masters vs phd biology reddit

How competitive are MS programs in biology vs PhD programs? Worth MS to PhD?

<p>Are MS programs as competitive as PhD programs in biology and is it worth going the MS to PhD route? Do PhD programs even care about MS grades?</p>

<p>Background:</p>

<p>I applied to a few PhD programs and got rejected due to my overall application weakness. For example only 4 mo research experience, ~3.2 gpa, 1250gre etc. </p>

<p>There’s no way for me to go back to undergrad (have way too many units) and I’ve been looking for any job for over a year. In my current location I have zero opportunity to get into a biology-related career or unpaid internship. </p>

<p>Due to this, I think an MS is the only way for me to get experience and improve my GPA. Yes, I realize it’ll be more debt and years off my life (but what isn’t?).</p>

<p>Sort of answered my own question on whether I should go or not. </p>

<p>Is my current application even competitive for a MS program?</p>

<p>PhD programs stress research experience a lot more than MS programs so I personally think you have a good shot at MS programs. With that said, have you considered trying to secure a research associate/assistant or technician position in an academic lab (perhaps at your UG institution?). Your lack of research experience is probably what hurt you the most and there are other ways to rack up experience other than a costly MS, especially if a PhD is your ultimate end goal.</p>

<p>Most MS bio programs have much more lenient admission standards than PhD programs, esp if you will be a full pay student. (For some departments, master degree programs are cash cows.)</p>

<p>As far as getting to a bio-relation career track–are you willing/able to relocate? There are bachelor’s level jobs available, esp at or near major universities/research centers. </p>

<p>The suggestion to look for jobs at your undergrad institution is a good one.</p>

<p>I haven’t had luck looking around the universities near here in the past two years. Even finding an unpaid internship was/is tough.</p>

<p>As for relocation, I currently live in CA and would be willing to relocate but the only place I’ve seen really hiring is SF and that’s a city far too expensive for me.</p>

<p>Your odds of getting into a program that will fully fund an tuition + stipend M.S. are poor, but a program where you pay tuition should be very feasible. You can also do a masters of engineering in your field, if that suits you (and those are only 1 year). If you went to a top school for undergrad, then a funded or partially MS may still be possible. Good luck!</p>

<p>What is your overall goal? Is it to get a PhD, or an MS? Can you accomplish your goal with a BS rather than an PhD or an MS? I am asking this question because the state of the economy has played a large part in the glut of applications for graduate programs. It may not have been that your stats were glaringly weak, but the competition for spots is steeper than before the economy went into the crapper. I would also look for RA positions at your current university with profs that you have a relationship with. They could be real advocates for you if you want to get into a PhD program at your home university. </p>

<p>I would also suggest finding a funded MS program, they do exist you just have to look (not saying you didn’t already). There is the NIH post-bac IRTA program, UMICH PIBS has a post bac program and most of their post bac students are accepted the following year into various PhD programs. Or just look for a job as a biologist, or med-tech on careerbuilder. Many companies are looking for temp-to-hire employees. Do this for a 6mo-1yr, and apply next year, and you will have a year worth of “reasearch experience”. </p>

<p>But bear in mind, waiting a year, or geting a MS will have its drawbacks in the current political cycle. The Ryan Budget will hurt federal R&D funding in the sciences, and that will probably mean the competition will only get stiffer than it currently is for spots in grad programs and fellowships. But that’ s if it passes.</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses so far. Haven’t thought of a med-tech program. I might look into that.</p>

<p>Clarifying points:</p>

<ul> <li>My ultimate goal is to continue learning about biology beyond what I learned in undergrad (I think an MS or PhD will be helpful there)</li> <li>I graduated 2011 and I’m soon entering year 2 of my job hunt out of school. 0% luck so far.</li> <li>One of those universities nearby is my undergrad institution. I haven’t had luck getting a paid internship there in four years. Maybe I smell bad or something.</li> <li>My old profs don’t have anything available and don’t know of anything. </li> <li>I can’t do unpaid internships since I’ll need to cover bus faire.</li> <li>If I do an MS at a state school I may be able to waive some of the tuition fees.</li> </ul>

<p>The med research lab (private, but with a national rep in its small sliver of the field) I work at is hiring techs right now. So are labs at the state flagship U. My lab’s in New Mexico. Much lower COL than CA.</p>

<p>Do you have any computer analysis software skills? (Excel, SPSS, MatLab, etc?) Those skills will help tremendously in landing a tech job. Might be useful to pick up a class either at a CC or online.</p>

<p>And if you’re limiting yourself to just posted jobs, then you’re shortchanging yourself. Younger kiddo found a unposted job by cold emailing each and every research group’s lab manager at a uni she wanted to work at. (BF in grad school there.) She tailored a personalized cover letter telling them how her skills would be valuable to the group and included her CV. She got mostly “thanks, but no thanks” replies if she got replies at all. But she did get several referrals to other groups with openings/possible openings. She eventually had 3 phone interviews with different groups. And one group decided they really wanted her and created a position for her.</p>

<p>You might try drafting a sample cover letter to a research group inquiring about an [imaginary] opening, then take it by the career center at your former college. Take your CV too. You could be presenting yourself poorly.</p>

• The Difference Between Masters and PhD Study

Written by Sarah Hastings-Woodhouse

The main difference between a Masters and a PhD is the purpose of each degree. A Masters degree involves expanding your understanding of existing scholarship in a particular subject area. The purpose of PhD study, on the other hand, is to make an original contribution to your field.

So, the biggest adjustment to expect as you progress from Masters to PhD study is a higher degree of independence (and responsibility). Beyond widening your expertise and improving your research skills, you’ll be expected to break new academic ground.

But exactly how will your academic life change as you make the leap from Masters student to PhD candidate? In this guide, we’ll provide a quick overview of how PhD and Masters study compare, including applications, course structure, assessment and more.

Applications

If you’ve already completed an undergraduate and a Masters degree, you might consider yourself something of a university applications veteran. How different can applying for a PhD really be?

There are quite a few similarities between the Masters and the PhD application process. Both will tend to require:

• A personal statement
• Your academic transcript
• Details of at least two referees

As at Masters level, you’ll submit each application directly to your chosen institution, usually through the university’s own applications portal.

The process of applying for a predesigned PhD will more closely resemble that of applying for a Masters. But if you’re planning on designing a self-proposed project , you’ll be in slightly more unfamiliar territory. Rather than responding to an advertised PhD project in your application, you’ll essentially be writing that project specification yourself in the form of your research proposal .

An academic CV is only occasionally required for a Masters application, but almost always required for a PhD application. Its purpose is to summarise your professional and academic experience, in order to demonstrate that you’re well-qualified to complete the project.

It’s useful to think of applying for a PhD as similar to applying for a job. While an application for a taught programme (such as a Masters) involves communicating why you want to study the course and how you feel it will aid your academic and professional development, the focus of a PhD application should be what you can do for the institution. Remember that, if successful, you’ll become a valued member of an academic department, and that those reviewing your application are your prospective colleagues!

Applying for a PhD also requires an extra step that you won’t have encountered at Master’s level – contacting prospective supervisors . It’s often preferable to complete this stage before you submit your final application (though this can vary from institution to institution). Reaching out to supervisors can be an intimidating and confusing process, especially since you won’t have had to do anything similar for previous applications. Our handy list of dos and don’ts will help ensure you’re familiar with all the relevant etiquette before you click send!

Applying for a PhD

Want to know how to apply for a PhD in more detail? Have a read of our step-by-step doctoral application guide.

The MPhil to PhD upgrade

As we’ve said, the main difference between a Masters and a PhD is that the latter requires you to contribute original material to your field. This might be a daunting prospect, but luckily the first phase of a PhD usually acts as something of a ‘transitional’ period which should help you adapt to the demands of doctoral study.

In the UK, most PhD students are initially registered for a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree, before being ' upgraded ’ to the status of full PhD candidate (this will occur after 9-18 months for full time students, or after 15-24 months for part-time students).

This first stage of your PhD will largely be spent writing up your upgrade report . The largest component of this will usually be a literature review . You’ll likely have written a literature review as part of your Masters dissertation , so this part shouldn’t be too unfamiliar. You’ll need to demonstrate a comprehensive and critical understanding of existing scholarship in your field and situate your own research within this wider academic context.

This time round, however, you’ll need to illustrate how your research will contribute something new to the field. Don’t panic, though – now isn’t the time to present any original findings in detail (save that for your final thesis). You just need to identify a gap in the academic market and indicate how you plan to fill it.

The rest of the upgrade report should illustrate how you plan to progress with your project. You will be required to include a research question, planned methodology and a rough timetable of future work. Sometimes, you’ll also submit a sample of work you’ve already done towards your thesis.

You’ll then complete an oral presentation known as the PhD upgrade viva . It’s uncommon to ‘fail’ a PhD upgrade, though you may be asked to repeat the process if there is any concern about your progress. The important thing to remember is that you won’t progress to the status of full PhD candidate until the department is satisfied that you’re ready to (and you’ll often be given a couple of shots at demonstrating this).

Course structure

The most obvious difference between a Masters and a PhD in terms of overarching course structure is length. Whereas a Masters is completed in 1-2 years, a PhD will usually take 3-4 years (if studied full-time) or 5-6 years (if studied part-time).

3-4 years may sound like a long time, but by the end of a PhD you’ll not only researched, written and defended your thesis but also amassed significant additional experience. This might include:

• Publishing papers
• Presenting at academic conferences
• Administration within your department

Despite having longer to complete it, you can expect to work at a similar level of intensity for your PhD as you did for you Masters – and to undertake a much wider variety of activities in the process.

At undergraduate and Masters level, you’ll have grown used to each year of study being structured similarly. While the complexity of material will increase as the course progresses, each academic year will have followed a similar format (a series of taught modules culminating in assessment through examination or coursework).

A PhD, by contrast, moves through a series of phases. In your first year, you’ll usually write up a comprehensive overview of existing scholarship in your field in the form of a literature review and draw up a plan for the completion of your project. Your second year will typically be dedicated to completing the bulk of your research , before you write up your final dissertation over your third and fourth years. You can find out more about each stage in our guide to the PhD journey .

PhD candidates aren’t assessed in the same way as Masters and undergraduate students – so yes, you can wave goodbye to regular coursework and exams! You’ll only be formally ‘examined’ at two points during your programme – your PhD upgrade viva (as explained above), and your final viva voce , in which you’ll defend your final thesis in an oral examination.

This doesn’t mean it will be a complete free-for-all between these two milestones, however. Most universities will monitor your progress to make sure that you are continuing to meet the standards of the department year-on-year.

It’s common for PhD candidates to be monitored through progression reviews (which are generally annual for full-time students). You may have to submit a report outlining how your thesis has progressed to date and what your plan is for the following year, as well as any training or other university work (such as teaching) you have undertaken. If the department feels that you haven’t made sufficient progress, you may be required to register for a lower award, or to leave the university altogether.

At Masters level, you’ll have been given a grade out of 100 for each examination or piece of coursework (if in the UK) and graduated with a degree classification ranging from a Distinction to a Fail. At PhD level you won’t be ‘graded’ as such – it’s better to think of your viva examinations and progression reviews as a series of checkpoints that you’ll need to pass in order to earn your doctorate.

Ultimately, the outcome of your final viva will either be that you are awarded a PhD or that you are not (or that you might be after you’ve made some tweaks – see our full guide to viva voce results ). There’s no such thing as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ PhD in the same way that you can receive different classifications of Masters degree.

Hopefully this guide has given you some idea of how PhD and Masters study compare, and helped you feel a little less apprehensive about making the leap!

To find out more about PhD study, have a browse of the many detailed guides in our advice section .

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What happens during a typical PhD, and when? We've summarised the main milestones of a doctoral research journey.

The PhD thesis is the most important part of a doctoral degree. This page will introduce you to what you need to know about the PhD dissertation.

This page will give you an idea of what to expect from your routine as a PhD student, explaining how your daily life will look at you progress through a doctoral degree.

Our guide tells you everything about the application process for studying a PhD in the USA.

Is your supervisor moving universities? Or have you discovered another doctoral programme that better suits your goals? In this guide we take a look at how you can transfer a PhD to another university.

Ever wondered how hard is a PhD? Our guide can help you learn the level of a PhD compared to Masters study, what hurdles make a PhD hard, and why they occur.

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• Applying to graduate school
• Master’s vs PhD | A Complete Guide to the Differences

Master's vs PhD | A Complete Guide to the Differences

Published on November 27, 2020 by Lauren Thomas . Revised on May 10, 2024.

The two most common types of graduate degrees are master’s and doctoral degrees:

• A master’s is a 1–2 year degree that can prepare you for a multitude of careers.
• A PhD, or doctoral degree, takes 3–7 years to complete (depending on the country) and prepares you for a career in academic research.

A master’s is also the necessary first step to a PhD. In the US, the master’s is built into PhD programs, while in most other countries, a separate master’s degree is required before applying for PhDs.

