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

(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).