Masters Degrees...

[LilSooner]

Who has 'em?

I'm doing my research. I don't want to be a sales rep for ever. OU has a pretty good program in public administration that I'm looking into. I like the thought of being able to work with non profits and being able to work in the gubbermint sector, but I'm also looking into possibly getting a MBA in health care administration. Just cause I still love my hospitals.

But I've heard it's not a good thing to get your masters from where you get undergraduate or is that just a bunch of junk? So what say you South Ovalians?

[King Crimson]

I'm not an expert on a terminal MA....though, my sense is the an MBA or MA in Public Administration are not just junk--. some other MAs and a buck will get you a bag of chips out of the vending machine....but, one's with practical administrative applications seem par for the course among administrators i've encountered in health care or university administration.

i have a buddy who works as an adviser in the CU biz school and he's piecing together a MBA in some form of administration as he works and according to him that significantly increases his earning potential/authority in that sphere.

[Okla-homey]

A masters degree might get you an interview, but it won't seal the deal.

My advice: get yours from the cheapest accredited school you can find so you have it in case a masters is considered a minimum requirement for the job you want. Bottomline: unless you are able to swing a degree from one of the top five or so schools in the US in the field you seek, it ain't really gonna matter if its from Phoenix University, East Central in Ada, OU or TU. Remember, people who already have masters degrees understand its pretty much "pay your fee and get your B" for the vast majority of masters degrees, especially in non-technical disciplines, no matter where you go. So why bother knocking yourself out about choosing a school or a program? It just doesn't matter. srsly.

[LilSooner]

That's good to know please tell that to my husband. He was seriously hating on the U of P last night.

[Boomer.....]

I decided not to pursue a masters in my degree because OU didn't offer the program. I had a job lined up and I have found that experience is worth more than additional education. That is not always the case especially in the more general degrees, ie. business, etc.

[OUAlumni1990]

In my field a master's degree doesn't really help. The main thing they look at is that you have a bachelors and how much work experience you have. I tried going back for my masters in Mechanical Engineering, but the workload was pretty difficult, ontop of having to work 60 hrs a week at my full time job, it wasn't going to happen. But fortunately, in my industry, the pay is not much more (if any) for a masters degree. Most people in higher positions don't even have them. And the ones that do have them have very little impact on their career. I'd say for other majors this might be different, like education, Business, etc. The masters may make all the difference in the world. I know many employers respect the MBA.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

If you work under the very same professors in one degree as another, the Conventional Wisdom says you didn't get as much out of the experiences.

However, I've been in higher ed most of my adult life and have served on many search committees.... and I've never seen it matter in hiring decisions. I can't imagine it matters in the business world, but I'll let the business folk speak to that.

[Okla-homey]

That's good to know please tell that to my husband. He was seriously hating on the U of P last night.

Are you cute? Because if you are, that's gonna make a lot more difference than where your masters is from.;)

[OUMallen]

A masters degree might get you an interview, but it won't seal the deal.

My advice: get yours from the cheapest accredited school you can find so you have it in case a masters is considered a minimum requirement for the job you want. Bottomline: unless you are able to swing a degree from one of the top five or so schools in the US in the field you seek, it ain't really gonna matter if its from Phoenix University, East Central in Ada, OU or TU. Remember, people who already have masters degrees understand its pretty much "pay your fee and get your B" for the vast majority of masters degrees, especially in non-technical disciplines, no matter where you go. So why bother knocking yourself out about choosing a school or a program? It just doesn't matter. srsly.

IMO, this is ALMOST right. Employers will, indeed, discriminate against Univ. of Phoenix and even ECU in comparison to TU/OU. Otherwise, yeah, pretty much.

[AMSooner]

I'm currently working on mine, but it's in something completely different than my undergrad. I have a BA in Journalism from OU that I've never used, and am now working on my M Ed in Guidance and Counseling. I'm still working full-time and am going to UCO because they have a night program and it's only 33 hours. OU's Guidance and Counseling program is full-time and 48 hours.

[StoopTroup]

There is something to be said about the person who completes a degree while working a Full-Time job in a career that requires them to keep the fact that they are trying to better themselves and then completing said degree. I know for a fact that those who have began such a quest get work piled on them and get tested by their co-workers once they hear about someone trying to breakout and move onward in their life. I can't say why they do it but I know it happens. My advice...keep it to yourself while seeking the brass ring. Also...cheap and accredited may be best depending on what you are able to payback down the road. This economy isn't being looked at as something that will snap back anytime soon. I hope we don't go into a depression and that this becomes a recovery. I think folks who continue to bash everything the next four years may regret it down the road. I think it will hurt our infrastructure to a point that they can feed their Families with the words they speak today. I think it's high time that the smartest and the best of us challenge all Americans to put on their workboots and push onward no matter how huge the obstacle before us is.

