least a masters and even then probably five years of experience so think about your short and long term career goals.

Unfortunately one of the knock on effects of people doing mickey-mouse courses is that now any given bachelors degree is worth less and I really don't think it'll be long before a masters is considered the standard for most high-ranking positions within most industries. It's going to be one of the only ways to mark yourself out from other candidates and in my field it means I'll have demonstrated the ability to research and produce original thought in two distinct pieces of work instead of just one.

Specialisation is another of the biggest reasons behind doing a masters. Even on a taught course you should have free reign over what you study, which means you can really tailor it to your specific area of interest. This not only means you can gain a deeper knowledge of any given area, but also that you've demonstrated to any employer that you can go above and beyond the bachelor level of research and reading.

What sort of job would you potentially want to go into?

You also need to think whether you can sustain working on a thesis/dissertation topic for a whole year - which means either there is enough material to produce an original piece of work on it and also that it excites and motivates you enough that you'll still want to be reading for it ten months down the line.

Cost is also another issue worth considering and unless you do a research MSc you'll probably be funding it all yourself (unless you can get a scholarship). If you think you may want to do a PhD or MPhil later consider starting now as you should be able to get ESRC funding.

Basically it's down to what you want out of it, how your chosen masters programme is regarded in your specific field and what its actual job-environment worth is.
 
MickeyFinns said:
ah cool i might have seen you around labs then.

which masters are you on?
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standard computing masters, haven't chosen to specialise in anything - like to keep my options open :D

[on topic]
the reason i am doing the masters course is because they give us 6 months in industry, this means that hopefully before i graduate i will have a permanent job offer.
 
[TW]Fox;10742006 said:
The whole 'a years experience' as an alternative is utterly meaningless - in 25 years time when you are trying to get a very senior position the fact you only have 24 years experience whereas the other guy has 25 will matter even less than the colour socks you wear to the interview.
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How many employers are going to be interested in a masters degree in a subject like computing when it's 25 years out of date, none of the languages are used anymore, and has very little information relevant in todays world?
 
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Energize said:
How many employers are going to be interested in a masters degree in a subject like computing when it's 25 years out of date, none of the languages are used anymore, and has very little information relevant in todays world?
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They might be interested in your ability to focus on a 6-month research project and produce a positive result at the end of it.
 
I did an MSc but in Finance, which increased my job prospects a fair bit, developed my understanding of the subject a whole lot more, allowed me to study for professional financial qualifications, meant I could network with people from all over the world who came to do the Masters and it was a half way point between Uni Life and Work Life.

Consequently, I have lots more debt, but a job that I dreamt about, and an ace qualification with a distinction in, and I met some wonderful people including my gf.

So in my opinion, yes, it was definately worth it for me.
 
In engineering a MEng is now essential if you ever want to become chartered. There is a back door if you've got a BEng, but in reality it would never happen.
I think MScs can be useful if your first degree is not vocational. You can use the MSc to help you into the job market in something you are interested in. I wouldn't do an MSc in exactly the same field as my undergraduate degree.
 
[TW]Fox;10742006 said:
The whole 'a years experience' as an alternative is utterly meaningless - in 25 years time when you are trying to get a very senior position the fact you only have 24 years experience whereas the other guy has 25 will matter even less than the colour socks you wear to the interview.
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But if I start in a job a year before him, I'm more likely to get promoted first from the bottom level you start at to a manager. Then I'd always be one promotion ahead.
 
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