Master’s are far more common than PhDs. In the US, 24 million people have master’s or professional degrees, whereas only 4.5 million have doctorates.

Table of contents

Master’s vs phd at a glance, which is right for you, length of time required, career prospects, costs and salaries, application process, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about master's and phd degrees.

The table below shows the key differences between the two.

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A PhD is right for you if:

• Your goal is to become a professor at a university or some other type of professional researcher.
• You love research and are passionate about discovering the answer to a particular question.
• You are willing to spend years pursuing your research even if you have to put up with a lot of dead ends and roadblocks.

A master’s degree is the better choice if any of the following apply:

• You want to continue studies in your field, but you’re not committed to a career as a professional researcher.
• You want to develop professional skills for a specific career.
• You are willing to pay a higher upfront cost if it means finishing with your degree (and thus being able to work) much faster.
• You want the option to study part-time while working.

The length of time required to complete a PhD or master’s degree varies. Unsurprisingly, PhDs take much longer, usually between 3–7 years. Master’s degrees are usually only 1–2 years.

Length of a master’s

Master’s degrees are usually 2 years, although 1-year master’s degrees also exist, mainly in the UK.

Most of the degree consists of classes and coursework, although many master’s programs include an intensive, semester-long master’s thesis or capstone project in which students bring together all they’ve learned to produce an original piece of work.

Length of a PhD

In the US, a PhD usually takes between 5 and 7 years to complete. The first 2 years are spent on coursework. Students, even those who choose to leave without finishing the program, usually receive a master’s degree at this point.

The next 3–5 years are spent preparing a dissertation —a lengthy piece of writing based on independent research, which aims to make a significant original contribution to one’s field.

Master’s degrees tend to prepare you for a career outside of academia, while PhDs are designed to lead to a career in research.

Careers for master’s graduates

There are two types of master’s degrees: terminal and research-intensive. The career prospects are different for each.

Terminal master’s degrees are intended to prepare students for careers outside of academia. Some degrees, known as professional degrees, specifically prepare students for particular professions; these include the Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees.

Other master’s degrees, usually Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Sciences (MS or MSc) degrees, do not necessarily lead to a specific career, but are intended to be a final degree. Examples include an MS in Communications or MS in Data Analytics.

In research-intensive master’s programs, students take coursework intended to prepare them for writing an original piece of research known as the master’s thesis . Such programs are usually intended to prepare for further study in a doctoral program.

Careers for PhD graduates

As research degrees, PhDs are usually intended to lead to an academic career. A PhD can be thought of like an apprenticeship, where students learn from professional researchers (academics) how to produce their own research.

Most students aspire to become a university professor upon the completion of their degree. However, careers in academia are highly competitive, and the skills learned in a doctoral program often lend themselves well to other types of careers.

Some graduates who find they prefer teaching to producing research go on to be teachers at liberal arts colleges or even secondary schools. Others work in research-intensive careers in the government, private sector, or at think tanks.

Below are a few examples of specific fields and non-academic careers that are common destinations of graduates of those fields.

• Computer Science
• Lab Sciences

Many government jobs, including economists at a country’s central bank, are research-intensive and require a PhD. Think tanks also hire economists to carry out independent research.

In the private sector, economic consulting and technology firms frequently hire PhDs to solve real-world problems that require complex mathematical modeling.

Graduate students from the humanities are sometimes hired by museums, who can make use of their research and writing skills to curate exhibits and run public outreach.

Humanities PhDs are often well-suited to research and grant-writing roles at nonprofits. Since so much of research is funded by grants, PhD students often gain a lot of experience applying for them, which is a useful skill in the nonprofit sector.

There are a wide range of non-academic research jobs for lab scientists with doctorates in subjects like chemistry, biology, ecology and physics.

Many PhD graduates are hired by pharmaceutical companies that need to perform research to create and test their products. Government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), also hire lab scientists to work on research projects.

Job prospects after graduation vary widely based on the field. In fields like management, computer science, statistics, and economics, there’s little underemployment—even graduates from less well-known programs can easily find jobs that pay well and use the skills they’ve gained from the PhD.

However, in other fields, particularly in the humanities, many PhD graduates have difficulty in the job market. Unfortunately, there are far more PhD graduates than assistant professor roles, so many instead take on part-time and low-paid roles as adjunct instructors. Even non-academic careers can sometimes be difficult for PhDs to move into, as they may be seen as “overqualified”  or as lacking in relevant professional experience.

Because career options post-PhD vary so much, you should take the time to figure out what the career prospects are in your field. Doctoral programs often have detailed “placement” records online in which they list the career outcomes of their graduates immediately upon leaving the program. If you can’t find these records, contact the program and ask for them—placement information should play an important role in your choice of PhD program.

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Although PhDs take far longer to complete, students often receive a living stipend in exchange for being a teaching or research assistant. Master’s degrees are shorter but less likely to be funded.

Both master’s degrees and PhDs lead to increased salaries upon graduation. While PhDs usually earn a bit more than those with a master’s degree, in some fields, the wages are identical, meaning that no financial benefit is gained from going on to a PhD.

Cost of a master’s

The upfront cost of a master’s degree is usually higher than a doctoral degree due to the lower amount of financial aid available. However, increased salaries also arrive faster than with a doctoral degree, because people graduate much earlier from a master’s program.

Some master’s students do receive stipends for their degrees, usually as compensation for being a teaching or research assistant. In addition, many people complete master’s degrees part time while working full-time, which allows them to fund their living costs as well as tuition.

The cost varies significantly by school and program. Public schools are usually cheaper than private ones. Some master’s degrees, such as MBAs, are notoriously expensive, but also result in much higher wages afterwards that make up for the high cost.

The master’s wage premium , or the extra amount that someone with a master’s degree makes than someone with just a high school diploma, is 23% on average. Many universities provide detailed statistics on the career and salary outcomes of their students. If they do not have this online, you should feel free to contact an administrator of the program and ask.

Cost of a PhD

PhDs, particularly outside the humanities, are usually (though not always) funded, meaning that tuition fees are fully waived and students receive a small living stipend. During the last 3–5 years of a PhD, after finishing their coursework (and sometimes before), students are usually expected to work as graduate instructors or research assistants in exchange for the stipend.

Sometimes students can apply for a fellowship (such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program in the United States) that relieves them of any obligations to be a teaching or research assistant. Doctoral programs in the US tend to be better funded than in the rest of the world.

Sometimes, PhD degrees can be completed part-time, but this is rare. Students are usually expected to devote at least 40 hours a week to their research and work as teaching or research assistants.

The main cost of doctoral programs comes in the form of opportunity cost—all the years that students could be working a regular, full-time job, which usually pays much better than a graduate school stipend.

The average wage premium for PhDs is 26%, which is not much higher than the master’s degree premium.

In the US, the application process is similar for master’s and PhD programs. Both will generally ask for:

• At least one application essay, often called a personal statement or statement of purpose .
• Letters of recommendation .
• A resume or CV .
• Transcripts.
• Writing samples.

Applications for both types of programs also often require a standardized test. PhDs usually require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which tries to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative, critical thinking , and analytical writing skills. Many master’s programs require this test as well.

Applying for a master’s

Master’s degrees programs will often ask you to respond to specific essay prompts that may ask you to reflect upon not just your academic background, but also your personal character and future career ambitions.

Northwestern University’s Kellogg Business School requires Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) applicants write two essays, one about a recent time they demonstrated leadership and the second about their personal values.

Who you should ask for your letters of recommendation varies by program. If you are applying to a research-intensive master’s program, then you should choose former professors or research supervisors. For other programs, particularly business school, current work supervisors may be a better choice.

Some professional master’s programs require a specific test. For example, to apply to law school, you must take the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT. For business school, you must take either the GRE or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).

Applying for a PhD

When applying for a PhD, your resume should focus more on your research background—you should especially emphasize any publications you’ve authored or presentations that you’ve given.

Similarly, your statement of purpose should discuss research that you’ve participated in, whether as an assistant or the lead author. You should detail what exactly you did in projects you’ve contributed to, whether that’s conducting a literature review, coding regressions, or writing an entire article.

Your letters of recommendations should be from former professors or supervisors who can speak to your abilities and potential as a researcher. A good rule of thumb is to avoid asking for recommendations from anyone who does not themselves have a PhD.

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

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A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

This depends on the country. In the United States, you can generally go directly to a PhD  with only a bachelor’s degree, as a master’s program is included as part of the doctoral program.

Elsewhere, you generally need to graduate from a research-intensive master’s degree before continuing to the PhD.

This varies by country. In the United States, PhDs usually take between 5–7 years: 2 years of coursework followed by 3–5 years of independent research work to produce a dissertation.

In the rest of the world, students normally have a master’s degree before beginning the PhD, so they proceed directly to the research stage and complete a PhD in 3–5 years.

A master’s degree usually has a higher upfront cost, but it also allows you to start earning a higher salary more quickly. The exact cost depends on the country and the school: private universities usually cost more than public ones, and European degrees usually cost less than North American ones. There are limited possibilities for financial aid.

PhDs often waive tuition fees and offer a living stipend in exchange for a teaching or research assistantship. However, they take many years to complete, during which time you earn very little.

In the US, the graduate school application process is similar whether you’re applying for a master’s or a PhD . Both require letters of recommendation , a statement of purpose or personal statement , a resume or CV , and transcripts. Programs in the US and Canada usually also require a certain type of standardized test—often the GRE.

Outside the US, PhD programs usually also require applicants to write a research proposal , because students are expected to begin dissertation research in the first year of their PhD.

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Should You Get a Master’s or a PhD in Biotechnology?

Industry Advice Science & Mathematics

The job outlook for biotechnology professionals is very positive, with 2020 salaries averaging between $80,000 and $90,00 per year. As a result, many individuals are pursuing advanced degrees in biotechnology in hopes of acquiring the training and experience needed to land a role in this lucrative field.

Luckily, those with an undergraduate degree have the benefit of tailoring their graduate education by choosing to enroll in either a biotech master’s or a PhD program. Read on to explore how these two programs differ and what the five key aspects you should consider when deciding which is the right fit for you.

Choosing a Master’s vs. a PhD in Biotechnology: What to Consider 

1. your career goals.

Perhaps the most significant question you can ask yourself when picking between a master’s and a PhD is, “What do I intend to do with my degree?”

For example, because PhDs require an extensive time commitment and provide students the chance to explore the academic side of the field, individuals who want to pursue research are best suited for this degree.

“If you want to be an academic, you absolutely have to get a PhD,” says Jared Auclair, director of the biotechnology and bioinformatics programs at Northeastern. Conversely, he explains, “if you want to go work the industry, a master’s is the way to go.” 

A master’s degree is designed to transition students seamlessly from the classroom into the workforce. These programs tend to be shorter, and they provide chances for hands-on learning within real-world organizations. In short, they are developed in a way that allows students to begin shaping their careers in biotech before they even graduate.

“Because a master’s degree takes less time schooling-wise, you can go out and work in the industry sooner, get hands-on experience, and then move up in the chain of command,” Auclair says. 

Learn More: Industry vs. Academia: Which is Right for You?

PhD candidates considering work in industry (versus academia) are not as easily set up for success. This is because, while a PhD candidate is spending years in a classroom, professionals with master’s degrees are already out in the field collecting valuable real-world experiences that will help prepare them to advance within an organization.

And while there are still some companies that might value a PhD applicant’s extensive study over a master’s degree applicant’s time in the workforce, Auclair explains that, in most cases, a master’s is really all a hiring manager is looking for among applicants.

“In most of the job postings I see…companies are looking for those with master’s [degrees], not PhDs,” he says, noting that there are only a few situations where, in C-level leadership roles specifically, a PhD candidate might have an edge. 

2. Curriculum

“A master’s program and a PhD program in biotechnology will have similar coursework,” Auclair says.  Both are designed to provide students with an expansive understanding of the field, including the tools, practices, and trends that define it today.

In a PhD program, however, students will have the opportunity to specialize in a specific area of practice within the larger biotechnology field. “A master’s offers a broader depth of training…[whereas] PhDs are trained to do something very specific,” he continues.

As a result, master’s students may end up taking more classes and leaving with a much broader and holistic understanding of the field than their PhD counterparts. 

3. Program Length

A master’s program is designed to be completed quickly so that students can explore opportunities within the industry earlier in their careers. At Northeastern, for example, the master’s in biotechnology program can take anywhere from two to three years to complete, depending on whether a student pursues it in a full-time or part-time capacity.

A PhD, on the other hand, requires a much longer time commitment. After completing core classes, PhD students complete a three- to five-year research project with the faculty of their program, effectively delaying their release into the workforce.

4. Experiential Learning Opportunities

The experiential component of a student’s education is perhaps the biggest differentiator in the structures of PhD and master’s programs.

Students who pursue their master’s at Northeastern, for example, have unparalleled opportunities to practice their skills hands-on at organizations in the industry before ever entering the workforce.

