GaiasEyes
GaiasEyes t1_ja8p3x7 wrote
Reply to comment by spencermiddleton in Eli5: what’s the difference between a graduate and undergraduate degree by deadpuppy101
Interesting! Did you apply for a masters at a Uni and then enter their doctoral program? Or did you do this at different institutions or was it a joint program? What area of study, if you don’t mind my asking.
GaiasEyes t1_ja8onx8 wrote
Reply to comment by Demiansmark in Eli5: what’s the difference between a graduate and undergraduate degree by deadpuppy101
Correct. I wish they would confer both degrees and get rid of the stigma around “mastering out”.
GaiasEyes t1_ja8ocs5 wrote
Reply to comment by ConnieKai in Eli5: what’s the difference between a graduate and undergraduate degree by deadpuppy101
In any of the sciences and (more limitedly since this isn’t my specific area) humanities I don’t know of a single program that requires a masters to apply for the doctorate. The masters is usually the result of someone leaving the doctoral program after coursework is complete but before having completed a large enough body of research to be considered ABD (all but dissertation). It could be different perhaps in other fields. There are definitely masters specific programs - MBA and public health both come to mind but at least for public health I don’t know of a program that would require the MPH for admission to a PhD program.
GaiasEyes t1_ja8nfe5 wrote
Reply to comment by Demiansmark in Eli5: what’s the difference between a graduate and undergraduate degree by deadpuppy101
Yes but they’re inverse examples. It’s not unusual to go for an AA and parlay that in to a BS later. It’s unusual in nearly all fields I’m aware of to take a Master’s and then go for a PhD. In most cases a masters isn’t offered in the same discipline as the PhD (the big exception I can think of is public health). For example, my graduate program in Microbiology was a doctoral program - the way to earn a masters from that was either to decide to leave the program after the coursework was completed or to fail the qualifying exam. The masters wasn’t a program for which you could apply.
GaiasEyes t1_ja8bkjr wrote
Reply to comment by its-a-throw-away_ in Eli5: what’s the difference between a graduate and undergraduate degree by deadpuppy101
Masters degrees are not usually pre-requisites for doctorates. They are often two entirely different programs and application processes. Everyone I know with PhD’s both in science, tech and humanities went directly from undergraduate degree to doctoral programs.
ETA: I’m responding from a US perspective as apparently this isn’t the case globally.
GaiasEyes t1_ja8b96z wrote
Reply to comment by K9turrent in Eli5: what’s the difference between a graduate and undergraduate degree by deadpuppy101
PhD stands for doctorate of philosophy. It’s an abbreviation, not an acronym.
GaiasEyes t1_ja8u2ae wrote
Reply to comment by algorithm0r in Eli5: what’s the difference between a graduate and undergraduate degree by deadpuppy101
I’ve edited my response to state that this is a US view. Your response is also anecdotal to your country of study.