Graduate school question

[Janeway]

I am wondering about this....

 

Let's say you have zero interest in what your undergrad degree was. You had great GRE scores, which I assume would be expired now, but if you go back to school, you do not want to pursue what your undergrad degree is in.

 

What can you do? I hear a lot of people doing something different in grad school than undergrad, but how different? Can someone basically do a do-over? Let's say your majored in English and now wish to do, a science..maybe Environmental Science, or even physics...can you? Or would you need to start with the undergrad degree and get another one? Or just get some remediation courses (remediation to graduate school, not high school courses)?

 

My neighbor just got his masters in sustainability from Harvard. He did the degree online (had to go in person a few times, but his company paid for it). He was last in college 35 or so years ago. How would admissions even be handled in a case like this?

 

I am not interested in sustainability I don't think. But thinking about my 14 yr olds goals got me to thinking about my own. Even my work experience is scattering. I have done a variety of things but have not done much of anything for a long time and do not feel qualified for much now. My biggest experience is in teaching but I am not certified at this point in time. It has been a long time.

 

BUT, back to the original question, how does this work? What if a person wanted to branch off in a completely different direction?

[Mandamom]

I earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a several years later in the 19902 I earned a B.S. as a Paralegal, neither of which were related as they were from two different schools.  

 

Last year, I wanted to get my Master's in Reading, as I have been doing the job for several years -- might as well have the paperwork to prove it. 

 

So, since I knew the degree I wanted, I just went Internet searching and found what I was looking for and in the fall I will be halfway through. I was accepted last fall. I found a school that would accept my degrees, had the degree that I wanted and was within my budget. 

 

So, yes, I was able to select anything that I wanted to at the graduate school level.

 

Also, in some tv shows I watch (currently Criminal Minds, previously NCIS) a few characters had an interesting mix of PhD and M.S. degrees which were not obviously related. 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2016 by Mandamom

[Mama Geek]

I would suggest talking to a professor in the department at the college you are interested in.  Dh went back for a master's degree in a somewhat related field and had to take a couple of classes before being officially accepted in to the program.  Since he was working 12 hour days, I did the legwork of talking to the professor about the possibility.  It worked out really well for him.

[G5052]

It really varies. You just have to ask, really.

 

I took an M.S. with a focus in theoretical computer science 25+ years ago because I hit dissertation problems that couldn't be resolved. Anything IT/CSC-related that I did now would require more coursework even though I've been teaching at community colleges all these years and currently teach multimedia/web design. My skills are too "old" for anything but the first two years of college. 

 

But if I did graduate work in instructional design or rhetoric like I sometimes think about, I'd be fine. I'd have to provide samples of my work, which wouldn't be a biggie because I've been active in those fields too. I like to tease my teens because they're both headed to the college where I'd like to do my graduate work in one of those fields. During discussions about their programs, I asked about myself, and they said no GRE would be required because I already have an M.S. At one point I also asked about their history PhD because they have one with a focus in "new media" that would fit me, but I would have to take some courses as a non-degree student in history before applying for the PhD program. We'll see.

 

 

[LucyStoner]

In some technical fields like Speech Language Pathology or Physical Therapy schools offer a post baccalaureate program for out of field degree holders who need a number of very specific prereqs.

 

Obviously if one wants to enter PhD program in Math they need to show that they have taken the math classes at the bachelors level to be able to survive in the math department but there and so on for many sciences. The best way to show that is with a related undergraduate degree and good scores on the entrance exam (if anh). However, there are many other programs where the graduate material is not much dependent on prior coursework but instead on strong reading, writing and research skills.

[Anacharsis]

Well, what used to happen is that you were promoted into a position due to your experience, personality, etc. that was related to previous positions but different enough that there was a skills gap. So the company paid for a Master's degree to bridge that gap. What your previous degree was in was less important, because you were building off your experience, not your old degree, and universities were less picky about educational qualifications because the funding was all fee-based. In academia, many Master's degrees were viewed as cash cows -- sort of PhD-lite for the private sector that didn't rely on grant funding.

 

I think what is changing is that companies are less likely to pay for that kind of extensive training anymore -- that requires a sort of multi-year ongoing commitment that isn't as popular today. So the old role of a Master's degree isn't quite the same. Often it is now individuals paying for Master's degrees out of their own pockets (sometimes quite painful at universities that still charge business-class prices), under the hope it will make them competitive for positions that are not guaranteed. I think everyone in both the public and private sector is still trying to figure out how this will work.

[Crimson Wife]

For speech pathology there are actually two options. One is doing an "extended" masters that takes 3 years rather than 2. The other is doing a 2nd bachelor's or post-bacc and then the regular 2 year master's.

 

I decided to go for the 2nd bachelor's because the tuition is lower (up to $20k difference). Plus if I don't get accepted to grad school I need the bachelor's in Communicative Disorders in order to work as a SLP Assistant.

