Are you an undergrad skipping a masters?

[micromajor2011]

Just a little curious about the amount of applicants here that are currently undergraduates seeking a PhD, I myself am one. Im applying to biomedical sciences/immunology programs. I know in this field alot of people opt to skip a masters but I work in a lab currently with a lot of masters students and I sometimes wonder why they didn't just skip the masters degree and go right for a PhD unless it was grade issues or international students. Sometimes I do wonder if students with masters have a better shot than undergrads also? Anyone else an undergrad going for a PhD?

Edited February 13, 2011 by micromajor2011

[gradgirlwannabe]

I'm undergrad applying to PhD programs, but I'm also applying to a few MA programs as a back-up.

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

I applied for both MS and PhD programs, but ultimately decided on an MS first. As of now I want the PhD, but I also don't want to stick myself in something hard to get out of. Between the two degrees I could be a lab tech, research in another country, maybe teach...basically see what else is out there and my options with just a Master's. Maybe the job I ultimately want doesn't require a PhD and I'd put myself at a disadvantage if I got one. But then I really want it!

[wtncffts]

Isn't this the norm in the US? I think most domestic PhD students go from undergrad to a doctoral program directly. In some countries, like Canada, an MA is generally required for admittance.

[Kitkat]

I know that the Ph.D programs that I am looking at, you get two masters on the way to completing the Ph.D. In many cases you can do a masters and get advanced standing, but going that route is normally done if you need to strengthen your application, for what ever reason. Also some people do a masters, and much later decide to go and do the Ph.D later, not having wanted to do so originally.

[Eigen]

All of the domestic students in my program went from undergrad to a PhD directly.

Most of the people I know that did a MS first weren't sure they wanted a PhD (applying to med school, etc), so did an MS and then decided to stay on for a PhD.

[SimilarlyDifferent]

I'm applying for both PhD and MA programs straight out of undergrad. I think it is pretty normal, depending on what discipline you are in.

[greengrass2]

Most of the Masters students in my program were trying to get into medical school. The next set were using it for career enhancement (bigger paycheck). The minority were student who were actually interested in pursuing a Ph.D.

[newms]

I'm applying to PhD programs and a few Canadian Master's programs. I've been out of undergrad for a few years now, so I'm not a straight out of undergrad applicant.

[micromajor2011]

Glad to see im not alone, thought I'd be with a lot of students quite a bit older than me but I see thats not the case totally.

[wtncffts]

Glad to see im not alone, thought I'd be with a lot of students quite a bit older than me but I see thats not the case totally.

There's a thread somewhere down the page asking for users' ages. '22-25' has an absolute majority right now, so that says something.

[polarscribe]

It also depends on the field. Most of the Ph.D programs I've seen in my discipline recommend or even require a previous MS.

[katemiddleton]

I'm applying into PhD programs straight from undergrad, and also to MA programs just to be safe. But i'm a non-traditional applicant, and I'm also a bit older than the average college graduate!

[DRT23]

I'm also an undergrad and applying to PhD. In most European countries a master degree is required for application to PhD programs. But, master programs usually take 2 years and doctoral programs 3-4 years which equalls 5-6 years in total and phd programs in the US take 5-6 years which means the same amount of time is required to get a Phd both in the US and Europe. I think it is an advantage for international applicants to have a master degree (or to be a master student) when applying to PhD programs in the US, although it takes about 7 (2 + 5) years for the ultimate goal of a doctoral degree in this way. But, I'm not one of them now.

[Ignatius_J_Reilly]

I, too, am applying to 8 PhD programs straight out of undergrad (and I'm applying to one MA program).

I'm sure it varies greatly depending on the discipline, but my understanding of Philosophy programs is that MA programs are reserved for students who didn't major in Philosophy in their undergrad institution but who wish to switch to the field and eventually pursue a PhD. In fact, the majority of programs that I saw discouraged people like me (majors with research and teaching experience as well as an abundance of Philosophy course credits) from applying to MA programs since these are meant for students relatively inexperienced in the field.

So I know that you are definitely not alone.

[Sevi]

I'm headed for PhD with no Masters in between. Didn't even apply to Masters programs. It seems like in the biomedical sciences a Masters doesn't really get you anywhere. Most of the people I know pursuing a Masters are trying to boost their grades/enhance their applications for PhD programs or trying to get into medical school.

[TaraDanielle]

I study history and applied to just Ph.D. programs. The schools I applied to did not even have a master's option - if you applied, it was for the Ph.D.

[kotov]

Assuming I get into one of the Ph.D. programs I applied to, yeah, I'll be skipping my master's. Figured it'll take the same amount of time and I'll be getting more money that way. Cut out the middle-man I guess. It seems like getting your master's first is the road less traveled by in history nowadays.

[chaospaladin]

I plan to apply to PhD Programs straight off from a B.S. without going through a M.S. too.

[eco_env]

seems like a lot of the people I'm competing against have a Master's, so that makes me feel like I need a Master's to get into grad school (I haven't been very succesful so far), but I was concerned that I would have to pay for a MS. can anyone comment on getting funding for a MS? particularly in ecology?

[hejduk]

At least in communications, most of the applicants I know (including myself) went for an MA, and then a PhD. I went the "undergrad, corporate, MA, and then more corporate" route. Great life experience and resume builder to have some solid practical experience, as well as 3 semesters of adjuncting now.

[adinutzyc]

I am a senior in college, and I have applied only for PhDs. Most of the schools I have applied to accepted me (whoop!). I was actually shocked in my first school visit to see that most people had masters degrees already... was not expecting it...

[Sheepi]

I'm going to grad school for neuroscience right out of undergrad. I'm still taking classes, but I start grad school in July. I was pretty intimidated during interviews because a lot of the people there has master's degrees or were a bit older than me.. But it worked out. I think they probably have an advantage because there is more that they can put on their application, but it worked for me.