I wish you well Lil in your journey to better yourself.

Good Luck

ST

[Penguin]

Maybe I don't fully understand Master's degrees. If you are trying to get a Master's in a field that is not where you got your BS or BA, don't you have to take all of the undergraduate prerequisites? For example, I know a meteorologist studying to get a MBA. Doesn't she have to take all sorts of undergraduate business courses first?

[badger]

My brother went all-out on meteorology education and said that it was looked down on professionally if you got all three degrees from the same university (and it seems like too many students are these days). What that translates too is group-think, in that outside and new ideas and not being brought into your education and thus, you are unlikely going to find a job in your university's area, if that is what you desire. If you have three OU degrees, OU is not going to want to hire you, because they want to bring in new ideas to research, as opposed to the same ideas they've already taught you.

I don't think it is as big of a deal if you are just getting a second degree, like a master's. However, it would not be to your detriment to seek a second degree elsewhere for the same reason to not have all three degrees from BS to MS to PhD at the same university. Broaden your mind and stuff and diversify your experience and education and all.

I must stress that this is not the case everywhere. Oral Roberts University, for example, hires many of its own grads to teach its courses :D:D:D

(no, not kidding - heard that from one of the students and saw it on several professor's profiles)

This is even the case at OU for other areas outside of research. I can think of several OU grads that rose to VP ranks who have been solely or mostly educated at OU. Clarke Stroud, anyone? Even President Boren had his primary education here at OU (and yes, an undergrad at Harvard is secondary to a law degree at OU)

So there you go - it can lead either way. I think some people on this thread already gave good advice in that if you're just looking to meet minimum education requirements for potential future jobs it might be most financially responsible to seek lower-cost alternatives than OU. No disrespect to the alma mater, but it sure has gotten pricey in recent years.

[1890MilesToNorman]

Mom received hers masters in nursing in 75, by 81 she had changed to real estate. All that work and fer what?

[OUAlumni1990]

Maybe I don't fully understand Master's degrees. If you are trying to get a Master's in a field that is not where you got your BS or BA, don't you have to take all of the undergraduate prerequisites? For example, I know a meteorologist studying to get a MBA. Doesn't she have to take all sorts of undergraduate business courses first?


The MBA program is alittle different. They allow for someone with a technical degree to go ahead and jump right in the MBA program without taking the prerequisites. But you have to get permission from the MBA program to do so...

[StoopTroup]

So basically...it's no longer about sweating the details...it's about coming up with a big idea and making it useable then being able to pass this on in a thesis?

[soonerhubs]

I propose my Thesis this Thursday. Just sayin...

An MS to me is a step towards a PhD. I'm getting mine in Human Development and Family Science here at Okstate. (I know, I know.) I think that if you are pursuing a career in Academia, you would want to get your degrees from various programs, but you also have to consider factors such as Funding, Research opportunities, Whether you will like the Faculty, etc. There are various factors to consider, and I'm sure it gets even more complex based on what your research interest is and your career plans.

[C&CDean]

I got my undergrad (Training & Development) from UCO, and my Masters (Human Relations) from OU.

I really don't think it matters if you get them from the same school. And as you can tell, my Human Relations degree has done wonders for my interaction with stupid ****ing people. I make Dr. Phil look like a pantywaist.

[OklahomaTuba]

http://www.affordabledegrees.com/ADA/degreeprograms.asp

They take Diners Club even.

YWIA.

[fadada1]

Have an MS in Exercise and Sport Science (Sport Psychology specifically) from U. of Florida.

Thought I wanted to be a professor/performance enhancement specialist when I got into the work. Wanted Sport Psychology due to some of my military experiences. Didn't pursue a PhD after spending about 1 week at UF in the Health and Human Performance College. I figured out I wasn't nearly as smart as I thought I was... and couldn't touch the intelligence of some of my fellow students. Still, I'm proud of my accomplishments.

I'm an assistant golf pro now, and actually use my degree on a regular basis in my teaching/instruction. Right now, I'm looking for head pro jobs, and think the masters will help me get an interview where some others may not. It won't guarantee an offer, but I think it puts me ahead of a lot of others looking for their first head pro job.

as for getting it at the same university as your undergrad - if you want to be a professor, I recommend getting your 3 degrees at different universities. not required, but it shows that you've been exposed to 3 different learning environments with different focuses (research vs. applied).