“Our master program has a mandatory co-op , which is 12 weeks to six months of experience in the industry,” Auclair says. This paid and credited work provides students with the chance to explore the trends of the industry first-hand, network with leaders in the field, and begin to develop working relationships with organizations they may hope to be employed by after they graduate.

Just as industry experience prepares master’s students to thrive in the field, many PhD programs provide experiential learning opportunities for their students that expose them to the types of research and academia they can expect to pursue post-graduation.

“After you do your mandatory coursework for your PhD, you’re going to do a research project with a faculty,” Auclair says. “And that’s not industry experience, it’s academic research experience, which is completely different.”

This academic research gives students a chance to become comfortable in a lab or research setting, gain exposure to some of the technology and tools they will use in practice, and begin developing working relationships with professors and other university faculty.

5. Demands of the Industry

Some professionals considering an advanced degree do so knowing exactly what they want to do with their careers. For these individuals, the process of deciding between a master’s and a PhD may stop after consideration of their career goals.

However, some individuals embark on advanced education not to fulfill a specific career objective, but to simply pursue their passion for biotechnology. These individuals should think about not only what career opportunities each program might lead to, but which degree will best set them up to meet the current demands of the industry.

For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a plethora of lucrative possibilities for those in the biotechnology sector. Between a need for expedited vaccine development, a rethinking of telemedicine, and much more, Auclair notes there will be many new and exciting opportunities for those hoping to get involved.

“With COVID…sciences and new technologies are going to evolve rapidly,” he says. “The master’s degree sets you up to be more nimble and flexible [in order] to adapt to those [changes] and to really have a broader impact.”

Though there are opportunities for PhD holders to carve out a place for themselves in the industry, Auclair explains that the depth and type of training required at their level don’t as easily translate.

“Traditionally a person with a PhD is very specialized in one specific technique or aspect of the sciences, whereas somebody with a master’s is [better] able to adapt to the evolution of where the science is going to go. I’m not saying that PhDs can’t do that, but it’s typically not as easy for them.”

Weighing Your Options

If you’re considering a career in biotechnology, an advanced degree provides a perfect opportunity to gain the training and hands-on experience necessary to thrive within this ever-evolving field.

The Master of Science in Biotechnology at Northeastern, for example, has been designed with the input of industry experts and is constantly evolving to best prepare its students to meet the changing needs of the field.

“Part of my mission is to develop all of our programs in collaboration with industry,” Auclair says. “[We] monitor the trends and evolve and adapt as the trends evolve and adapt so that we’re producing people who are ready to work in the business of today or tomorrow, and not of yesterday.”

Northeastern has also taken steps to create opportunities for students who want both the industry exposure of a master’s degree with the cumulative title of a PhD.

The Experiential PhD is a unique program that allows students to work toward their PhD while simultaneously holding a full-time position within the industry. While this degree can be applied to any field, it’s particularly relevant to master’s degree holders who later realize they want to specialize their knowledge or to pivot their career toward research.

Northeastern’s master’s in biotechnology is designed to effectively complement this degree, as well. The Experiential PhD allows students to build off the holistic understanding of the industry obtained at the master’s level, preventing them from repeating much of the same coursework over again as they would in pursuit of a different science-based PhD.

The way it works, Auclair explains, is that “when you have your master’s…and you’re working at a company, you find a mentor in that company and a mentor at the university, and you [choose and then] work on a project that’s interesting to all three of you.”

This type of industry-applicable PhD is ideal for those who have already spent time working within organizations in the field. It allows you to advance your education while still continuing to function as an employee at your company. “You get all the benefits and the money and the salary and everything, but you’re still getting your PhD and it [only takes] three years,” Auclair says.

Take the Next Step

No matter which program you choose, pursuing an advanced degree in biotechnology is sure to be a positive step toward success in this field.  If you’re still struggling to determine which path is right for you, consult with an expert in the field. Whether that person is someone in your network that works in biotech or an enrollment coach at Northeastern, (who are well-versed in Northeastern’s variety of programs), gaining some outside perspective can help you make this important career choice.

Explore the master’s in biotechnology at Northeastern on our program page then download our free e-Book to learn more about how you can advance your career in biotechnology.

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• Masters vs PhD – Differences Explained
• Types of Doctorates

The decision of whether or not to pursue a Masters or PhD (or both) after you complete your undergraduate studies is not necessarily a straightforward one. Both are postgraduate degrees but are different in terms of the academic experience and the career paths taken afterwards.

In short, a Masters degree involves a year of study, primarily through taught lectures and a final dissertation research project, whilst a PhD (also referred to as a doctorate degree) is a three-year commitment of independent research on a specific subject.

There’s more to it than that, however – read on for more information.

What Is a Masters Degree?

A Masters degree is the next level of education after the completion of an undergraduate degree, commonly known as a Bachelors.

These degree levels are often referred to in terms of cycles so that a Bachelor’s is a first-cycle degree, a Masters is a second-cycle and finally, a PhD is the third-cycle of higher education (and the highest).

Masters degrees demand an intense period of study, usually centred around a core series of lectures and taught modules, coupled with coursework assignments and exams, followed by the completion of a contained research project usually taking students 3-4 months to complete.

These types of degrees are attractive to recent graduates who want to delve deeper into their specific field of study, gaining some research experience and more specialised knowledge beyond what an undergraduate degree can offer.

Equally, some pursue a Masters degree program in a subject that is only tangentially related to their Bachelors degree, helping them gain a broader depth of knowledge.

These degrees also serve as a significant stepping stone for those already in employment who want to progress their current career development and earn a higher salary. They can also be an excellent method for helping in changing careers completely by learning new skills and subject knowledge.

What Is a PhD Degree?

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the highest academic degree that can be awarded and is the third and final cycle in the progression of higher education.

A doctoral degree is earned on the basis of producing a significant, independent and novel body of work (a Thesis) that contributes new knowledge to a particular research topic.

These are research degrees that are a significant investment of a candidate’s time, resources and energy and are all but a pre-requisite for anyone considering a career in academia, such as eventually becoming a professor.

There are some exceptions to this, such as those with a medical background who may earn an MD (Doctor of Medicine), which is the equivalent of a PhD.

Doctoral degrees can also have a significant positive impact on career development outside of academia, especially in fields such as engineering, business and finance that have a high demand for highly qualified and capable people.

A graduate student engaged in PhD study is commonly known as a PhD student, PhD candidate or doctoral student.

What are the Benefits of a Masters Degree?

There are several reasons one might consider doing a Masters degree rather than a PhD in their graduate education. These include:

• It takes approximately a third of the time to do compared to a doctorate degree and costs less too.
• It’s a good way to differentiate yourself from those that hold only an undergraduate degree without having to commit to a substantial research degree.
• The end goal is more career-focused as opposed to research-focused. For example, it is practically an ‘easier’ route to changing or progressing your career if that aligns with your professional goals.

What are the Benefits of Doing a PhD?

You may continue on into a doctoral program after a Masters or you may even dive straight in after completing your undergraduate studies. So, what are the advantages of completing this third-cycle?

• You’ll have developed a wealth of transferable skills at graduate school, such as effective communication of complex concepts, multi-tasking time-management and the ability to adapt to and solve unexpected problems.
• A doctorate helps to establish you as an expert within your chosen subject area; your work will hopefully have furthered the knowledge in this.
• It will open up career paths and teaching positions within academia that may otherwise be very difficult to get a hold in (although these career paths will still be very competitive).
• You can add the title ‘Dr’ in front of your name!

Which Degree Is More Impactful: A Masters or a PhD?

On paper, the answer should be clear: A doctorate degree is the highest degree you can earn, so has more impact than a Masters, which in turn has more impact than a Bachelors.

The reality is that the size of the impact (if any) really depends on the subject area and the career path you choose (if the measure of impact is how it positively improves your career prospects, that is).

For someone with aspirations of becoming a professor, a PhD will be of greater value than a Masters alone.

Equally, it’s also possible that someone with a PhD entering a different field or one that doesn’t require a PhD may find that their degree has no bearing on their career or in some cases may even be seen as a ‘negative’ with a concern of the person being ‘over-qualified’ for a position. There are many scenarios in which professional experience would be more valuable to an employer than a doctorate degree.

Check out the links below to our interviews with Prof. Debby Cotton and Dr Nikolay Nikolov to read their experiences of when a going through a PhD program has had a clear benefit (Prof. Cotton) and when it hasn’t been helpful (Dr Nikolov).

Do You Need to Have a Masters to do a PhD?

This really depends on the university, department and sometimes even the project and supervisor.

From a purely application process perspective, some institutions may formally require you to hold a Masters degree relevant to the subject of the PhD project before you can enter their doctoral program.

In another scenario, most universities are unlikely to accept candidates that were awarded below a 2:1 (in the UK) in their undergraduate degree but may consider someone who has ‘made up’ for this with a high-grade Masters.

Lastly, some universities now offer PhD programmes that incorporate an additional year of study in which you would complete a Masters degree before carrying directly on into a PhD project. As you’d expect, even if a university doesn’t formally require you to hold one, a Masters degree can help separate you from other applicants in being accepted on the project.

Check out our detailed guide to doing a PhD without a Master’s .

Why Do a Masters before Your PhD?

Even if you don’t need to have one, it could still be beneficial to begin your postgraduate study by doing a Masters first before you embark on your doctorate journey.

As mentioned previously it’ll help you stand out from applicants that don’t have one, but beyond that, it’ll give you a taster of what research life could be like, especially if you stay at the same university and department for your PhD.

The one-year commitment (in the UK at least) of carrying out a Masters first, and in particular your research project, will help you better understand if this is truly something you want to commit the next three or more years to.

You’ll learn some of the skills of independent research, from performing detailed literature searches to more complex, analytical writing.

At the end of it, you should be in a stronger position to consider your options and decide about whether to continue into a PhD at graduate school.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Masters Degree?

In the UK, a full-time Masters degrees take students one calendar year to complete: The programme of study usually starts in September, the final research project the following April and final project viva around August. Part-time degrees are usually double the time.

How Long Does It Take to Get a PhD?

In the UK, most PhD projects take 3-4 years to complete , as reflected by the majority of funded projects offering stipends to cover living expenses of about 3.5 years.

For many reasons, projects may end up taking longer to complete, however. This might be because of difficulties in collecting enough data, or if the project is being done part-time.

Which One is More Expensive to Do?

As you’d expect, as a PhD takes three times as long to complete as a Masters degree, it will cost you more to do as far as university fees are concerned.

Another thing to consider is that many PhD projects come with some level of funding equivalent to a low salary, which may cover the cost of tuition fees and living expenses, whilst it is usually more difficult to obtain funding for Masters study.

Conversely, a Masters graduate may progress into a higher (versus PhD funding) salary sooner whilst a PhD student will endure three years of a comparatively low income.

A Masters vs a PhD: Conclusion

If you’re considering continue further graduate study after your undergraduate degree, the question of doing a Masters vs a PhD is likely to come up. They are both considered an advanced degree, each with their own advantages.

There are benefits to doing either of these graduate programs or even both of them; your decision here can be easier if you have an idea of the career you want to follow or if you know you have a love for research!

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Stephanie Manka

Wildlife biology graduate programs: master’s or ph.d..

• November 7, 2019

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One of the biggest questions you will ask yourself in your career towards wildlife biology is if you should go to graduate school. You will definitely need a bachelor’s degree, and although you don’t need an advanced degree to get a job, it is much harder to get one without one.

Which then leads to the question, “Should I get a master’s or Ph.D.?”

There are two ways to go about wildlife biology graduate programs. You can get a master’s and then get your Ph.D. or you can just jump straight through and get your Ph.D.

Note that not all wildlife biology graduate programs or universities will allow you to do this. For example, at the University of Missouri, where I went to school, in the Biological Sciences department (my department), you didn’t need a Master’s to get a Ph.D., but in the department of Fisheries and Wildlife, you did.

I did the latter option; jumping straight into my Ph.D. I figured that if I didn’t like science or if I wanted to change to a master’s, I always could. This is true, but it was harder in my situation.

For me, I didn’t start my field work and lab work until year three. If I changed to a master’s, it still would have taken me about five years to complete my work. At that point, I might as well have finished my Ph.D., which is what I did.

For the reasons I outline below, I really wish I did my master’s first, but if I did, I might not be writing these blog posts for you and my book for careers in wildlife biology .

Wildlife Biology Graduate Programs: Master’s vs Ph.D.

Briefly, the main difference between having a master’s and a Ph.D. is that jobs with a Ph.D. are those where you are in charge or a lab or research project. In these positions, you will be directing the research and deciding what types of projects to pursue. In master’s level positions, you usually will be working for a more senior scientist who will be directing you on the projects you will be working on.

Master’s Degree First:

Master’s pros :.

