If you want to upgrade the skills and knowledge that you acquired when studying for your bachelor’s degree while working, you should seriously consider acquiring a master's degree. Even though earning a master’s degree involves devoting a lot of time– more so if you decide to continue working full-time--it does help your career growth path. By ensuring that you stand out from among your colleagues, you are more likely to be selected for a challenging career path with commensurate pay hikes.
As in the case of those pursuing undergraduate studies, those working for their master's degrees get to interact with many educated people in their field on a regular basis. Apart from learning from respected experts who have devoted much time to study these subjects, students also get to network with fellow students who have contacts with others working in their area of interest. Opportunities to network arise when you meet at classes, labs, or conferences. As a few courses entail internships, you will be able to impress potential employers even when you are still studying. Even if the place where you intern does not have a suitable position for you, by playing your cards right you can get references that help advance your career. As you interact regularly with your classmates, you will develop friendships that will help you both socially and career wise. You can choose to become a member of social clubs and organizations attached to you program.
As more people now have a bachelor’s degree, those who want to excel in their careers choose to study further. Moreover, by prolonging your academic life, you can delay entering the workforce when unemployment rates are as high as 10 percent. However, a more productive way of utilizing the opportunity to study further is to have a definite career goal in mind. This will help you decide on the courses you want to opt for. By consistently working to acquire knowledge and skills that will enhance your productivity in the career you want, you will be able to succeed in your goals. You will also be able to pick the right college for your needs.
Benefits of a master’s degree
While some students opt for a master’s degree to help increase their chances of promotion and raises, others see a master’s degree as a means to change career fields. For instance, if you have a bachelor’s degree in English, but want to work as a counselor, you need to acquire a master’s degree in counseling. By increasing your knowledge and skill sets in this field, you will be able to pursue a career as a counselor.
Time needed
Usually, a master’s degree takes two years to earn. However, you need to keep in mind that these two years enable you to find more rewarding employment both in terms of responsibility and remuneration. The most commonly awarded master’s degrees are called Master of Science (MS) and Master of Arts (MA). While the academic requirements for either degree are the same, some colleges call their degrees MA and others MS. You can choose to study subjects such as psychology, biology, and mathematics when you register for a master’s course. Some master’s courses have special degrees such as the MBA for business administration and the MSW for social work.
What to expect
While master’s degree courses entail classes, the sessions are more like seminars than lectures. Students interact more and discuss issues and concepts. The professors too tend to require a greater level of analysis in term papers and other evaluation material presented by students working for a master’s degree.
Almost all master’s degree courses expect students to submit a master’s thesis, or a long research paper. Depending on the subject you have opted for, your master’s thesis could have you analyzing the available literature on a particular topic or conducting a scientific experiment. A few master’s courses let you opt for written comprehensive exams or write papers that require less rigorous work than a thesis. When studying for a master’s in service-oriented fields such as social work or clinical and counseling psychology, the course normally includes a practicum or internship where the student learns applied skills.
Doctorate Degrees
All accredited online doctorate programs are designed to cater to professionals who desire to improve their career prospects.
As of now a Doctorate Degree is the highest academic degree that is conferred when a student demonstrates both mastery of a subject and the related ability to conduct scholarly research and present the results in an accepted format. The original research that the student performs is the doctoral dissertation or thesis. As such the online program to help you acquire a PhD degree is more professional than academic.
Most institutions have academic criteria as the basis for admitting a student to a doctoral program – the student is usually expected to have a bachelor’s and master’s degree as well as considerable previous experience in the subject. However, a few institutions require subject expertise rather a master’s degree.
One needs to work for between 5 and 8 years to obtain a doctorial degree as the quality of research work and thesis needs to be very high. The subject you choose to study also impacts on the duration of the program. The time taken to complete the doctoral thesis also differs from university to university as well. By acquiring a specific doctoral degree, you will be qualifying yourself to work in special fields such as education or musical arts. Even when a doctoral degree does not involve research, a substantial thesis is essential.
Information on Doctoral Degrees
To obtain a Ph.D. the student needs to meet two criteria. First, the student needs to thoroughly master a specific subject. Next, the student needs to enhance the knowledge available about the subject.
By earning an online doctoral degree you will be able to increase your earning potential. You will also qualify for a range of prestigious jobs. One can obtain a doctoral degree by working in comfort from home. With a doctoral degree you are likely to be considered for leadership positions, professorships at universities, or similar professions where great skills are needed.
Student Profile
As earning an online doctoral degree is both time and money consuming, the ideal students are people who can devote time every day for this even as they juggle work and family responsibilities. As most online programs that guide you to acquire a doctoral degree are focused on reading and writing, the student should be very literate. The student should possess advanced research skills, be an effective communicator, and be able to understand complex texts. Moreover, the student must be able to work independently and be self-motivated.
It is important to remember that having a doctoral degree does not guarantee a raise. However, many jobs that require a doctoral degree as a qualification are well paid and prestigious. However, you need to be aware that academic jobs, for instance, professorships typically pay less than non-academic jobs. Before you decide to work for an online doctoral degree, find out about future employment paths and then conclude if you want to pursue the degree.
Online doctoral degrees
One cannot earn every doctoral degree by using the Internet. In many cases, for instance, training received by medical doctors, needs to be closely supervised. However, there are other subjects where online study toward a doctoral degree is possible. A few of the more popular online doctoral degrees are in the fields of Business Administration (DBA), Public Health (DPH), Education (EdD), and Psychology (PhD).