[King Crimson]

with the increase in the availability of things like academic journals and such through today's communication technology i don't think the the BA, MA, and PhD at the same school taboo is as prevalent as maybe it once was (when academic communications were limited to journals or even correspondence delivered by the traditional post/snail mail and printed quarterly etc.)....suggesting that then a grad student/supplicant at the font of the ivory tower would have less access to other sorts of (dissenting) research in the field and more likely to sycophant it by becoming a disciple and mimic of one's "mentor" or something with limited exposure to anything other than Professor X's probably already tired samo samo. like i say, i don't think that's the case as much anymore.

at least 2 schools for the 3 degrees is probably preferred and with the MA in some fields being merely a training apparatus and selection device for the PhD....then that's often not a hard distinction. but it's not impossible to see people with all 3 degree from school Q. i know a professor at the U of Denver who has all 3 degrees from Wisconsin. and had one as an undergrad with all 3 from UCLA.

what you don't see is schools hiring their own PhD's. that's very much still a bit of a taboo/non-practice.

[Chuck Bao]

I can't say I hate, but there is some bitter taste in my mouth when I hear education snobs and there are a lot of them where I work. Most of my colleagues went to the most famous high school in Thailand and half went to the Harvard of Thailand and the other half to the Yale of Thailand. They all got their masters degree from either the US or Europe. If I hire someone without a masters degree, they'd have to be working on it and they can't be promoted until they get the advanced degree. Like most Asians, my boss is stuck on this idea.

I agree with the everyone's comments that some less prestigious universities probably offer superior education and certainly better value for the money. At least in the general field of business, it's more about obtaining the degree than about the institution issuing it.

Still, I told my nieces to work hard and try to get into the best schools. The first one out of high school is now attending ECU, so I'm having to deal with the snobbery issue and the taste of bile in my mouth.

[royalfan5]

I have an MBA-Agribusiness from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It's worked out reasonably well for me. I've always been under the impression that the multiple schools deal is more for those who intend to be academics more than anything else. It seems like most of the Ag Econ people at Nebraska had their Doctoral degrees from ISU or KSU, while the Nebraska alums taught at those schools.

[Penguin]

The MBA program is alittle different. They allow for someone with a technical degree to go ahead and jump right in the MBA program without taking the prerequisites. But you have to get permission from the MBA program to do so...

No offense, but that sounds a little fruity to me. It almost sounds like you could just go to any old McCollege and get a cheap MBA in 18 months or so.

[reevie]

My BS and MEd are both from OU. I didn't have any problem getting my master's from the same school, but they did say it would be frowned upon if I pursued a higher degree from OU.
I'm not working in that career field anymore, so it really doesn't matter to me. And if I had pursued a doctorate, it wouldn't have concerned me where I got, just that I did.

[Okla-homey]

No offense, but that sounds a little fruity to me. It almost sounds like you could just go to any old McCollege and get a cheap MBA in 18 months or so.

TU has a joint degree program in which you can get a JD and an MBA in seven semesters. Which is only one more semester than the JD alone takes.

[soonerscuba]

I can speak on the MPA program at OU. It's a good one, David Boren has been responsible for directing CIA folk there so you are going to have some competition for that, but it's not what you typically think of for political science; there are stats, math, and theory that is as dry as grandma's no-no parts, but you will learn everything you wanted to know and more about administration at every level. The analysis classes are a right hard kick to the balls to your average PoliSci geek.

[LilSooner]

I can speak on the MPA program at OU. It's a good one, David Boren has been responsible for directing CIA folk there so you are going to have some competition for that, but it's not what you typically think of for political science; there are stats, math, and theory that is as dry as grandma's no-no parts, but you will learn everything you wanted to know and more about administration at every level. The analysis classes are a right hard kick to the balls to your average PoliSci geek.

That really disappoints me. Because my degree was in Poli Sci and I took every terrorism class that OU offered back in the day. I was really leaning towards the MPA. I am more interested in management and marketing.

As to those of you who are against a MA that's fine and I agree you don't need an advanced degree for every job. BUT for what I want to do, be a hospital administrator. The leap from sales rep to administrator is near impossible with out it.

Thanks for all the input!

[Penguin]

Just put it on your resume. What are the chances that they will really look into it?

[OUAlumni1990]

No offense, but that sounds a little fruity to me. It almost sounds like you could just go to any old McCollege and get a cheap MBA in 18 months or so.


Whats fruity about it? Its true! I've known several engineers over the years do exactly that.

