Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with doctorate

Two Masters Better than A Doctorate?

zizzle — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:20:55 -0800

If all goes well, in Spring 2011 I will have finally completed my Masters in Mental Health Counseling. But I want to apply my degree to higher education. My Masters doesn't grant me all the credits needed for licensure as a Licensed Mental Health Clinician in my state. I would need to do another year to earn the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in order to have enough credit hours to sit for the licensure exam. And I am positive that I don't want to do that. Rather, I want to continue working in Higher Ed (I'm currently a lowly assistant in an academic department) and move into a Dean of Students office, Diversity Services office, or a Student Success program.

I am considering, after completing my MS in Counseling on getting a second Masters in Higher Ed administration with a focus on student affairs or a Masters in Student Affairs (same thing, labeled differently). I am wondering though, if an Ed.D. of some sort would be a better for my ultimate goals. I am not questioning the work that would go into an Ed.D and the time to do so --- those are serious considerations that I am weighing in on and I am well aware of all of those associated issues, so I would like this to avoid becoming about the process of a doctorate degrees. I actually turned down doctorate programs in another field a few years ago for a variety of reasons. I'm well aware of what goes into completing a doctorate, and now I'm a different place in my life and far more sure about what I want to do, it is something to consider again. But what I am wondering is if two Masters degrees that I consider interrelated and useful to my career goals would be better or equal to a doctorate in terms of achieving my career goals. Would I be able to be hired as an Assistant Dean of Students, for example, with two masters degrees and a couple of years of administration experience? Or would a doctorate give me a better chance at that?

I would be interested in keeping up with research after finishing a doctorate if that is the route I decide to go, but what's important here is that I want to work in an applied setting most of all. Teaching a couple of classes here and there would be great, but mostly I want to work with students outside of the classroom, work on improving institutional policies and creating a campus environment conducive to student success outside of the classroom and academic components of student life. I'm very much interested in the intersection of a student's academic and personal life, and how the two are often entwined and inseparable for students and what higher ed institutions can do when something personal in a student's life is affecting the academics.

So, AskMe, how would you consider two Masters degree v.s a doctorate for career goals such as mine? Which, in your esteemed opinion, would be the route best for my career goals?

Ideas for a graduation gift for a psychology student

jinatrix — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:19:18 -0800

Graduation gift for a psychology student My girlfriend is graduating from undergrad soon and will be pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology after graduation. I am looking for ideas for a graduation gift, whether related to her field or not. :)

PhD programs offered to foreigners?

zaebiz — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:59:50 -0800

Are there any respected PhD (or advanced research) programs offered from anywhere in the world that can be undertaken outside the country of the University that is offering it? I am mostly interested in law or legal history but am eager to hear about any line of study offered out of any country. I am also interested in the opportunity to travel.

Art School Preferential

cmoj — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:43:27 -0800

Is there a point to art school? I'm coming up on completing my BFAs in about a year, and I'm looking at my option for postgraduate degrees (or not).

Arts doctorates do not exist in America (though the possibility at some build-your-own doctorate school doesn't seem to be excluded). America is where I live. However, they do exist in Europe, New Zealand, etc. So, the "terminal degree" is a masters here and a DA in some other places.

These seem to be my best options:
1. Get a masters here (USA).
2. Get a DA in Europe or New Zealand.
3. Don't bother.

Bringing up:
Who cares about a foreign DA? Does it carry any weight here? Could I teach with it, or would I need an American masters to teach in America? What foreign art schools are most prestigious? Most progressive? Do galleries, endowments, etc. care about degrees at all?

Life in Singapore

topynate — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:30:38 -0800

I'm considering applying for a maths PhD in Singapore. I'm from the UK. I'd like some thoughts on living there for an extended period. As far as I can tell there's been a certain degree of liberalization recently - any opinion on that?

The best kind of Ph.D. is a finished one ...