• You get the experience of doing a project from start to finish. This is extremely helpful in preparing you for your Ph.D. if you decide to do one. You have complete ownership over the project and have to work out all of the problems and setbacks. As an intern on other people’s research projects, although I was getting experience, I did not have this ownership and get this experience.
• You may want to stop at a Master’s even if you think you want a Ph.D. now. You might realize you don’t like science or that you want jobs at this level. It’s really hard to understand what science is like until you have your own research project! Trust me.
• You will get more publications! If you choose to go on and do your Ph.D., you will have at least one publishable manuscript from your Master’s and more from your Ph.D. Publications make you more competitive for research jobs.
• You will work with more than one advisor if you get your Ph.D. This is helpful for several reasons. First, you will be exposed to both advisor’s networks. Say you are applying for a job. It really helps if someone can vouch for you or knows of your advisor’s work. If you have two advisors, this doubles your chances of having that connection (you would be surprised how small this world is!). Also, if you are interested in becoming a professor, being exposed to two different mentoring styles will definitely help you figure out what works.
• It will give you more skills if you continue on to get your Ph.D. By doing a Master’s and a Ph.D., you will likely get to work with two different taxa and/or study systems and potentially learn different skills. For example, your Master’s could involve genetic techniques, while your Ph.D. might involve tracking animals with GPS transmitters.
• It will help you prepare for your Ph.D. if you decide to get one. From your Master’s, you will learn what you don’t like as much as what you do like. In the example mentioned above, maybe you realized you love research, but you just don’t love genetics. A Ph.D. after a Master’s gives you an opportunity to pivot.

Master’s Cons:

In my opinion, there are few cons of getting a master’s first.

• You have to move twice (unless you do your Ph.D. at the same place as your master’s). This can be costly and is just plain annoying. I hate moving!
• If you are interested in international projects, these tend to be more difficult to do for Master’s projects. This is because it’s just harder to do international projects during shorter time frames (securing funds, permits, etc.). However, if your adviser consistently works internationally, especially if it’s in the same location, they may be able to secure funds for you. You can also always do international for your Ph.D.

Ph.D. Straight Through: Pros and Cons

Ph.d. pros:.

• If you go straight through and get your Ph.D., you can finish faster. (That being said, my Ph.D. took me 6.5 years. If I got a Master’s first, the experience that I learned during my Master’s could have resulted in me taking less time to get my Ph.D. However, there are a lot of factors that determine that. In my case, my field work was delayed and I didn’t even get my dung samples until year three of my Ph.D.)
• You can get better funding opportunities. At my university, a Ph.D. qualified you for a life sciences fellowship, which meant you didn’t have to teach and you got a higher stipend. This was not available to Master’s students.
• You can always change it to a Master’s if you decide you don’t want a Ph.D. In my case however, I didn’t start collecting data until my third year. If I changed my program to a Master’s, it would have taken me roughly the same amount of time and effort to finish and get a Ph.D.
• You will only have to move once. This can save you time and money.
• You get all of your courses done at once.

Ph.D. Cons :

The cons will pretty much all be opposite of the pros in master’s. Briefly, they are:

• You may have fewer publishing opportunities.
• You will only have one advisor and only access to their network.
• Getting a Ph.D. can over-qualify you for jobs. If you apply for MS level jobs as a Ph.D., you will have to work extra hard in your cover letter to convince them that this is the job that you want.
• It can potentially be hard to change to a Masters if you change your mind depending on your research
• You have fewer opportunities to learn new skills.
• You will have fewer opportunities to take cool or useful courses (like stats, which is extremely important in this career). Although some of you may think it might be a pro to take fewer courses and get it all done with.

Over-qualification is is Real

You might be thinking, “I’ll just get my Ph.D. because that will qualify me for everything.” However, in reality it can over-qualify you for jobs. What this means is that if you are applying for a job at the Master’s level and you have a Ph.D., the employer might think that you are just applying for this job to get a job. In other words, using this job as a placeholder until you get the job you really want.

To this day, I apply for some jobs that only require a Master’s because I am genuinely interested in these jobs. You will have to explain in your cover letter why you really want the job to try to convince the employer that this is not the case. In many cases, I think I didn’t get interviewed because I was overqualified.

My Decision and What I Would Have Change d

Before I went to graduate school, I took three years off and secured research internships to see how I would like working in wildlife biology and what type of research I wanted to pursue. In all of these internships, I learned invaluable skills and experience.

At the Bureau of Land Management, I did a lot of fieldwork and learned how to use ArcGIS, navigate in backcountry areas, and gained some experience tracking animals with radio telemetry.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I gained a lot experience in lab work, measuring the hormones of captive and wild animals for conservation and management purposes.

At the School for Field Studies in Kenya, I got my most valuable experience. I coauthored two scientific publications by collaborating with a professor on social science studies.

I learned A LOT from these experiences, but the problem was that I learned what research was like from an intern’s or a technician’s perspective.

As an intern or technician, you don’t have ownership over the project. It’s not your baby; it’s not up to you to design the project or problem solve once you hit roadblocks. Even as a coauthor, the question was already formulated and I had no input in designing the study.

Therefore, I didn’t go through the struggles I would have if it was my project. In other words, I could sleep at night as the main responsibilities were not on my shoulders. In these experiences, I didn’t fully understand what it was like to be a lead researcher.

Although I recommend highly that you volunteer or work in a lab before you get your master’s or Ph.D., I don’t think this experience alone provides you with the necessary information to truly know what it’s like to be a researcher.

This is true even if you are in charge of your “own” project as an undergraduate. It’s not the same as when you are doing your master’s or Ph.D.

My Advice for You on Wildlife Biology Graduate Programs

Once you have an idea of the type of job you want, you can now narrow down the educational requirements you need. If you don’t know exactly, that’s okay, but now with the job tracker, you will have some sort of direction if you use it consistently.

Use my job tracker to figure out exactly what skills and experiences you need to get the job you want before you start researching wildlife biology graduate programs. You may not even need to go to graduate school for the job that you want.

Get my Job Tracker spreadsheet to get started!

If you do decide on getting an advanced degree, you can search wildlife biology graduate programs through this list  compiled by the Wildlife Society.

Check out Becoming a Wildlife Professional  too. It’s a great resource for careers in wildlife biology, especially for those interested in government positions.

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Master’s vs PhD/Doctorate Degrees – Key Differences

So, you are done with your bachelor’s degree but not with studying–according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , this seems like a good idea. In its projections for the years 2019–2029, it lists 36 occupations that typically require a master’s degree and 63 requiring a doctoral or professional degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data also shows that the wages for these occupations are higher than the median for all occupations. 

Now you might wonder: What is the difference between master’s and PhD degrees and which one should I get? Read on for all the information you need to make this important decision!

Difference Between Masters and PhD: An Overview

A master’s degree is designed to teach you the knowledge and skills that you will need in your future profession. A PhD or doctorate degree, on the other hand, is designed to develop your critical thinking as well as your analytical and writing skills and is usually a years-long commitment to independent research on a specific subject. The purpose of a PhD is to prepare you for a career in academic research—although it can also help you get into a variety of other professions, and at a higher entry/salary level. In the US, a master’s degree is integrated into a PhD program, as a necessary preparation period involving mostly coursework, while in most other countries, a separate master’s degree is required to enter a PhD program.

If you want to stand out, you should definitely opt for a PhD degree: According to the United States Census Bureau , 24 million people in the US had master’s or professional degrees in 2019, whereas only 4.5 million had PhDs/doctorates. But is it worth the extra effort? And what exactly would the extra effort be? Have a look at the table below to get an idea about the key differences between master’s and PhDs.

Master’s vs PhD

Master’s or Doctorate: Which Should You Choose?

How Long Does a Master’s vs Doctorate Take to Complete?

While the length of time it will take you to complete a PhD or master’s degree varies significantly between institutions and countries, we will focus on the US system here. Obviously, PhDs take much longer, because they are in fact a combination of both degrees and involve a long period of independent research that can get even longer than expected, depending on your topic, the available equipment or support, and a lot of other factors.

How long to complete a master’s degree

In the US, a full-time master’s degree takes students generally 2 years to complete, while part-time degrees are usually double the time.

How long to complete a PhD/doctorate

Since US PhD programs only require a completed bachelor’s degree, they start with an integrated master’s of 2 years of coursework, followed by 3–4 years of independent research into a specific topic. That usually includes publishing results, presenting at conferences, and preparing the final dissertation. Note that stipends/funding do not always cover the entire time it can take you to complete your PhD project—make sure you are aware of alternative options and additional funding at your institution or have at least thought about a backup plan before you start.

Master’s Degree Cost vs. a PhD Cost

Most people assume that PhDs are more expensive because they take many more years to complete. However, since PhD students usually receive scholarships or stipends, sometimes just for their commitment to full-time research and sometimes in exchange for teaching, the direct costs for a dissertation can be lower than those for a master’s degree. 

Additionally, while you are very likely to earn more with both degrees, the additional years of studying for a PhD should be factored into any estimation of costs vs outcomes.

Cost of a master’s degree

Master’s degrees at US universities can cost anything from $30,000 to $120,000, with tuition depending on the type of institution (public, private nonprofit, or for-profit). University rankings and general reputation also affect tuition costs. 

Whether an expensive degree (e.g., MBAs are often notoriously expensive) is worth the money for you personally depends on what kind of salary you think you can expect after graduating from that specific school. The universities you consider applying to should be able to provide you with data on the career and salary outcomes of their students, either on their website or if you contact them and ask for these details.

You can of course try to get a stipend and/or apply for a teaching or research assistant position at your school, depending on your undergraduate degree and experience. Moreover, many institutions offer the possibility to complete a master’s degree part-time, while working, which allows students to fund themselves.

You might also be eligible to transfer credits toward your degree if you have a professional certification or have earned graduate-level course credit—which can significantly reduce your total cost for both degrees.

Cost of a PhD/dissertation

PhDs, unlike master’s degrees, are usually funded, which means that tuition fees are waived and stipends or scholarships take care of living costs. Phd students are, however, often expected to take on teaching or research responsibilities in exchange for their funding. 

There are a variety of scholarships you can apply for if you want to pursue a PhD in the US as an international student—US-based ones like the Fulbright Foreign Student Program or the HHMI International Student Research Scholarships , but there are probably also funding opportunities in your home country for students who want to embark on a PhD abroad.

Pursuing a PhD degree part-time might sometimes be possible, but since students are expected to invest a full workweek into their research and potential teaching responsibilities, this is usually not realistic.

To estimate the overall cost of a doctoral program, the extra years that you could be working a full-time job with a regular salary also need to be factored into the equation—and take into account that projects may end up taking longer than expected, due to difficulties in collecting data, supervisors dropping out or moving on, or unforeseeable crises such as the COVID-19 epidemic.

Career Prospects for a Master’s vs PhD

While both a master’s and a PhD degree will qualify you for a variety of occupations that require higher degrees, they can also get you a higher salary in a profession that is also open to employees with a lower education level. PhD holders can in theory expect the highest wages, but since the two degrees prepare you for very different careers, that alone shouldn’t be what you base your decision on.

Master’s degree jobs and positions

Master’s degrees are overall more versatile than PhDs when it comes to employment opportunities and cover a wide range of fields and professions. The most common master’s degrees are the Master’s of Arts (MA) and the Master’s of Science (MS). 

Master’s programs can generally be divided into three different types:

Research master’s degrees, such as an MA in Comparative Literature or an MS in Biology, prepare students for academic and non-academic research disciplines and usually end with a thesis based on an original piece of research. In some fields, however, you are expected to enter a Ph.D. program after completing your master’s to be competitive when it comes to finding a job later.

Professional master’s degrees teach you practical skills and in-demand competencies that qualify you for a specific field and enable you to understand issues that are relevant in a certain profession. Examples include the Master of Public Health (MPH), the  Master of Business Administration (MBA), or the MA in Teaching (MAT). 

Terminal master’s degrees are the highest academic degree in fields where doctorates are not offered, and prepare students for careers outside of academia. The Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, for example, or the MS in Library Science are as high as you can go in those fields.

To give you an idea, below, we listed the 10 occupations at the master’s level that are projected to have the most openings annually from 2019 to 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the highest-paying occupations for master’s degree holders without required work experience, based on projections from 2016 to 2026.

Master’s degrees, apart from helping you develop professional skills tailored to the requirements of the profession you intend to enter, can also serve as a stepping stone if you are already in employment and want to progress your career development, earn a higher salary, or change careers by learning new skills and subject knowledge.

PhD/doctorate jobs and positions

PhDs are usually intended to lead to an academic career, and many students aim to eventually become university professors. However, careers in academia are highly competitive, and there are not nearly as many professor positions as there are PhD holders. The good news is that the skills you learn during your doctoral program are often “transferable” and can be applied to other types of careers. 

Some PhD graduates end up (and enjoy) being colleague teachers, while others embark on non-academic research careers, for example at pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, consulting and technology firms, or think tanks. Job prospects vary widely across fields, with some—computer science, engineering, or economics—having very low unemployment rates, and others, for example the humanities, offering fewer and less desirable employment opportunities. Keep in mind, however, that someone with a PhD entering a different field or one that does not necessarily require a PhD may find that their degree sometimes does not help them or that they are even considered to be “overqualified” or as lacking practical skills and relevant professional experience.