[TravelingChris]

I have a BA in Economics and then a MS in Criminal Justice.  I didn't need any special classes.  On the other hand, my dh has his degrees in physics.  There is no way to get a MS in Physics without having taken all the physics and math classes you needed in your bachelors or going back to school and doing those classes.

[regentrude]

 

What can you do? I hear a lot of people doing something different in grad school than undergrad, but how different? Can someone basically do a do-over? Let's say your majored in English and now wish to do, a science..maybe Environmental Science, or even physics...can you? Or would you need to start with the undergrad degree and get another one? Or just get some remediation courses (remediation to graduate school, not high school courses)?

 

In physics, admission to graduate school requires the subject GRE. A person who majored in English at undergraduate would not receive a high enough score to be admitted into graduate school. A person with an engineering or math degree would be required to take the missing physics classes.

Edited July 19, 2016 by regentrude

[gardenmom5]

if you can meet the requirements for a grad program - do what you want.

 

dd graduated with a pharmD last year.  there were people in her class (90 students) who didn't have any undergrad degree - but they met all the science &math requirements. (at least two years worth of study). despite her degrees in chem and bio - she still had to take a couple english classes before she could start.

 

what do you want to do - and what are the requirements?

[FairProspects]

I earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a several years later in the 19902 I earned a B.S. as a Paralegal, neither of which were related as they were from two different schools.  

 

Last year, I wanted to get my Master's in Reading, as I have been doing the job for several years -- might as well have the paperwork to prove it. 

 

So, since I knew the degree I wanted, I just went Internet searching and found what I was looking for and in the fall I will be halfway through. I was accepted last fall. I found a school that would accept my degrees, had the degree that I wanted and was within my budget. 

 

So, yes, I was able to select anything that I wanted to at the graduate school level.

 

Also, in some tv shows I watch (currently Criminal Minds, previously NCIS) a few characters had an interesting mix of PhD and M.S. degrees which were not obviously related. 

 

This really varies by state for education related fields. I have 2 BAs and a MAT and I could not go directly into a M.Ed in Literacy or Reading in my state due to the endorsement regulations. I need additional endorsements first and X number of years of contracted full time teaching in the new endorsement area depending on the program. Maybe if you remove the issue of dealing with getting or keeping a teaching certificate current and you just want the degree, this option might be possible, but it wouldn't be worthwhile to get a MA in Reading in my state without the correct endorsement & updated certificate so some undergrad work would be necessary as a post-bac first.

Edited July 19, 2016 by FairProspects

[redsquirrel]

My friend is doing this. Her degree is in art education and she is now accepted into a PhD program in biology.  Btw, you would be surprised (or maybe not lol) and the overlap between art and science people.

 

Anyway, she had to take all the foundational required classes that any major would have to take.  She was enrolled for 12 credits a semester and also did one summer away at an academic program, did a short term winter placement between semesters and spend one entire semester running her own independent study along with taking classes. That took her about 2.5 years.  She had to retake the GREs and apply.  She did apply this past semester while taking her last classes, but that wasn't a problem. It was like any undergrad applying while finishing up a senior year.

 

So it was 2.5 years of non-stop academic work and this fall she goes right into the PhD program. She does have this summer off, lol.

[Mandamom]

This really varies by state for education related fields. I have 2 BAs and a MAT and I could not go directly into a M.Ed in Literacy or Reading in my state due to the endorsement regulations. I need additional endorsements first and X number of years of contracted full time teaching in the new endorsement area depending on the program. Maybe if you remove the issue of dealing with getting or keeping a teaching certificate current and you just want the degree, this option might be possible, but it wouldn't be worthwhile to get a MA in Reading in my state without the correct endorsement & updated certificate so some undergrad work would be necessary as a post-bac first.

 I am not certified to teach for any public school. I am a private school teacher, so yes, I was just looking for the degree. :)

 

I am kind of curious as to what would happen if I did want to become certified in my state (not enough to look it up :) ) with my degrees. I'm hoping I won't need to because I'm not really interested in teaching in the state schools. I guess I will figure it ouw when, or if I need it. 

Edited July 19, 2016 by Mandamom

[FairProspects]

 I am not certified to teach for any public school. I am a private school teacher, so yes, I was just looking for the degree. :)

 

I am kind of curious as to what would happen if I did want to become certified in my state (not enough to look it up :) ) with my degrees. I'm hoping I won't need to because I'm not really interested in teaching in the state schools. I guess I will figure it ouw when, or if I need it. 

 

Ah, I see. Every private school locally where I've checked job listings also requires the appropriate certifications and often multiple years of public school experience prior to application, so it just isn't feasible to work as a teacher here without a current teaching certificate.

Edited July 19, 2016 by FairProspects