Master's or PhD ?

[olympus123456]

Hi,

I finished undergrad studies in BME. I got a good GPA and good TOEFL score. I am going to take GRE soon. I read in some of the Universities admissions page that " if an applicant wants

to pursue PhD studies he/she can apply directly to PhD without having Master's degree".

My question is, if I apply to PhD with just Bachelor's degree and just 2 graduations projects, is it enough to make me a worthy applicant to gain admission ? If any can help me, share any experience or thoughts, I will be really grateful.

Thanks in advance.

[GardeningGrad]

Hi,

I finished undergrad studies in BME. I got a good GPA and good TOEFL score. I am going to take GRE soon. I read in some of the Universities admissions page that " if an applicant wants

to pursue PhD studies he/she can apply directly to PhD without having Master's degree".

My question is, if I apply to PhD with just Bachelor's degree and just 2 graduations projects, is it enough to make me a worthy applicant to gain admission ? If any can help me, share any experience or thoughts, I will be really grateful.

Thanks in advance.

Check with the grad administrator for your program to see what kinds of students get accepted directly as PhD candidates. I looked into a similar type of program and found that I was under-qualified and unprepared for straight-to-PhD. Also, ask if you apply as PhD and get denied, if they'll still consider the same application for the Masters program. Make it clear that you want to get your PhD at some point (more funding available).

[olympus123456]

Check with the grad administrator for your program to see what kinds of students get accepted directly as PhD candidates. I looked into a similar type of program and found that I was under-qualified and unprepared for straight-to-PhD. Also, ask if you apply as PhD and get denied, if they'll still consider the same application for the Masters program. Make it clear that you want to get your PhD at some point (more funding available).

Ok Thank you. I will ask that point.

[newms]

Typically in the STEM fields, you can apply straight from undergrad to a PhD program. In fact, usually programs encourage you to do so if you want to ultimately get a PhD. PhD admissions committees evaluate your research potential, and the best ways to prove your research potential is to

(i) have research experience; having a paper (or more) published would be a bonus

(ii) having strong letters of recommendation by professors (ideally well-known) how can vouch for your research experience/potential

(iii) having a focused and strong statement of purpose that shows that you have a good idea of what you want to research in grad school.

The ideal applicant would have all three, but most people don't so don't be intimidated if you feel like you would be lacking in some area.

If you ultimately want a PhD, and your program says that you can apply to the PhD level and you feel like you can show that you have good research potential, then I would suggest you apply for the PhD. Check with the program for confirmation of their requirements for PhD admission as GardeningGrad suggests.

Edited June 13, 2011 by newms

[olympus123456]

Typically in the STEM fields, you can apply straight from undergrad to a PhD program. In fact, usually programs encourage you to do so if you want to ultimately get a PhD. PhD admissions committees evaluate your research potential, and the best ways to prove your research potential is to

(i) have research experience; having a paper (or more) published would be a bonus

(ii) having strong letters of recommendation by professors (ideally well-known) how can vouch for your research experience/potential

(iii) having a focused and strong statement of purpose that shows that you have a good idea of what you want to research in grad school.

The ideal applicant would have all three, but most people don't so don't be intimidated if you feel like you would be lacking in some area.

If you ultimately want a PhD, and your program says that you can apply to the PhD level and you feel like you can show that you have good research potential, then I would suggest you apply for the PhD. Check with the program for confirmation of their requirements for PhD admission as GardeningGrad suggests.

Umm.. yes that is my goal to get a PhD.

1) I have research experience just by what I had to research for my last graduation project. For example, studying about microcontrollers, programming and VB and designing the circuits. I will ask my undergrad advisor to mention this if he agrees. I have no publication and I feel that this can be a setback.

2) I am asking my professors, advisors, the place I did internship from to provide me LoR.

3) Regarding SoP, I intend to mention about my experience in graduation project and how its inspired to carry on in the instrumentation side of BME.

I am going to take GRE in July and I hope to do the best at it atleast in Quantitative section.

Thank you for your reply.

[Gelpfrat the Bold]

It depends on your field. In my field it seems to be the case that although departments will consider admitting PhD applicants straight from their BA, generally they prefer students with an MA. This seems to hold true for my personal experience and that of everyone I've spoken to. I was rejected to all 3 PhD programs I applied to as a final year undergraduate, and got accepted and waitlisted by the 2 PhD programs I applied to as a MA student. A small pool of data for sure, but it seems to reflect a wider trend. Anyways, I wondered the same thing when I was finishing up my BA, so applied to a few PhD programs and a few MA programs and, not being accepted into any PhD programs, went the MA route. Even though the PhD applications didn't get me anywhere, I'm glad I submitted them, not just because I could have gotten lucky and not had to pay for an MA, but also because I gained valuable experience with the PhD application process. It was a trial run for me, so to speak. Since I only applied to 3 such programs, applying wasn't a huge investment for me. It still cost me a few hundred dollars, but I think it was really valuable practice, and I definitely felt much more prepared as a result when I applied again the next year.

Something to look out for is departments that forward rejected PhD applications for consideration in MA admissions. One of the departments that rejected my PhD application accepted me for a MA, so it was kind of like I applied to both programs even though I only filled out one application and paid one fee.

Edited June 23, 2011 by Gelpfrat the Bold

[olympus123456]

It depends on your field. In my field it seems to be the case that although departments will consider admitting PhD applicants straight from their BA, generally they prefer students with an MA. This seems to hold true for my personal experience and that of everyone I've spoken to. I was rejected to all 3 PhD programs I applied to as a final year undergraduate, and got accepted and waitlisted by the 2 PhD programs I applied to as a MA student. A small pool of data for sure, but it seems to reflect a wider trend. Anyways, I wondered the same thing when I was finishing up my BA, so applied to a few PhD programs and a few MA programs and, not being accepted into any PhD programs, went the MA route. Even though the PhD applications didn't get me anywhere, I'm glad I submitted them, not just because I could have gotten lucky and not had to pay for an MA, but also because I gained valuable experience with the PhD application process. It was a trial run for me, so to speak. Since I only applied to 3 such programs, applying wasn't a huge investment for me. It still cost me a few hundred dollars, but I think it was really valuable practice, and I definitely felt much more prepared as a result when I applied again the next year.

Something to look out for is departments that forward rejected PhD applications for consideration in MA admissions. One of the departments that rejected my PhD application accepted me for a MA, so it was kind of like I applied to both programs even though I only filled out one application and paid one fee.

I am applying for BME. Three universities have said that I can apply for PhD and if I am rejected they will consider my application for master's by themselves but I will have to remind them.