Since there is no clear career path for PhD graduates, you should really take your time figuring out what field you want to work in later, what the career prospects for that field are, and if they are worth the time and effort you will have to invest to complete a PhD program. Your university should have data on the careers and salaries of their students, and should either display these details on their website or send you the relevant information if you contact them directly.

Master’s vs PhD: Application Process

The application process for master’s and PhD programs is overall very similar. In general, you will need to provide the following:

Frequently Asked Questions about Master’s vs PhD Degrees

How long does a master’s degree take vs a phd.

Full-time master’s degrees usually take 2 years to complete. Many universities offer the option to do a master’s part-time, which takes double the time. PhD programs in the US  start with an integrated master’s of 2 years of coursework (since you enter the program directly after completing your bachelor’s degree), followed by 3–4 years of independent research. 

Is a PhD harder than a master’s degree?

A PhD takes substantially longer and requires more self-motivation, organizational skills, and the willingness to carry on even when things do not go according to plan. You might also have other responsibilities, on top of your research, such as teaching or assisting your supervisor. But whether that is “harder” for you than a master’s degree that consists of mostly coursework and does not take more than 2 years depends on your interests and general working style. 

Is a master’s or doctorate better?

Master’s and doctorate degrees prepare you for different occupations and work positions, and which one is the right for you depends on what kind of career you are planning to pursue. Generally, a master’s degree is right for you if you want to deepen your career-oriented knowledge and skills for a specific profession, while a doctorate degree prepares you for a career in research, whether that is inside or outside a university.

Preparing Your Graduate School Essays

Now that you have figured out whether a master’s or PhD degree is the right choice for you, all that is left to do is to put your application together! Make sure that you focus on your chosen degree and its aim (research or a professional career) in all required documents—for example, highlight your professional and personal development in your CV for an MBA program, but the publication you got out of your bachelor’s thesis and how passionate you are about doing more research on the same topic for your application to a PhD program. 

As always, Wordvice can help with our professional Personal Statement Editing Services or Admission Editing Services , which help ensure that your application is error-free and showcases your full potential so that you get admitted to the graduate or doctoral program of your choice. For more academic resources on writing the statement of purpose for grad school or on how to request a letter of recommendation , head over to our Admissions Resources pages.

Wordvice Business & Writer Editing Services

After landing that sweet job position when you finish your graduate degree, be sure to get English editing services for any of your crucial documents before sending them to colleagues, clients, or users. Check out our list of business editing and writer editing services below.

• Document Editing Services
• Report Editing Services
• Blog Editing Services
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• Script Editing Services
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Should I Pursue A Master’s or A Ph.D.?

The first step in deciding on the right graduate program for you is to figure out which degree will best serve you—a master’s or a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.). Here are a few factors to consider.

What are your career goals?

• Professional master’s: A good choice if you want to develop a particular skill set in order to practice a particular profession. This type of degree provides coursework focused on learning and practicing skills.
• Research master’s: A good fit if you want to gain expertise in a discipline and know how to teach it. A research master’s typically includes a research project or thesis and comprehensive exams in addition to coursework and provides experience in research and scholarship.
• Ph.D. (doctor of philosophy): Consider this option if your goal is to ground yourself in a body of research and develop the ability to add to that body of knowledge. Ph.D. study includes a major research project in addition to coursework, and a Ph.D. is the highest scholastic degree awarded by American universities. Contrary to common perception, career paths for Ph.D. graduates are quite varied, not just limited to academia. Ph.D. training helps you hones skills such as writing, research, teaching, data analysis, communicating complex topics—all of which can translate into many sectors, including industry, government, nonprofit, and entrepreneurship.

See career data for Duke graduate programs' alumni

How much time do you have to pursue a graduate degree?

Master’s degrees typically take two years to complete, while Ph.D. programs generally take five to seven years ( see Duke programs' time-to-degree ). That is a significant difference in commitment and opportunity costs. It might also play a key role in deciding which factors take higher priority as you evaluate a program. How does the length of the program fit with your career and family plans? How important is the surrounding community if you are going to be there for seven years instead of two? How long are you able or willing to go on a limited income while in graduate school?

How much can you afford to pay for a graduate degree?

Consider your personal financial situation (e.g., how much savings and student loans do you have), as well as how much financial aid you can get. Master’s and Ph.D. programs differ greatly in the amount of financial aid available. Ph.D. programs tend to offer significantly more financial support than master’s programs (but often will have research or teaching requirements). 

A typical Ph.D. financial aid package usually includes coverage of tuition and fees, a living stipend, and some level of support for health insurance for a set number of years. For instance, Duke’s standard Ph.D. package covers tuition, mandatory fees, and a stipend for five years, as well as health insurance premiums for six years. 

Within an institution, the level of financial support often differs across programs, so be sure to ask your specific program about the financial aid it offers. There are also many national organizations that provide competitive fellowships and scholarships for graduate students.

Know which degree you want to pursue? Here are some key things to look for in a program .

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My overly informative situation of MD vs PhD!

• Thread starter matthewsrr
• Start date May 15, 2012

Full Member

• May 15, 2012

You sound like an old guy so I don't know if this would be good for you but why not MD/PhD?  

Nah I'm actually only 23 years old. I've thought about it but worry about the time commitment of doing MD/PhD,and I've actually heard some say that MD is fine, and then just do research. But, I also heard an MD doing research compared to a PhD doing it is vastly different. Basically I love learning and can't make a decision! Sometimes I kinda wish I could just get paid to learn for the rest of my life haha.  

matthewsrr said: Nah I'm actually only 23 years old. I've thought about it but worry about the time commitment of doing MD/PhD,and I've actually heard some say that MD is fine, and then just do research. But, I also heard an MD doing research compared to a PhD doing it is vastly different. Basically I love learning and can't make a decision! Sometimes I kinda wish I could just get paid to learn for the rest of my life haha. Click to expand...

huskydock said: And again, MD/PhD programs are typically 5 years, which still totally beats the PhD route which could, again, be up to 8 years. Click to expand...

notbobtrustme

Crux terminatus.

MD >>>>>>>>>>>> PhD.  

If you want to work less than 40 hours a week and spend a lot of time with your family, then I wouldn't recommend becoming a physician or scientist. There are very few medical specialties that work so few hours. Although emergency physicians do work about 35-40 hrs/wk as attendings, after 7-8 years of 60-80 hour weeks in med school and residency, that's still a misleading number. Since we work 24/7 in EM, there is a lot of time spent recovering from night shifts, and we work many nights, weekends and holidays. Our free time doesn't coincide with the free time of family members who have normal work or school schedules. If you're concerned about lack of variety in emergency medicine, I don't know how to help you as we probably have a wider variety of almost everything than any other specialty. So far I find it a very stimulating and rewarding field (granted, only ten months into my intern year). Although there may be a small fraction of patients who shouldn't be in the ED, this isn't as much of an issue as you seem to think. I have yet to see anyone return three times in a day. Others have touched on some issues with the PhD route. The average length of a PhD in biology is around 7 years these days, although it can be 5 or 6, followed by years of postdoc work. The funding environment is terrible and likely to get worse due to Republican antipathy toward science and the poor economy. Again, it's hard to be successful without working long hours. I would really urge you to spend a lot more time exploring your options rather than rushing into something that's going to eat your soul for a decade.  

Algophiliac

pseudoknot said: Others have touched on some issues with the PhD route. The average length of a PhD in biology is around 7 years these days, although it can be 5 or 6, followed by years of postdoc work. The funding environment is terrible and likely to get worse due to Republican antipathy toward science and the poor economy. Again, it's hard to be successful without working long hours. I would really urge you to spend a lot more time exploring your options rather than rushing into something that's going to eat your soul for a decade. Click to expand...

xXIDaShizIXx

notbobtrustme said: MD >>>>>>>>>>>> PhD. Click to expand...

the evil queen of numbers

Have you considered engineering? Regular hours. Entertaining: http://www.slashgear.com/university-of-pennsylvania-makes-robots-to-play-james-bond-theme-02216575/ Help millions of people. If you are reading this, you can thank an engineer! I think that medicine or academic-based research are bad ideas if you want a 40 hour/wk schedule.  

Has an MD in Horribleness

LizzyM said: I think that medicine or academic-based research are bad ideas if you want a 40 hour/wk schedule. Click to expand...

Ebola4Breakfast

pseudoknot said: ... Others have touched on some issues with the PhD route. The average length of a PhD in biology is around 7 years these days, although it can be 5 or 6, followed by years of postdoc work. The funding environment is terrible and likely to get worse due to Republican antipathy toward science and the poor economy. Again, it's hard to be successful without working long hours. I would really urge you to spend a lot more time exploring your options rather than rushing into something that's going to eat your soul for a decade. Click to expand...

Algophiliac said: Is it really so bad to become a PhD? I've heard all of these stories about how it would be difficult to find a decent-paying teaching or research position as a post-PhD student, but I still see so many well-employed, tenured professors. Numerous PhD students graduate from the universities in my area and still get into fantastic programs afterward, but obviously these are all just useless and random statistics. Click to expand...

pseudoknot said: Others have touched on some issues with the PhD route. The average length of a PhD in biology is around 7 years these days, although it can be 5 or 6, followed by years of postdoc work. The funding environment is terrible and likely to get worse due to Republican antipathy toward science and the poor economy. Again, it's hard to be successful without working long hours. Click to expand...

Ebola4Breakfast said: The problem is that we educate more PhDs than the available number of tenure track positions. The bottleneck isn't immediately after graduation. Postdoc positions are a dime a dozen, especially if you have good communication skills. The problem comes in trying to find a position with upward mobility AFTER a postdoc. It's not easy. Click to expand...

huskydock said: http://100rsns.blogspot.com/ http://www.economist.com/node/17723223?story_id=17723223&CFID=157679668&CFTOKEN=82403941 Click to expand...

Perrotfish said: And let us not forget the incredibly unhealthy system of tying your entire career to a single professor who has the ability to completely f- over your career and who also has every professional motivation to keep you around as indentured labor rather than letting you actually graduate. Say what you will about medical school, but it does try its best to be objective and you do know how long its going to last. Click to expand...

TheMightySmiter

It will be very tough to have a 40 hour workweek in either career path.  

Membership Revoked

LizzyM said: Have you considered engineering? Regular hours. Entertaining: http://www.slashgear.com/university-of-pennsylvania-makes-robots-to-play-james-bond-theme-02216575/ Help millions of people. If you are reading this, you can thank an engineer! I think that medicine or academic-based research are bad ideas if you want a 40 hour/wk schedule. Click to expand...

Perrotfish said: Not nearly as bad as all the interesting kinds of engineering. Or law. Or business. I think medicine is actually one of the best alternatives for a 40 hour week. It's 7 years of terrible hours while you're in training, but when you get to the end of it there actually is a very robust market for shift work, and a lot of people do work 40 hours worth of shifts a week. Engineers don't work shifts, and neither do researchers, lawyers, or businessmen: they stay until the project is done. Click to expand...

LizzyM said: Engineers don't work shifts which means they are at the table for every holiday meal, every celebratory event in their extended familiy. Engineers work until the project gets done but projects get done over weeks, months or years. I shared a house with an employed mechanical engineer for 2 academic years and I don't think he missed being home in time for dinner more than twice. Electrical/electronics engineers do their work and have every weekend free to go to their kids' games. Civil engineers, out in the field Monday through Friday and home all weekend. Click to expand...

Ebola4Breakfast said: And then there's graduation. The departmental average may be X number of years, but that's in no way a guarantee that you'll be able to graduate in that many years. There are so many factors involved, both controllable and uncontrollable. The biggest uncontrollable factor is your committee. If they don't feel you are "ready to graduate"... then it won't happen. After all, your committee has to sign off on your defense. How many years you've been in the program doesn't mean a whole lot. People are asked to leave. Sometimes with a terminal Masters... sometimes not. I honestly didn't "know" I was going to attempt my defense until about six months prior. Click to expand...

YMMV as they say. My family's experiences are with Raytheon, Texas Instruments, Sikorsky Aircraft, local government (civil engineering), and self-employment (civil engineering and mechanical engineering/computer engineering of factory systems).  

K31 said: Come again? Click to expand...

• May 16, 2012

matthewsrr said: So the big question is how do MDs keep themselves intrigued with their profession and prevent themselves from developing a poor attitude? Click to expand...

matthewsrr said: I just love medicine AND science so I can't decide if I should still go to medical school or go to grad school for biochemistry, physics, biomedical engineering, or something similar. Click to expand...

Gut Shot said: 1. PhD: 5-7+ years living on dirt wages. 2. PostDoc: 3-9+ years living on double dirt wages. 3. Assistant professorship. After 1-2 years your salary is dependent on getting grants funded, which are each 100+ pages and have about a 5-15% chance of success. 4. Oops, your money ran out and nothing got funded. Time to move to a new institution and get fresh startup funds. 5. Go back to 3. The halcyon days of stable, predictable funding for medical sciences is over. The image of a career in science that we grew up with is now a caricature from a bygone era. Click to expand...