Sonny Jim — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:04:50 -0800

I have one year left on my Ph.D. and still have six chapters to write. Does anyone have any advice on writing and time management strategies to help me make sure that I don't run out of time? In the past, I've taken a seat of the pants 'see what happens' approach to thesis chapters. While I've written some OK stuff, I've also had a major tendency to go off on tangents or endlessly delay making a point. My writing often seems to acquire its own logic, and nose off in unexpected directions. As a result, a good deal of what I've produced so far is either tangential to my topic, or marred by more or less serious bouts of prevarication.

I realize now that I'll have to take a much more structured approach to writing than I have in the past—probably one involving outlines. But I have only the vaguest idea of what an outline is or how I would use one. What kinds of strategies can I employ to ensure that my writing is (a) consistently on-topic, and (b) actually makes the points I want to make?

For extra points, does anyone have any recommendations for useful books on doctoral writing that don't automatically assume I'm a scientist? (Because I'm in English, my thesis doesn't in any way follow the 'review of lit., methodology, results, discussion' formula.)

Thanks!

Can I take graduate courses before I'm enrolled in a Ph.D. program?

ifranzen — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 21:08:17 -0800

Can I take graduate courses before I'm enrolled in a Ph.D. program? Do any grad students do this? I am going to be graduating in two years, and I am thinking about entering graduate school for philosophy (in the USA).

I am graduating one year early. During the time in between the completion of my B.A. and my enrollment in a Ph.D. program (possibly one year), would any schools let me enroll in graduate classes, and would the graduate program I enter recognize these credits? I would like to "get my feet wet" with a light course load. I know this is done all the time in undergrad institutions (the "non-matriculated student") but is this common at all for grad students? Can I pay to take graduate courses without being officially enrolled in their program?

I suspect this is something I would need to ask each university (the university I want to take the class at, and then the universities housing the Ph.D. programs that I am thinking about applying to) but I was wondering if fellow Mefites have any information.

I have heard that most Ph.D. programs build the M.A. into their program. Is this the way most people go in philosophy, or do most get their M.A. and Ph.D. at separate institutions? Also, if anyone can offer advice about pursuing a Ph.D. in philosophy it would be more than welcome.

Thank you.

Is an online doctorate feasible?

UncleHornHead — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 17:14:30 -0800

Is it feasible or as valuable to get a doctorate online? My wife is a special education teacher with a gift for developing lesson plans for students with significant disabilities that incoroprate therapies the children need for rehabilitation and maximum access to general curriculum.

Are the courses valuable and do they prepare the students for application upon graduation?

Any potential pitfalls that wouldn't occur with an on-site education?

Any good resources out there? Online or otherwise?

What are the ethics of leaving something off of your resume?

lisaj32 — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 07:32:54 -0800

Would it be considered fraud or providing false information if I were to leave my doctorate off of my resume? I have a doctorate in psychology, but am currently unemployed and considering changing fields. I think I might do well with customer service and, eventually, supervising others in customer service. At this point, I'd flip burgers if I could have an income.

When people see the doctorate on my resume, they won't hire me: "Why would someone with a doctorate in psychology want to do this?" They don't think I'll stick with it, apparently.

Would it be ethical to leave the doctorate off of my resume, leaving me with a masters degree in psychology? I would then have to change my job title from "psychologist" to "therapist" for a number of jobs, but this would not be inaccurate.

My sense is that I would be on ethically shaky ground, and I'm not sure it would be consistent with my personal values either. But I really need to make a living, starting soon!

Any suggestions?

Esquire, not Doctor.

LGCNo6 — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 01:01:27 -0800

I'm a lawyer who can't understand why some lawyers insist on laying claim to having a doctorate. They don't, of course. Why this insecurity? By any standard, a doctorate is a degree that reflects years of coursework, followed by years and years of working on a piece of original research that provides a new contribution to the knowledge of the field it's done in. Law school, as hard as it may be (and I went to a Top 3 law school) just doesn't do anything like this.

This is why in other countries, law is an undergraduate degree. So why do so many of my Esq. colleagues want so badly to claim to be Dr. X? Makes no sense, and honestly, makes our profession look bad.

One of my (famous) law school profs told us once that the "Doctor" in "Juris Doctor" is an adjective, not a noun, implying that a person with the degree is entitled to practice law and alter law. Doctor of Philosophy, on the other hand, well, that's clearly a noun. Any insight?