[OUAlumni1990]

Just put it on your resume. What are the chances that they will really look into it?

In my business it doesn't matter what you put on your resume, they already know you before they hire you. Otherwise, they probably won't bother...

[Vaevictis]

Bottomline: unless you are able to swing a degree from one of the top five or so schools in the US in the field you seek, it ain't really gonna matter if its from Phoenix University, East Central in Ada, OU or TU.

It does matter. I know managers who make hiring decisions that consider Univ. of Phoenix to be worse than worthless, an indication of someone incapable of hacking it at a "real" university or not smart enough to realize that it was a waste of their time. (Not saying it really is, just their perception.)

It's not all managers, but where you went to school makes a difference with a lot of them. Graduate degrees have a pecking order just like undergraduate ones.

I know I consider a U of P MBA to be less than a normal one, because bluntly, I know that the U of P MBA program doesn't kick your *** like the OU one does.


Maybe I don't fully understand Master's degrees. If you are trying to get a Master's in a field that is not where you got your BS or BA, don't you have to take all of the undergraduate prerequisites?

It depends on the program. Most programs have preparatory courses or a select set of courses that they consider "core" that they require you to take.


For example, I know a meteorologist studying to get a MBA. Doesn't she have to take all sorts of undergraduate business courses first?

No, MBA programs are as a rule designed to provide accommodations for non-business majors. They generally have an introductory core which consists of courses that both provide an introduction for people new to business and a broadening for those that aren't.


what you don't see is schools hiring their own PhD's. that's very much still a bit of a taboo/non-practice.

OU will in some cases. It depends on the program and the program's situation.


That really disappoints me. Because my degree was in Poli Sci and I took every terrorism class that OU offered back in the day.

Yay Steve Sloan? ;)

[Frozen Sooner]

TU has a joint degree program in which you can get a JD and an MBA in seven semesters. Which is only one more semester than the JD alone takes.

Alabama's joint JD/MBA takes eight and you're VERY circumscribed as to which courses you can and can't take while pursuing it.

[LilSooner]

[QUOTE=Yay Steve Sloan? ;)[/QUOTE]

He is my hero. Seriously my most favorite professor of all time. I took every single one of his classes that I could.

[bluedogok]

This is even the case at OU for other areas outside of research. I can think of several OU grads that rose to VP ranks who have been solely or mostly educated at OU. Clarke Stroud, anyone? Even President Boren had his primary education here at OU (and yes, an undergrad at Harvard is secondary to a law degree at OU)
Not sure if you were just stating the Harvard reference of if that was a reference to Boren. He was a Yale 1963 grad, masters at Oxford-1965 and OU Law School-1968.

It really depends on your field as to the worth of it, if you are staying in business, it matters to many, I know in architecture it really doesn't except in some situations involving 4/2 programs and future licensing. Many of the larger schools do have some mostly online/a little classroom time masters programs, I know there are billboards all over town for that program here.

[Vaevictis]

He is my hero. Seriously my most favorite professor of all time. I took every single one of his classes that I could.

Yeah, Steve's awesome. OU really lost out when he retired a few years ago.

[Vaevictis]

No offense, but that sounds a little fruity to me. It almost sounds like you could just go to any old McCollege and get a cheap MBA in 18 months or so.

C'mon, it's not like getting the fundamentals of business down is hard. The only business discipline that has enough meat to it that it even warrants an undergraduate degree is accounting. Possibly supply chain.

The rest are like, "Here, take this core set of business classes and a few hours in your specialization. Viola, marketing/finance/management degree!"

Many MBA programs are the same way, except at the graduate level, the professors generally go out of their way to kick you in the balls. That is to say, unlike at the undergrad level, the classes at the graduate level aren't a complete frickin' joke.

[Okla-homey]

Alabama's joint JD/MBA takes eight and you're VERY circumscribed as to which courses you can and can't take while pursuing it.

Yep, they take all their law elective courses in the college of business, plus some extra business courses. Either way, most people who do it are 26 or so when they're done. IMHO, its simply an extra lap on the endurance contest that is law skool.

[picasso]

Masters degree and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee.

[OUAlumni1990]

Many MBA programs are the same way, except at the graduate level, the professors generally go out of their way to kick you in the balls. That is to say, unlike at the undergrad level, the classes at the graduate level aren't a complete frickin' joke.

that ain't no joke, and they'll kick you with full force :(

[C&CDean]

Masters degree and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee.

Says the starving artist without one.

[picasso]

Says the starving artist without one.

actually, a retired U of Tulsa prof. told me that old one.:D

me? I was going to go for an Illustration gig out east.