• May 17, 2012

Yes, very few postdocs go on to become independent investigators. Science is a pyramid scheme.  

Perrotfish said: I remember at my undergrad we had one materials science professor who gave his PhDs 5 years to graduate, which is lightning fast even by the already fast standards of engineering doctorates. No one worked for him longer than that, almost everyone finished in 5 years and the rest got ****canned. One day in class, someone asked him why and he did that. He said that when he was in his doctoral program he had a classmate that had been stuck in a PhD for 10 years. He wasn't incompetent, he published regularly, taught well, and was well liked. However he was the only one in his lab who knew how to do a number of fairly involved technical procedures, and his 'mentor' refused to sign off on his thesis defense because he wanted to keep him around for the labor. Everyone knew about the situation and thought it was appalling but the way doctoral programs there is basically no appeal for this kind of thing. On his 10th anniversary of the program the student went to his professor, one last time, and asked him if he could finally graduate. The professor said at least one more year. That's when the student shot him in the head. That apparently made an impression on my prof. He decided that everyone was getting out of his lab within 5 years, one way or another. Click to expand...

Alakazam123

• Aug 16, 2019

I think it's important to consider that there are other career options after PhD as well. Academia is just one option, and there are many people who go into industry. Currently there is a high demand for Data Scientists and AI/ML trained PhDs in the industry. However there is sort of a glut in the wet-lab PhD industry. Companies are outsourcing research to Contract Research Organizations (CROs), and getting a job there often doesn't require a PhD due to the fact that the assay development happens in-house at the pharmaceutical company. So, it really depends on what you get your PhD in. The following fields are good: 1. Applied Mathematics 2. Statistics 3. Computer Science (w/ AI and ML focus) 4. Data Science (though there's only a handful of Data Science exclusive PhD programs) 5. Bioinformatics/Biostatistics  

Alakazam123 said: I think it's important to consider that there are other career options after PhD as well. Academia is just one option, and there are many people who go into industry. Currently there is a high demand for Data Scientists and AI/ML trained PhDs in the industry. However there is sort of a glut in the wet-lab PhD industry. Companies are outsourcing research to Contract Research Organizations (CROs), and getting a job there often doesn't require a PhD due to the fact that the assay development happens in-house at the pharmaceutical company. So, it really depends on what you get your PhD in. The following fields are good: 1. Applied Mathematics 2. Statistics 3. Computer Science (w/ AI and ML focus) 4. Data Science (though there's only a handful of Data Science exclusive PhD programs) 5. Bioinformatics/Biostatistics Click to expand...

Alta California

Closing a really old thread.  

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The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

Masters vs PhD: Which is Right For You?

PhD or Masters? It’s a tricky choice to make! There’s no one simple answer as both can be great choices and there are several angles to consider. In this post we’ll look at the differences between the two and compare various factors to consider when deciding between a Masters vs PhD.

Note – This post was a reader request. If you’d like me to cover any particular topics let me know here .

Key Differences Between a Masters and a PhD

Before we delve into the details of what factors to consider in your decision, here is a brief summary of the main differences between Masters and PhD programmes:

• Typically 1 year long (in the UK)
• You’re part of a cohort with course mates studying the same things as you
• There are different types of Masters: MRes, MSc, MEng etc. Sometimes they’re fully “taught” (i.e. all lectures and exams). Other times they’re “research” (lectures and a research project) or a mixture of both. Look at the syllabus of Masters courses you’re considering for details
• They cost money – unless you manage to secure a scholarship
• 3-4 years long in the UK (and longer elsewhere)
• Always involve a significant research component: that’s all they are!
• Typically you’re not part of a cohort, the exception are CDTs (details here )
• Although PhDs cost money, it is not normal for STEM PhD students to personally pay for a PhD. Usually you’ll get funding which covers the fees plus pays a nice tax-free stipend. See my whole analysis of how PhD stipends compare to grad salaries

Factors to consider when deciding between a Masters and a PhD

Now let’s dive into some specific comparisons of a Masters vs PhD:

• Financial cost
• Potential salary boost
• Opportunity gain
• Opportunity cost

Masters vs PhD Cost

How much does a masters degree cost in the uk.

For Masters courses in the UK there are typically both tuition fees and bench fees. Bench fees are for covering costs involved with practicals and research experiments, including consumables and training.

In the UK, if you’re a home student you’ll often pay upwards of £11,500 for tuition fees. Overseas students may get charged £21,800 or higher. Bench fees can vary a lot, typically they may be around £5000.

The course page will usually list the cost of the Masters pretty clearly, see this example from Bristol:

In addition you will have living costs on top of these fees. You’ll therefore have to budget for all of this ahead of starting the Masters unless you’re planning to work while studying. If so, here are some ideas I put together for ways to make money as a student .

There are sometimes bursaries and scholarships available for Masters students so do look at your options. The university website should list the main funding options available to you. However in my experience the majority of Masters students tend to self-fund or take out a loan.

How much does a PhD cost in the UK

In theory a PhD would incur bench fees like a Masters. Yet unlike with Masters degrees, it is pretty rare to self-fund a PhD, at least in the sciences. Instead it is normal for prospective PhD students to try and secure funding.

Usually PhD students will only embark upon a project once funding has been secured for the duration of the project: often 3.5 years.

Typically a PhD student will secure funding both to pay for the university fees, plus a stipend to cover their living expenses. For the 2021/2022 academic year a typical annual PhD stipend is £15,609 per year outside of London, or £17,609 per year in London. To be clear: this is money you get paid for doing the PhD, not that you have to pay! On top of the stipend all other costs relating to the PhD also get covered by the funding body.

If you want to find out more about PhD funding, see my separate relevant posts here:

• How to Find PhD Funding in the UK
• PhD Student Salary in the UK: Comparing a PhD Stipend to a Grad Salary

I lived pretty comfortably on this kind of amount of money in London, so it’s certainly possible!

Masters vs PhD Potential Salary Gain

If you’re considering a Masters or PhD to help you climb the career ladder more quickly, you may be wondering how much they could each boost your salary.

Whether or not a Masters or PhD is worth it for the potential salary gain really depends on what job you’re looking to go into. Generally, yes, the more highly qualified you are the more money you may be able to earn:

If you’re looking to boost your earning potential, from these US figures someone with a Masters could expect to earn approximately 18% more than someone with just a Bachelors degree. Furthermore, someone with a PhD may be able to earn 43% more than just a Bachelors. Therefore, on average PhDs earn 21% more than people with a Masters. There are loads of caveats though and this figure isn’t really comparing a like-for-like situation.

As a rule of thumb: if you’re going into a technical job, especially one requiring specialist knowledge you pick up from your studies, then you’re more likely get rewarded for your extra degree(s). Also notice how in the above figure across all workers the unemployment rate is lowest for those with PhDs. The unemployment for those with a Masters vs a PhD is 73% higher.

For certain companies and roles the more highly qualified you are the more they’ll reward you with a higher salary. Other companies, especially ones which wouldn’t utilise the skills from your degree, won’t pay you any higher than someone with a Bachelors degree.

There may be certain professions where getting a Masters or PhD are really beneficial for boosting your salary but I’d urge caution if this is your primary motivation for earning one of these degrees. This is especially true if you consider that instead of earning an extra degree you could spend your time gaining work experience on the job.

Consider looking up different potential employers you may be interested in working for to get a sense of whether your extra qualifications could secure you a higher salary. If the company is transparent with sharing salaries for different pay grades then you may be able to find details on their website. If not I suggest looking on glassdoor .

Masters vs PhD Opportunity Gain

What opportunities open up to you by doing a Masters vs a PhD? How beneficial could either be for your career? We’ll consider categories:

Technical knowledge

• Lab experience

Independent thinking & problem solving

Student life.

The obvious benefit to doing either degree is that you’ll gain expertise and knowledge in a certain technical topic. Not only may this be interesting to you in its own right but the degree can be used to demonstrate your technical know-how for your upcoming career. Either degree could help with your career prospects and enable you to potentially expand your horizons and go and work abroad. Though this depends a lot on your field and specific situation!

There is a quite obvious tradeoff between breadth and depth of technical knowledge between a Masters vs PhD.

A Masters degree is considerably shorter than a PhD, therefore your opportunity to pick up deep technical skills across the period of the programme is likely to be lower.

However, it is worth noting that Masters courses involve lectures, whereas in the UK PhDs don’t. Therefore it may actually be the case that with the Masters you’re picking up knowledge more quickly than the PhD. This does of course depend a lot on the skills you want to learn and how you work. Plus, you can sometimes go to lectures if you want as a PhD student. I’d say this one is a draw.

Practical lab experience

If you do a Masters involving a research project you’ll likely spend at most 4-6 months of the year in the lab. With a PhD you’ll spend considerably longer!

In the first year of a PhD you can try out different things and with the following years of a PhD you’re learning things at a much deeper level than a Masters. Though again, this depends quite a bit on what you’re trying to learn and why. For a lot of purposes you may gain enough practical experience in just a Masters project.

With either degree I think you’ll have ample opportunities to pick up new skills and challenge yourself to think independently.

A Masters is usually a little more like a Bachelors degree. By this I mean, besides your research project, the course leaders will be setting pretty well defined questions which often come with relatively well defined answers. When it comes to conducting research (for either degree) you’ll of course be answering questions for the first time and usually this will require some problem solving.

Compared to a PhD project a Masters research project is much smaller in scope and well defined. Plus, you’ll typically be paired with a more senior lab member (PhD student or postdoc) which doesn’t often happen for PhD students. There are also sometimes group projects for Masters degrees which adds another useful skill to the mix.

A PhD is the ultimate test of independence and problem solving. A lot of us see this as a fun challenge but bear in mind the importance of having a supporting supervisor. I wrote a separate post about choosing a PhD project and supervisor .

Masters Networking Opportunities

One perk of a Masters degree compared to a PhD is that you’ll always have a group of course mates with you. Not only can this be reassuring and give you social opportunities, it also means that you can network with like-minded individuals who are interested in the same topic as you. It is very easy to see how this could lead to starting a company with a course mate or business relationships later in your career.

PhD Networking Opportunities

PhDs on the other hand may be more solitary. It really depends on the group and department you join. If you join a small group with very few other PhD students it could be a much less exciting, and potentially more difficult, environment to be doing research in. Plus less people to bounce ideas off of and network with.

Some departments are very good at putting on social and networking events for their PhD students. Others less so. My PhD involved working in two different departments and each took very different approaches. One department had an annual research day and several parties throughout the year specifically for their PhD students. On top of that were lecture series’ plus Christmas and Summer parties for the whole department. The other department organised practically nothing.

PhDs do afford you more time to build connections with other researchers in the department and collaborations with other universities and institutions. In my PhD I spent time working with two other research groups in London (at UCL and the Royal Veterinary College) as well as the Natural History Museum. I doubt I’d have formed these connections through doing a Masters.

Whether it be a Masters or PhD, remember that you’ll be a student again. Therefore for either degree you can attend all student events on campus, join clubs and societies at the students’ union which could bring with it many opportunities to enrich your life. Of course a PhD gives you more time to enjoy these benefits!

Whichever degree you decide to go for, see my post about making the most of opportunities !

Also if you’re interested, I wrote: Do PhD Students Have a Social Life? Sharing My Experiences Making Friends and Avoiding PhD Loneliness

Masters vs PhD Opportunity Cost

The main opportunity cost I can think of for either is the length of time that they take. If you’re trying to decide between a Masters or PhD, or perhaps even aren’t sure about doing either, I suggest thinking about what you’d otherwise be doing and what you’d like to do afterwards.

There is no getting around the fact that a PhD takes longer to complete than a Masters. Maybe that extra time spent deep in research is well spent, or maybe you’d be better off just doing a one year Masters degree and using that remaining time to progress a career in industry, start a business or make the most of some other opportunities.

It will come down to why you’re interested in doing either degree in the first place and what you’re hoping to do with your life afterwards.

If you enjoy research but are worried that a PhD would take too long, I don’t think you should worry too much. Firstly, I think enjoying research is reason enough to do a PhD. Secondly, in comparison to your whole career a PhD doesn’t really take up much time.

I don’t think that the time you’ll have spent doing a PhD would ever meaningfully take away from other things you could do with your life:

See my whole post about how long a PhD takes .

Masters vs PhD Difficulty

How hard is a masters.

I can’t speak for all Masters courses! How difficult you’ll find a Masters will depend a lot on the specific course and how different the topic is to your undergraduate degree. Of course if you’re jumping to a different field than your undergraduate degree you’d expect to find the Masters challenging!

