Merits of getting a second master's degree?
October 28, 2014 1:47 PM   Subscribe

I'm interested in hearing about experiences with getting a second master's degree to pursue a subject that interests you in more depth/narrow in on your specific interests . . .

I just finished a master's degree, and maybe I'm a massochist, given all of the difficulties I had over the course of my studies for this degree, but I have been thinking sort of off and on about whether I might want to go back for another, more area-specific degree. I spent most of grad school kind of trying out different subjects in my field, and discovered one subject towards the end of the degree that I am really interested in and don't feel like I had time to explore as thoroughly as I wanted. I have also considered whether I would want to do a doctorate eventually (which was not something I really considered during most of the time I was in grad school, so I didn't really focus on developing some of the skills that would be necessary such as better quantitative skills and more in-depth knowledge of research methodologies), and I feel like a second master's degree might help better prepare me for that, if I eventually decide that is what I want. It might also help me get more substantive roles in the area that I would pursue the degree in, even if I decided not to do a doctorate. My first master's is interdisciplinary, if it helps, and I am thinking of pursuing a disciplinary master's for a second degree.

Do these seem like good reasons to pursue a second master's degree? I would be interested to know of anyone who has pursued a second master's for similar reasons, and whether it was valuable to your career. Thanks!
posted by thesnowyslaps to Education (10 answers total)
 
Are you getting funding for these masters degrees? Would you for a PhD? What kind of career prospects do these degrees give you? I would leverage your network as hard as you can do go into a PhD program now, rather than continue racking up masters - there is such a thing as being in school for too long, and it can make you look wishy-washy or like a professional student.
posted by fermezporte at 1:56 PM on October 28, 2014


I think the big question here would be how you're paying for it. If you're independently wealthy, have a spouse/parent who can support you and/or are good enough at what you do that you can get grants and scholarships to cover your tuition and living expenses, then I would say to go for it! It's interesting, you like it, and you can afford it, so why not? If this is going to put you into debt (or deeper into debt), I don't think it's worth it without a clear career goal and plan for how the degree will increase your earning potential or allow you to transition into a new career.

But, actually, from your description, I thought you would be a great candidate for a PhD program. Although I don't know your specific field, you are generally not expected to come in knowing every piece of research design/quantitative skills you will ever use. At least for my degree, the first three years of the program were primarily coursework, in which we took a variety of classes but certainly many covered design and methods topics. Then we moved on to writing the dissertation. So don't let a need for greater skills hold you back if this is what you want. Although it's more years, on the plus side fully funded PhD programs are much easier to find. I did it without going into any debt, and although you will have to live frugally, it is totally possible.
posted by rainbowbrite at 1:57 PM on October 28, 2014 [3 favorites]


Those don't seem like good reasons to me. The only practical reason to get a second master's degree is if it will get you the job you want and it will pay for itself in some reasonable period of time.

Are these two conditions met? Or do your life circumstances make an impractical reason feasible?

(I agree, go straight PhD if you think that is where you want to go, the second masters will just be extra years)
posted by pseudonick at 2:07 PM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


I have two master's degrees. I regret getting the second one. I just recently finished paying-off my last loan, approximately 19 years after I graduated. (In fairness, I also don't think the material I studied was very interesting, so maybe I'd have a different perspective if I had studied a different area.)

If you're interested in the subject, study it on your own. Having done one master's degree should have taught you how to do library research. Of course, if your intended field is something like engineering or biomedical research, you're going to have trouble getting hands-on experience if you don't formally enroll in some kind of program.
posted by alex1965 at 2:17 PM on October 28, 2014


If you can find somebody else to pay for it, knock yourself out. Otherwise... you're talking about a great deal of expense for negligible return.

(I have two master's degrees. Every job I've gotten since can be traced back to connections made in the second program, but it's also responsible for most of my mountain of debt. If I had it all to do over again, I probably wouldn't.)
posted by Shmuel510 at 3:15 PM on October 28, 2014


What are your career aspirations? Unless this is somehow required for your dream job, it seems like a waste of money and time.

I don't have any master's degrees, so feel free to ignore me if you want, but I think you would be better off getting some actual real world job experience and work place skills. Getting a good education is great, but people expand their skills and learn on the job all the time. You can take on more debt as you learn and develop, or get paid to learn and develop. I would chose the latter. I also think actually starting your career will clarify what you like doing and what skills you might actually need. What I envisioned in school did not really match up as well with putting my education into actual use -- I understood everything a lot better once I was working in my area of focus for real.

I definitely considered extra degrees when I was uncertain about my career path or lacked confidence. I'm glad I didn't let that persuade me into more schooling and more debt. To be honest, your question comes across more like you're looking to delay taking the plunge of starting your career because you want to have been trained for every possible thing -- I just don't think that's realistic. You should have a specific, crucial reason for the extra debt and time you're considering spending. From your question, you don't.
posted by AppleTurnover at 6:39 PM on October 28, 2014


Response by poster: I should maybe specify that I am not thinking of getting a second degree right away. This is more of a "maybe in a couple of years if I am in the financial situation to do so and have given it measured thought and I get sufficient financial aid" type deal. I just would be interested to know others' experience with the scenario of going for a second degree and whether it allowed them to make a change in the focus of their career or opened up new possibilities.
posted by thesnowyslaps at 7:40 PM on October 28, 2014


Think about enrolling in a PhD program. You're likely to be funded, and then you have the option of finishing the PhD, or, if you decide that isn't for you, leaving with your master's.
posted by persona au gratin at 3:14 AM on October 29, 2014


If you're thinking that simply possessing a master's in a particular field will make you more likely to get employment in that field... generally speaking, nobody cares what your degree is in, and nobody will find two degrees at the same level to be more impressive than one.

If you're thinking that a particular program might provide opportunities that could help you with a new career trajectory, such as networking with people who will be joining the same field, or giving you the structure to create a work that you can sell/publish... that's not outside the realm of possibility. It'd depend considerably on the program and the desired career.

If you're thinking that the actual things learned in the master's will be more helpful to you in your chosen career than getting an entry-level job in it... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA no.

(Note: all of the above assumes a career path outside of academia.)
posted by Shmuel510 at 4:23 AM on October 29, 2014


I am in a field where PhDs are generally unfunded and have poor job prospects, and where some really cool (in my opinion) jobs occasionally require and often prefer two masters degrees.

This is not to disagree with the above posters who are certainly correct about their own fields. This is just to say that the answer to this question really, really depends on the field.

OP, maybe you could specify your field in a follow-up?

The main thing that has helped me reshift the focus of my career in a direction I want to go has not been the grad degree I'm slowly working toward while working full time. Most of my classes for the degree are just hoops I have to jump through to get the credential. If the credential wasn't required for the vast majority of jobs I'd want, I would have just taken a couple of the useful, interesting classes instead of taking everything required for the degree.

What has helped are my self-directed projects outside of work or school. These build my portfolio and help me network in the area of my interest. I'd suggest that you take a few hours a week to do some self-directed work in your area. Maybe free online courses that build the skills you feel you're lacking. Maybe keeping up with the academic literature in your field. Maybe some intensive monitoring and analysis of relevant job listings. Maybe informational interviews with people who have the sorts of jobs you might want, or who do the hiring for those jobs. And then decide whether you still need the second masters, or whether you're ready for the PhD program at that point, or whether you want to go in another direction that maybe involves direct application of your skills outside the academic world.
posted by Bentobox Humperdinck at 9:30 AM on October 29, 2014 [2 favorites]


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