Graduated with a C+ in a core class during my Master's without needing to retake or remediate it. Will employers care?

[zmondo]

Hey everyone,

I'm a fourth year Ph.D candidate in Applied Experimental Psychology who is on track to graduate sometime in March or May 2024. I previously earned a Master's (also in Experimental Psychology) in December 2020 while I was simultaneously enrolled in the first semester of my Ph.D program. My Ph.D program accepted my Master's in full.

Long story short, my Master's program experience was not exactly the smoothest transition during my first year. There was also a policy that 95% of grad school programs usually don't have, which is to accept C level grades in the program without even so much as a remediation plan required afterwards. However, someone is only allowed 3 C-level grades. I graduated with a C+ (my only C level grade) in Research Methods, which was a core class. I got interviews to two Ph.D programs and was accepted into a different one where I'm still enrolled right now despite it since I had an explanation I made sure my LORs could attest to. I had an abcessed tooth when I took the final requirements of the class that were worth 50% of my overall grade (and I bombed, hence the C+). It also didn't help that I didn't do well on the first exam, but that happened to the majority of the class.

It also didn't stop me from getting a visiting full time instructor position at a SLAC and a fellowship at the state level that pays me with the expectation I graduate with my Ph.D (doesn't matter when as long as I do it, which I'm on track to do since I'm collecting data). However, will that C+ in my Master's play a role when it comes to jobs? In case this info helps, I voluntarily retook my Ph.D program's equivalent of that MA Research Methods class and got an A in it (slightly different name, Research Design).