What I can say is that there can be a lot of content to try and cram in during a one year Masters. The pace can be fast and there isn’t much time for you to digest the content before getting assessed on it. You have to be able to learn quickly and juggle lots of things going on at once, with regular assessments throughout the year. This is all in stark contrast to the PhD where you’ll usually have ample time to ensure you understand a concept well and there are few formal assessments to deal with.

How difficult is a PhD?

A PhD involves working independently on your own project for the whole duration of your studies. With this comes having to solve problems yourself and find the motivation to keep going with the project for several years. There is a component of luck as to how your project pans out but it is safe to say that a lot of people do go through difficult parts of their PhD related to these issues.

There are very few formal assessments throughout a PhD. Typically at around 9-12 months in, then 18-24 months in there are intermediate checkmarks and then the big one, the viva, right at the end. On the upside this means that you don’t need to worry about getting assessed on assignements or exams like with the Masters, but on the flip side it can be difficult to figure out how well you’re doing.

From what I’ve observed, some people who have difficulties during the project often face them because of a poor relationship with their PhD supervisor. I personally didn’t find my PhD hard, but that in part comes down to enjoying the content, having good supervisors and treating it like a 9-5 job. No you shouldn’t need to dedicate all your evening and weekends to it, and it doesn’t need to be a hellish experience.

Yes this is anecdotal but I also worked with many other postdocs and PhD students who shared their experiences with me. Also check out the PhD Profiles series for more insights.

See my much longer analysis about PhD difficulty here: How Hard is a PhD?

Masters vs PhD: What did I do?

My own path from undergrad to PhD was made slightly more simple because I did a combined four-year undergraduate engineering degree which took me straight to a Masters qualification (MEng). Even so, I still wasn’t exactly clear on whether I wanted to a PhD or what topic it might be in. Therefore after graduating I worked for a few years whilst also putting out applications:

This gave me an opportunity to build up my experience and work in different fields, all while getting some more research outputs which were useful for PhD applications. If you want to read more about my journey, check out my PhD profile here . While you’re there, look at other PhD students’ journeys in the other PhD Profiles too.

Whether you should do a Masters or PhD really comes down to: why are you interested in further study?

I would urge caution in getting extra degrees just to try and boost your salary. There are cases where this can pay off but consider what other work experience you could be getting outside of the university. A Masters for example will typically cost you money, whether it be eating up savings or through a loan, so do think carefully if you’re doing the degree for financial reasons.

If on the other hand you’re motivated to take on either degree because you’re interested in the topics and simply want to learn then go for it!

A Masters can be a nice introduction to a field, especially if you’re transitioning from a different Bachelor’s degree. Having lectures covering a wide variety of topics can get you up to speed and you can spend a few months on a research component if that’s what you fancy.

If you actively enjoy doing research and like the idea of spending three or four years exploring one topic then doing a PhD could be a nice option. Though I would suggest that for many people a PhD may be overkill and that for most career purposes a masters is probably enough!

If you’re wondering whether or not you need a Masters to do a PhD, see my separate post exactly about that topic here: Do You Need a Master’s To Do a PhD? TLDR: No you don’t necessarily need one in advance, and CDTs are another option to consider which combine the benefits of both . See details about CDTs here . If you are interested in research, and already know what kind of topic you’d like to spend several years studying, then I’d consider applying for a PhD without a Masters.

I know it can be difficult making these choices. Remember though that you don’t need to rush your decision. There is nothing wrong with working for a few years then coming back to do a Masters or PhD. That is what I did!

It might feel like you need a clear plan but you really don’t so please don’t let it stress you out too much! Whatever you decide I wish you all the best for your career.

I hope this post has been useful if you’re trying to decide between a Masters vs PhD! If you have any other questions, feedback or suggestions be sure to let me know and I’ll try my best to help.

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4 Comments on “Masters vs PhD: Which is Right For You?”

Great article! I completed my MEng in Mechanical from Cardiff in 2018 and am now looking for an Industrial PhD (I think it’s also known as an EngD or DEng?). As I’d like to pursue an academic role in future but after a PhD I’d like to go into industry to really test the knowledge I gain (or maybe start a company).

I’d like to learn more and become a specialist who really understands and grasps all aspects of Mechanical Engineering. Plus, I really like the calculation side of things, but have had difficulty finding jobs, so I think a PhD would be a significant benefit to me. Though, I found it interesting that you state that having a PhD doesn’t increase salary expectations necessarily; I thought salary rise would be a bonus (from other articles) but I guess this depends on the companies that appreciate PhDs and whether you apply to the right ones.

Do you have an article showing how to make your PhD applications stand out?

Keep it up!

Kind regards, Y

PS Just a minor detail the last section on which is right for you (first line) has a typo: Masters of PhD… should be Masters or PhD.

Thanks very much for your comment and for pointing out a typo! Hey, mech eng MEng and Cardiff, nice! Yep I’ve known people doing EngDs and they look like a nice option.

As per the bar chart in the article, on average a PhD leads to higher salaries but in the article I wanted to temper salary expectations and make it clear that it is not necessarily a great idea to do a PhD if earning more money were the main motivation: not only may a PhD prove frustrating if someone doesn’t actually enjoy the research but it’s also pretty inefficient since in a lot of cases simply spending those 3-4 years gaining experience in a job could likely lead to equivilant or larger promotions over that period. Yeah it really depends on the company and industry. As per the article you could have a look at the companies advertising positions in a subfield of mech eng you’re interested in and check the candidate requirements and associated compensation to get a sense of what a PhD could add.

An article I’m actually currently drafting for June is about how I managed to get a PhD scholarship which includes lots about making your application stand out, so I suggest check back later in the month!

Best wishes and good luck,

By the way I forgot to add that each candidate in the PhD Profiles series answers the question of what made their PhD application stand out, you can find the series here: https://www.thesavvyscientist.com/category/phd-profiles/

Thanks Jeff, I think I’ve got a lot of research to do as I’m quite open as to what I want to apply to. After reading your profile I think I have a similar interest in the medical field as I did a placement at Olympus medical and really enjoyed it. Plus working with professional engineers to a specific deadline is quite fun. I might choose to go a similar route to you by emailing the scientists/engineers who are running the PhD(s) I’m interested in and getting work experience until I’m certain of the topic I want to explore. There’s just so many options! Thanks for writing these blogs! Kind regards Yusuf

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Ph.D. vs M.S. - Which is Right for You?

Frequently asked questions , how do i support myself financially while i work towards my ph.d..

• Ph.D. students are guaranteed 5 years of salary and tuition support through teaching (GTA) or research (GRA) fellowships that also cover most of tuition costs.

Why do a Ph.D.?

• A Ph.D. degree is the primary graduate degree for students interested in conducting research that UTA Biology offers. 
• Students who complete the Ph.D. program often go into academia, biotechnology, biomedical industries, government research, or positions in research institute
• Ph.D. students are guaranteed 5 years of financial support and tuition support that funds students during their Ph.D., as long as they are making satisfactory progress in the program. 

Can I enter a Ph.D. program without a master’s degree?

• Yes, in fact the majority of Ph.D. students enter the program without a master’s degree

Why do a Master’s degree?

• Get a better job, or promotion at your current job
• Increase your competitiveness for applying to medical school

Master’s degree options:

• M.S. (Non-Thesis) – a course-based Master’s degree, primarily designed for either 1) professionals that want to further their education (e.g., those in industry, or in education), or 2) undergraduates that want to improve their chances of acceptance to a medical school or other graduate degree program
• M.S. Thesis – This is a research-based master’s degree. Currently we are not accepting students into this program, and all research-oriented graduate students are encouraged to consider admission to the Ph.D. program .

Location : Life Sciences Building, Room 337, 501 S. Nedderman Dr., Arlington, TX 76019 Mailing address : P.O. Box 19498 Phone : 817-272-2872

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Master's vs. PhD : Factors to Consider

30th Apr 2020 Natalia Husby, MS

If you are interested in a science career, you are likely thinking of applying to graduate school. Having a graduate degree opens up an abundance of career opportunities, and deciding whether to get a master’s or a PhD will determine the type of career you can pursue. Below are some factors to consider when deciding between a master’s and a PhD.

Career Goals : Academia and Industry Laboratories

Individuals with a PhD typically have more independence in their roles compared to those with a master’s, particularly in an academic setting: they can lead their own research groups, teach at universities, and generally have more freedom to pursue research topics of interest to them. A PhD is required if you want to pursue a career as a Principal Investigator (PI) in academia. In addition to a PhD, you will also need to complete a postdoctoral fellowship. During a postdoc, a PhD can expand their research experience by learning new techniques and develop more independence by leading their own research projects. They work with a mentor and will often also take on responsibilities such as teaching and writing grants. A postdoc is not necessarily “required” for industry scientist positions, but it can help you be a more competitive applicant, and many employers expect at least one year of postdoc experience. Lastly, because PhDs are highly specialized in a specific field of science, their job opportunities in academia and industry may be slightly limited compared to individuals with a master’s degree.

Conversely, individuals with master’s degrees usually work under a supervisor or mentor. Their ability to explore new or independent research projects may be limited by the goals of their mentor. Although less common, it is possible for those with a master’s degree to eventually move up to a lead scientist role; however, this is very employer dependent. Many different types of academic / industry jobs are open to scientists with a master’s degree, and unlike PhDs, it can be easier to transfer to completely different types of research.

There are also many opportunities outside laboratory research for someone with a PhD or a master’s degree. Keep an eye out for a future blog post on job opportunities for science graduates!

Program Structure

Both a master’s and a PhD in science require course work and lab work. A PhD and a thesis-driven master’s degree are more research focused, whereas a non-thesis (professional) master’s focuses more on course work and learning laboratory techniques standard to industry positions.

• Successful completion of a professional master’s relies on passing your courses and (sometimes) completing an independent research project.

• Writing and defending a thesis and passing courses are the main requirements for thesis-driven master’s degrees .

• Completion of a PhD involves passing courses, qualifying exams, and writing and defending a dissertation.

Most PhD programs have a rotation system, in which students spend a few months in different labs (usually 2-3) over the first year. Some programs allow you to rotate between departments at the university, while others only allow rotation within the department. The rotation system is great for students who are interested in multiple fields of research, or want to explore different research areas, model systems, etc. Typically, PhD students contact potential mentors, and meet with them to discuss lab space availability and rotation projects. It is important to be open and flexible because your interests may change, or you might find that a certain research area is not as good of a match as you initially thought. If this is the case, you can always switch to another type of lab for your next rotation, or even add a fourth rotation in some programs. Following the first year of the program, students select one of their rotation labs for their dissertation studies.

Master’s programs vary widely in their structure. For a thesis-driven program, students generally apply to a department with a specific mentor in mind and complete their thesis with that mentor. However, some thesis-driven master’s follow a rotation system, similar to PhD programs. Students applying to professional master’s programs apply to the department and do not get assigned to a specific lab because this type of program is more course-focused. Some professional master’s programs require students to complete an independent research project during their second year.

Time Commitment

A master’s can take anywhere from one to three years, and often has a defined “end date.” A PhD can take four to seven years, or longer, depending on your project. The length of time depends on your program, the type of research you are doing, how long it takes you to complete your core courses, your mentor’s availability, and other factors. You can start your career after graduating with a master’s, but for a PhD, you typically need to complete a few years of postdoctoral training.

As mentioned before, many employers require at least one year of postdoc experience. However, the length of a postdoc varies greatly by individual. Similar to a graduate degree, time to completion can depend on the type of research you are conducting, your own personal goals (e.g. number of publications), your mentor’s availability, and job availability. In general, postdocs that are committed to a job in academia complete longer postdocs, in order to complete more projects, publish additional and/or high-impact papers, and establish themselves in the field prior to entering the academic job market.

For a professional master’s, students usually have to pay their way through school. Some schools might have teaching assistantships available, but they are not guaranteed to every student. Many thesis-driven master’s programs will guarantee a research or teaching assistantship to all students, but not all programs do. PhD programs typically guarantee funding for your tuition and stipend for the duration of your doctoral research, although the source of this funding may vary; sometimes the program covers your funding, while in other instances your mentor pays for you. PhD programs will also cover your medical insurance while you are a student (you will have to pay for your own dental and vision insurance).

Many PhD programs offer training grants or teaching assistantships, which can help supplement or pay for your stipend. There are two main types of NIH training grants that you can apply for as a PhD student: the T32 and F31 (or NRSA). The T32 is given to departments at universities to support their training programs. You can apply to this grant through your department. To apply to the NRSA grant, you must develop a research proposal and submit it directly to the NIH.

PhD stipend amounts depend on the geographical location of your university and the funding source. PhD programs I applied to offered stipends between $16,000 and $30,000. It is crucial to consider the location’s cost of living. Your lifestyle may have to change significantly in order to afford being able to go to graduate school, without having to take out loans. Additionally, you are not allowed to work during your PhD because you are expected to work full-time in the lab and on your courses. On the other hand, many master’s programs allow you to work outside of school.

