PhD or Second Masters

aquagrape2345

aquagrape2345

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This fall I will graduate with my Master's Degree and I was wondering whether or not I should go for a second Master's Degree or enroll in the PhD Program. This is all given the current role of the eocnomy and whether or not I am able to find a job upon graduation. I am honestly not sure waht to do.

NT please chime in.
 
PhD stipended or you have to pay tuition?


1) apply..
2) look for a job.
3) if you find job... decline offers.
 
"Then you get your bachelors, then you get your masters
Then you get your master's masters,
Then you get your doctorate,
You go man, then when everybody says quit
You show them those degrees ,man, when
Everybody says ,hey, you're not working,
You're not making any money,
You say look at my degrees and you look at my life,
Yeah i'm 52, so what, hate all you want,
But i'm smart, i'm so smart, and i'm in school,
And these guys are out here making 
Money all these ways, and i'm spending mine to be smart.
You know why?
Because when i die, buddy, you know
What's going to keep me warm, that's right, those degrees"

lol, no flame, just reminded of the Kanye West skit!!
 
if funding was a piece of cake for me, PhD all the way. Also depends on timeframe/length of the program. but I am a big proponent of research so I might be a bit biased. What field are you in?
 
I will be recieving my Master's Degree in Human Resources and I am not sure where to go in regards for my PhD, I was ocntmeplating Physical Therapy, History, social work or Sociology.
 
It is very easy to get funding for a PhD program.  I would say go that route.  Unless your second masters is an MBA, then I would say still go the PhD route.
 
What can you do with a PhD in Human Resources???

And how do you just get a Masters in Physical Therapy without pretty much starting all over? I can't imagine a lot of courses carrying over.
 
Originally Posted by AquaGrape2345


This fall I will graduate with my Master's Degree and I was wondering whether or not I should go for a second Master's Degree or enroll in the PhD Program. This is all given the current role of the eocnomy and whether or not I am able to find a job upon graduation. I am honestly not sure waht to do.

NT please chime in.
Click to expand...
so if you can't find a job then you will go into more debt and live of financial aid refunds?  makes a lot of sense; get a job at a grocery store until you find a job.
How much have you borrowed so far in aid?  I work in this industry and the reckless borrowing I see is insane.
 
I haven't borrowed any money and am not in debt I have managed my funds accrodignly to make sure that school is paid off for every semester. I pay out of pocket for all my semesters.
 
What can a Masters in HR get you? From my understanding, a PHR or SPHR certification is sufficient.

I know Directors and Executives in HR w/o any certs/hr-related degrees.
 
umm, have you seen the market for PhD's? Not good. Especially in the fields you are looking into. People who are saying " Get PhD" have not done their research. THE WORST reason to get a PhD is " job market is crummy now." You have to spend YEARS of your life researching, and have to be passionate about it. If you go into liberal arts PhD programs expecting to land a tenure-tracked professorship (which is only reason to get a History PhD other than a author or working for a think -tank) lower your expectations. There are a lot of unemployed PhD's who end up working for scraps at community colleges and juggling multiple jobs.
 
I was contemplating on a second masters in emergency management, as I am currently interning with the gov't and feel that may be able to help me out more than would the HR degree.
 
First off congratulations on receiving your masters degree. I agree with sneaker reaper it is easy to get funding for your PhD many schools pay you and let you teach. I would assume if you go for a second masters you would be a impressive applicant therefore you can receive a good amount of scholarship money. I would say go for the PhD but you can't go wrong with a second masters degree. I am getting my masters is social work right now and am planning to become a PhD applicant after. If you have any questions about the social work field hit me up. 
 
PHD limits your job prospects because with a PHD you focus on one area of the disciple you are studying. I would go with a second master part time and get some real world experience. Many professor and companies recommend individuals to stop at your masters because ROI diminishes if you go for a PHD.

And what Peja4Prez said is 100% correct. When i completed my masters, my department had a opening for a prof. position. They got a ton of application but they only consider people that had written well received books or articles. Therefore for a new PHD grad to land a prof. job is very difficult.
 
Congratulations
pimp.gif
 
I just came in here to say thank you for creating a decent thread
pimp.gif
. Honestly, and I know this might be of no help to you, but do whatever makes you feel comfortable. Sit down, weigh your options, think about it. Either way, it's a good problem to have. Props to you OP
pimp.gif
.
 
I am ocntemplating on just going for the second Masters in Emergency Management since I have said experience for 3+ years. I will work thta out and try to extend my graduation so thta I can graduate with both degrees at once. Jsut have to see if that is possible.
 
A PhD is not merely another degree, especially not in history since you mentioned perhaps going that route. I'm finishing up my MA in history right now and I can tell you that you won't get accepted into any decent doctorate program if you do not showcase, in your statement of purpose and previous academic record, a commitment to research and academia. As a research degree, schools that offer PhD's in most fields won't accept you unless you have some sort of 'fit' within a particular department, in terms of research interests.

What are your career goals? What would you like to do with your MA? I'm asking because completing a PhD involves much more than simply obtaining more knowledge. At least in history (and I'm sure in many other humanities fields) you will write a substantial dissertation based on primary research and will have to pass a language proficiency exam in the language of your research. Lastly, completing a doctorate in a humanities field without funding is, for many people, a huge mistake. There's no reason to pay out of pocket, or take out loans for a degree that won't get you much in terms of a salary in the future.

If you end up getting another MA, I'd highly suggest finding a funded program.

Good luck.
 
Im interning now and the condition of my employment is that I remain in school, thats why I was considerign another Master's degree in hopes of finding a real job.
 
You sound like you're smart enough to make this decision without having to discuss this with NIKETALK members.

Also, I knew exactly what I wanted to do before entering my master's program. So maybe you should think about your career goal(s).
 
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