[Okla-homey]

Says the starving artist without one.

Dean-o,

Can you honestly say that Masters made you a better hand than you already were? I'm betting you were a helluva good hand before you got it (at least after you pissed out all your youthful propensity for pulling extremely stupid stunts) and you were not materially changed by getting that piece of paper.

That's also why if I were hiring, I'd go for a 30-something with no Masters over a 20-something with a Masters every time. In my experience, maturity and cunning usually beats youth and book learnin'.

[LilSooner]

I'm sorry I know that there are a lot of "JOBS" out there that don't require an advanced degree, but there are some jobs out there that do.

I happen to want a job that does. My current job will pay for this degree. Please do not bash the fact that I am try to educate myself on subjects that I do not currently have knowledge on. Seriously you people.

[Frozen Sooner]

I'm sorry I know that there are a lot of "JOBS" out there that don't require an advanced degree, but there are some jobs out there that do.

I happen to want a job that does. My current job will pay for this degree. Please do not bash the fact that I am try to educate myself on subjects that I do not currently have knowledge on. Seriously you people.

Is it a Master's in home ec? Because that's the only stuff you should be learnin'. Get yer tiny hiney in the kitchen.


;)

(Hey, I think it's great when someone decides to further their education. Knowing more is almost always preferable to knowing less.)

[pb4ou]

I'll be getting my BA in May. I will begin Masters work in the fall.

In my profession that I am pursuing, it is required.

[LilSooner]

Is it a Master's in home ec? Because that's the only stuff you should be learnin'. Get yer tiny hiney in the kitchen.


;)

(Hey, I think it's great when someone decides to further their education. Knowing more is almost always preferable to knowing less.)

SHUT IT!

MBA in Health Care Management with a lot of supply management tossed in for good measure.

Hey I grew up in a restaurant I can cook a damn fine meal, slappy. :mad:

[Frozen Sooner]

So you want to be Dr. Cuddy?

Seriously, good luck. Some of the posts above notwithstanding, an MBA from a legitimate school never looks bad on a resume. From my own personal experience, people I've worked with who spent some time in the work world then got an MBA (which is what most B-schools prefer now) tended to have a very good appreciation of the big picture-moreso than someone who's hasn't gone out and gotten the education. Obviously there's exceptions to this, of course.

I do know that the MBA-level courses I've taken have all been helpful for me in one way or another in my job.

Now go make Rhino a sammich.

[LilSooner]

He made it his damn self. But seriously I needed to be in the "real" world for a couple of years. I would have been a mess full of fail if I would have gone and got my masters right out of college.

[Frozen Sooner]

Yep. Just as if I'd have gone straight from undergrad to law school I'd have been a mess. Hell, I'll probably still be a mess. I'd have flunked out in a minute had I gone right from undergrad, though. There's just no way my 22-year-old self had the discipline needed to do that much studying. Hopefully my 34-year-old self has it.

Wanna go down to the Kettle and study?

[RacerX]

Lil - Masters Degree rocks. I certainly broadened my understanding of business by adding an MBA to my BS in Comp Sci. I look at problems differently and analyze them differently. Seriously. I work in government. I think the additional education serves me well and the majority of the things I learned, I can apply to the non-prof world and it will serve me when I leave this gig and pursue another job/career.

Homey - I used to be a person who thought "I need one of those masters thingies to tack on to my resume". But as I got into it and really applied myself, it became a great learning experience.

Chuck - I don't tack any letters after my name in my e-mail sig line. LOTS of people at work like to do that.


It's my understanding that OU may finally have some kind of accelerated MBA program now. Check that out. Shoot me a PM if you have to take the GMAT.

[RacerX]

He made it his damn self. But seriously I needed to be in the "real" world for a couple of years. I would have been a mess full of fail if I would have gone and got my masters right out of college.

Having work experience makes it easier. I could fit work experiences and scenarios into what I was learning. Made it much more meaningful.

[badger]

Please do not bash the fact that I am try to educate myself on subjects that I do not currently have knowledge on. Seriously you people.

Chill, Lil! We're just having fun at everyone's expense, including our own. :P

Feel free to join in. Here, I'll go next:

Tee hee, degree degree. That minor in communication that took an extra semester to finish did one thing: IT LET ME STAY AN EXTRA FOOTBALL SEASON TO GO SEE US WIN THE HOLIDAY BOWL! Woot woot! :D

Seriously though, more power to more educational pursuits. It's something many of peers are doing and I am all for it and encouraging them as much as I can. I may not get another degree, but I would love to have more education in applicable areas when time allows.