You can also apply to external sources of funding such as a fellowship or scholarship for a graduate school. Here are some helpful resources:

• NIH Individual Research Fellowships

• Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) Fully Funded STEM programs database

• 26 STEM Graduate Fellowships for Minorities and Women, ProFellow, March 2019

• Scholarships for Women in Science

• Fellowship Opportunities, GoGrad.org

The choice between master’s and PhD is a personal decision, and requires deep consideration of your long-term career goals. This post is the first in a series of blogs that will dive into some of these details, including what to expect in graduate school, and the types of jobs available following graduation. Good luck with your graduate school search!

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Salary Difference Between Master’s and Ph.D. Degrees

Tuesday | July 22, 2014 | by Xiao Lu

When undergraduates are thinking about studying abroad for an advanced degree in the U.S., they have two options: apply to a master’s degree or doctoral degree program. Here we will talk about the differences between master’s and Ph.D. degree programs and also compare the lifetime earnings of both degrees in respective occupations.

What Are Master’s Degrees?

A master’s degree is the first level of graduate study designed to give you a solid education in a specialized field after you finish a bachelor’s degree. It usually requires one to two years of full-time study. Master’s degrees tend to be a more career-oriented program. Upon completion, graduates are expected to have advanced knowledge within a specialized field and have analytical, evaluation, and professional application skills. One disadvantage is that there are limited scholarships for international students who are master’s candidates in the U.S.

What Are Ph.D. Degrees?

Ph.D. is an abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy, which is a doctoral degree. Obtaining a Ph.D. degree means you have an exclusive specialty in your field. Ph.D. candidates are expected to engage in thought experiments, reason about problems, and solve problems in sophisticated ways . Students can apply for a Ph.D. program directly after completing a bachelor’s degree, while some schools also require a master’s degree before entering a Ph.D. program. The exact number of years varies from four to eight years, which highly depends on the field, the student’s research topic, and the student’s skills. A Ph.D. degree also requires students to pass comprehensive exams and a large scholarly project called a dissertation .

For international students, financial aid opportunities might be a big motivation to apply for a Ph.D. degree. Schools recognize that those trying to acquire their doctoral degree need more assistance due to the length of study.

Salary Differences Between Master’s and Ph.D. Graduates

After looking at the different commitments the two degree programs require, you may also want to look at the average salaries for master’s and Ph.D. graduates. Below is an income chart from the United States Census Bureau about employee’s work-life earnings that refer to different occupations and education levels attained.

Note: This chart is for 25 to 64-year-olds who are working full-time, year-round. Source: www.census.gov

Overall, the average life earnings of doctorate holders are higher than other degree holders within the same industries. However, the life earning gap between master’s and Ph.D. holders varies on different majors or fields of study. For example, in biological science occupations, a Ph.D. holder earns 27 percent more than that of a master’s holder. Whereas in some other fields, such as business, there is only a small difference of 8 percent.

If you are looking for ways to improve your career, obtaining an MBA degree may be worthwhile financially as graduates receive similar work-life earning as Ph.D. graduates. But if you’re looking to pursue a Ph.D. degree within a highly focused field, then check out the top 50 U.S. colleges with the most international graduate students.

So, consider pursuing a Ph.D. degree if you truly love your field, enjoy your studies, and want the benefits and prestige associated with the doctoral degree. If you are looking for a change in field, industry, or a promotion, then getting your master’s might be enough.

Do you want to further your education and need funding? Check out our free Funding Your Education e-guide.

Xiao Lu is a Marketing Associate at World Education Services.

MS vs PhD: Which Psychology Degree Should You Get?

An  undergraduate degree  proves a great starting point for people interested in careers involving psychology. To advance into occupations involving greater responsibility and pay, however, generally requires a graduate degree.

For instance, a master’s degree in psychology is one of the necessities to become a licensed therapist, such as a marriage and family therapist – a career the  Bureau of Labor Statistics  (BLS) predicts to grow a whopping 16% between 2020-2030. And becoming a  psychologist  – a position with an average median annual salary of $82,180 – requires earning a doctorate in psychology.

What Are MS and PhD in Psychology Degrees For?

The  MS (Master of Science) in Psychology  and the  PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Psychology  are degrees for people interested in advanced study in the discipline. Students obtain a greater understanding of human behavior and how to help others. Degree earners are often interested in careers as therapists, licensed psychologists, researchers, or professors.

Choosing Between a Master’s Degree in Psychology vs. a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology Program

The choice between pursuing a Master’s Degree in Psychology vs. a PhD in Psychology boils down to individual interests and career aspirations. Many students find a MS in Psychology sufficient for the types of jobs they want. Others discover a doctorate necessary for the occupations to which they aspire.

What Is a MS in Psychology?

An MS in Psychology is a graduate degree that prepares recipients for a variety of careers. It also can serve as a building block to entering doctoral studies, and an MS program typically takes about two years to complete. Online MS in Psychology programs sometimes offers accelerated options in which ambitious students can finish in around 18 months.

While coursework varies by institution and personal interests, students in psychology master’s programs often take these classes:

• Lifespan development
• Research methodology
• Cognitive psychology
• Social psychology
• Personality
• Foundations of therapy
• Family systems theory
• Abnormal psychology

Some students focus on general psychology. Others gear their master’s program to a specific area. Some niche choices include:

• Educational psychology
• Forensic psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Industrial-organizational psychology
• Sport psychology
• Health psychology
• Counseling psychology
• Child and adolescent development
• Applied behavior analysis

Who Should Get a MS in Psychology?

Students who want to expand their knowledge of psychology beyond the undergraduate level often seek a master’s degree. Some students pursue an MS to become more attractive candidates to schools when they apply to doctoral programs. 

Others enter the workforce after receiving their MS in psychology. They find careers in the following fields:

• Advertising
• Human resources
• Criminal justice
• Social services
• Mental health

What Can You Do with a MS in Psychology?

Individuals who have earned a Master’s in Psychology find their degree a gateway to various types of jobs dealing with people and what influences their behavior. A sample of possible occupations is listed below.

What Is a PhD In Psychology?

A PhD in psychology is the highest-level degree within the discipline. Earning it signifies academic excellence and dedication to the field. In addition to mastering psychological theories and concepts, PhD candidates learn how to advance scientific knowledge through their own original research.

Who Should Get a PhD In Psychology?

Obtaining a PhD in psychology is a rigorous process. It involves classwork, passing an oral exam demonstrating competency, and completing a dissertation. Practicums, internships, and teaching experiences may also be part of the program.

Students thinking about entering such a program should possess a  strong background in psychology , such as a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree. They also should look closely at their career goals and decide whether a PhD puts them on the right path.

What Can You Do with a PhD In Psychology?

The expertise obtained from earning a PhD in Psychology opens doors to a variety of careers. Three sample positions include:

Many PhDs remain in academia. They teach classes at colleges and junior colleges as well as perform research in their area of interest within the field of psychology. The BLS lists the mean annual wage for postsecondary psychology teachers as $85,050. 6

Clinical psychologists diagnose and treat a variety of mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. Some specialize in certain areas, such as treating depression or eating disorders. Others work with specific populations, such as children or the elderly. The median yearly salary for a clinical psychologist in 2020 was $79,820 per the BLS. 7

These professionals apply their knowledge of psychology to the workplace. Companies and governmental organizations hire them to examine issues such as productivity, morale, teamwork, hiring, and organizational development. Their suggestions lead to workplace improvements. The BLS reports the median annual salary for an industrial-organizational psychologist in 2020 as $96,270. 7

PsyD Vs PhD at a Glance

Individuals wishing to earn a doctorate have another option besides a PhD in Psychology. They may pursue a PsyD (Doctor of Psychology). Selecting which to earn depends on the student’s educational and career interests.

In general, PsyD programs:

• Focus heavily on applied psychology
• Take 4-7 years to complete
• Attract students interested in working as therapists inc community mental health, hospital, and private practice settings

By comparison, PhD programs in psychology:

• Focus extensively on generating new knowledge through scientific research
• Attract students interested in remaining in academia as professors and researchers, though many do  seek licensure and become practicing psychologists

What to Look for in Psychology Graduate Degree Programs

Online vs. on-campus learning.

Whether a student wishes to pursue a master’s degree or a doctorate, choices exist regarding the learning format. Some schools offer graduate-level psychology programs online. Choosing such a route can prove beneficial in terms of access, flexibility, and cost. 

Online studies remove geographical barriers when selecting an institution, which opens up a greater pool from which to choose. Remaining at home eliminates expenses related to travel and campus housing, and students with spouses or children do not need to upend their family’s lives to further their education and careers.

Students seeking online degrees should check the terms, however. Some programs include short residency requirements. Likewise, individuals may need to go to campus or other physical sites to complete research projects, internships, practicums, or other hands-on experiences.

Of course, regular on-site programs remain an option for students preferring traditional graduate school. A consistent schedule and the social aspect of attending classes physically alongside others still appeal to many students.

Psychology Certification and Licensure

Psychology-related occupations often require state licensure. Knowing the specifics for the state in which one hopes to find employment can guide educational and career choices and prevent unwelcome surprises down the line.

Psychologists, for example, typically need to complete the following:

• A PsyD or a PhD in Psychology
• An internship
• A post-doc or 1-year supervised professional experience after the internship
• A passing score on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology 
• Completion of a dissertation or case study

States usually require all licensed therapists to complete the following:

• A master’s degree
• A range of 2,000-4,000 hours of post-degree supervised clinical experience
• A successful exam score

Applying to Psychology Doctoral Programs

Acceptance into a Doctoral in Psychology program involves applying to individual institutions. Competition for spots can be substantial, so candidates should apply to several schools in order to increase the chances of getting in. 

Some places are more selective than others and may present harder entrance requirements. Someone who has not completed an undergraduate degree in psychology or a sufficient number of psychology courses will likely need to address this gap before seeking admission.

Admissions Requirements for PsyD and PhD Programs

Depending on where a student applies, the prospective school may ask for the following::

• Official transcripts from past collegiate studies at the undergraduate and graduate level, including classes taken, GPA, and degree(s) awarded with date
• Proof of any internships, certifications, or licenses
• A resume of work history, including dates and duties
• A description of other relevant activities, such as volunteer work or participation in professional associations
• Scores from the GRE and the GRE Psychology Test
• 2-3 letters of recommendation that support the candidacy
• Responses to essay prompts
• A personal statement explaining why the student wants to pursue this degree
• Interviews with faculty

Note that some programs look only at candidates who already possess a Master’s Degree in Psychology or a closely related field. Others accept students with a bachelor’s degree into a combined master’s/doctoral program.

Accreditation

Selecting a school with regional accreditation ensures the institution has met certain educational standards. Choose one approved by the  U.S. Department of Education  or the nonprofit  Council for Higher Education Accreditation  (CHEA). Your school’s specific graduate psychology program also should be accredited by one or both of these organizations.

Another important factor is checking if the program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). 8  Satisfying licensure requirements in some states can be problematic without APA accreditation. Likewise, employers will often look at only job candidates who graduated from an APA-approved program and completed an APA-accredited internship.

Graduate Psychology Career Resources

The following organizations provide further information on licensure for different careers:

• The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards
• The National Board for Certified Counselors
• The Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards
• Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification
• Someone possessing a PhD is not a medical doctor. A PhD is a doctor of philosophy. In recognition of the expertise obtained from completing this rigorous course of study, holders of a PhD are entitled to use the title “Doctor” if they so choose.
• One isn’t better than the other, just different. Which degree to pursue depends on individual interests and career aspirations. Aspiring therapists and counselors often choose a master’s program. Those wishing to become licensed psychologists must complete a doctoral program. Also, PhD programs focus heavily on research and often lead to working in an academic setting or consulting.
• Some career options for people who earn a graduate degree in psychology include marriage and family therapist, mental health counselor, substance abuse counselor, counseling psychologist, researcher, and psychology professor.
• A person holding a PhD in psychology is not a medical doctor and usually cannot write prescriptions. A few states do allow psychologists with training in psychopharmacology to prescribe a limited number of psychiatric medications. The majority of prescriptions, however, are written out by psychiatrists since they are MDs.
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/marriage-and-family-therapists.htm#tab-1
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm#tab-1
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/substance-abuse-behavioral-disorder-and-mental-health-counselors.htm#tab-1
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/market-research-analysts.htm
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/training-and-development-specialists.htm
• https://www.bls.gov/oes/2017/may/oes251066.htm
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm#tab-5
• https://www.accreditation.apa.org/accredited-programs

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Value of a PhD in Biology vs a Masters?

I'm a 2nd year biology (cell/molecular) student, and I'm slightly panicking I won't find a job that interests me when I start my career. I plan to get my masters (probably microbiology) and hopefully my PhD as well, provided that the benefits outweigh the costs.

I do not want to teach. I am interested in microbiology, clinical research, genetics, and virology. I realize that salary can be important, but the most important thing to me is advancing humanity, and I'm afraid I'm going to fail at my life goal. I'm just worried I've made a mistake in choosing the major I love.