Chris in VA Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Popping in to ask what I could probably research... Ds (who was homeschooled for high school) earned an undergrad degree and is about to finish his Master's. It is a terminal Master's. He would like to pursue his doctorate in a couple years. Does he absolutely need to first get a non-terminal Master's? BA Cinema MFA in Screenwriting wants Ph.D in Film Studies from a school in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 This is likely field-dependent, but both spouse and I have PhDs without earning a masters of any kind. In our fields, direct entry into PhD programs was common 25 years ago when we did it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 (edited) In my field in NZ, it is very hard to get funding for a PhD without a masters to prove you can do research. I have no idea what a terminal vs non-terminal masters is and don't think its a thing in NZ. Edited April 9 by lewelma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 I went straight from undergraduate to a PhD program; much depends upon how the particular school structures its program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 Will be field specific. On my field, you go straight into a PhD program from the BS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 On 4/9/2024 at 4:42 PM, lewelma said: In my field in NZ, it is very hard to get funding for a PhD without a masters to prove you can do research. I have no idea what a terminal vs non-terminal masters is and don't think its a thing in NZ. It is my understanding that a terminal masters is where a masters is the highest degree you can get in that field ... that there is no PhD. A non-terminal masters is where you get the masters degree but there is a PhD degree in that field. Like many said, it depends on the area of study. My oldest was accepted into a PhD program with BS as are most in his field. An MS isn't typically awarded. Some candidates may decide to switch to a masters if they for some reason don't want to pursue the PhD (disillusion with academia, a lucrative job offer, a life plan change.) Some who may be changing fields or pursuing a new field of study may come in with a masters, but it is less common. According to my son, it appears to be more common for international students to come in with a masters. Not sure why, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malam Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 11 hours ago, dirty ethel rackham said: It is my understanding that a terminal masters is where a masters is the highest degree you can get in that field ... that there is no PhD. A non-terminal masters is where you get the masters degree but there is a PhD degree in that field. Like many said, it depends on the area of study. My oldest was accepted into a PhD program with BS as are most in his field. An MS isn't typically awarded. Some candidates may decide to switch to a masters if they for some reason don't want to pursue the PhD (disillusion with academia, a lucrative job offer, a life plan change.) Some who may be changing fields or pursuing a new field of study may come in with a masters, but it is less common. According to my son, it appears to be more common for international students to come in with a masters. Not sure why, though. My guess is that Master's degrees at US universities have a known standard of rigor and provide research opportunities to their students, while most international undergrad programs do not have either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristini2 Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 On 4/13/2024 at 4:38 AM, regentrude said: Will be field specific. On my field, you go straight into a PhD program from the BS. Field and country specific. My daughter applied to programs (physics/astro) in the US and in Canada. In the US all of her choices were direct from BS to PhD, but in Canada (for at least the school she chose) a masters along the way is the default, though there are ways around it to go straight to PhD. Right now she is looking at starting research that would be great for a masters thesis, but not quite right for a PhD. Her advisor feels like she will learn the tangent she wants to go down for her PhD while doing this research for her masters. I would guess your son would want to reach out to the schools he is looking at to see what the requirements are and if his masters would fulfill them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 It's likely department specific. He should look on university websites for admission requirements for the PhD. programs he is interested in. It will vary by school, but since his degrees are related to the PhD. he wants, it may be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 Thx everyone. He had his capstone project (2 scripts, since he is in a MFA Screenwriting program) accepted! Now just 2 classes and a brief experience in L.A. California to go and he's out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 On 4/9/2024 at 4:57 PM, Chris in VA said: Popping in to ask what I could probably research... Ds (who was homeschooled for high school) earned an undergrad degree and is about to finish his Master's. It is a terminal Master's. He would like to pursue his doctorate in a couple years. Does he absolutely need to first get a non-terminal Master's? BA Cinema MFA in Screenwriting wants Ph.D in Film Studies from a school in NZ This may depend on the field, but in general, a terminal masters just means that’s as far as you can go in terms of earning degrees in that specific field— in your son’s case, specifically screenwriting. It does not in any way preclude going on for a PhD in another field (such as film studies). As someone else has already mentioned, in many fields you don’t even need a master’s at all in order to enter a PhD program (some PhD programs may award a master’s partway through he program, but I don’t know that that is universal. It might happen, for example, if the PhD program consists of 3 years of classroom work followed by 2+ years of thesis research and writing, and the master’s degree is granted after an oral exam at the end of the 3 years classroom work== just one of many ways a program can be run). Your son should go to the website for the program he wishes to enter and see what they require— they often make the entrance criteria pretty clear. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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