MS or Phd

[Ashish]

Hi all!

Well, can someone explain how one can make this extremely important
choice of choosing b/w MS and Phd? What are all the factors that go
into opting one out of them? The job prospects ... kind of jobs offered
... time duration ... and everything that counts ...
Also, I heard from somewhere that one can go for MS and later on, in
case he is interested, there is some way to extend the MS course to
Phd. Can neone tell me if there is any way of doing that and if there
is, what are the odds that one is able to do that successfully ?
I've also read that one can drop Phd after 2 years and go home with an
MS degree .... to what extent is an act like that desirable to the
student and to the industry ?

Please answer asap..

Ashish

[Ashish]

just to clarify ... I am talking in context of US universities

[Randy]

Post by Ashish
Hi all!
Well, can someone explain how one can make this extremely important
choice of choosing b/w MS and Phd? What are all the factors that go
into opting one out of them? The job prospects ... kind of jobs offered
... time duration ... and everything that counts ...
Also, I heard from somewhere that one can go for MS and later on, in
case he is interested, there is some way to extend the MS course to
Phd. Can neone tell me if there is any way of doing that and if there
is, what are the odds that one is able to do that successfully ?
I've also read that one can drop Phd after 2 years and go home with an
MS degree .... to what extent is an act like that desirable to the
student and to the industry ?
Please answer asap..
Ashish

It depends on the subject matter. If you're studying science, it can be
tough to find work without a PhD. Chemistry may be the exception;
perhaps geology. If you're studying engineering, a MS is for
practitioners; a PhD is for researchers or teachers. I've heard that
some employers refuse to hire PhDs, since they're seen as being
overqualified and likely to be unhappy in the role of a practitioner.
That's probably true for more mundane jobs, and less accurate in more
advanced settings (like R&D).

I know little about MS vs PhD in the humanities or arts. In general, a
PhD is for teaching in academia. A MS (MFA?) is for teaching elsewhere.
A few fields are the exceptions: economics, psychology. These have
professional tracks that generally require a PhD.

Remember, no matter if you're in academia or industry, PhDs will be
expected to attract their own funding. In any setting, docs almost
always have to write proposals, devise their own research strategies,
write up their work in a publishable form, and coordinate the efforts of
others who actually implement their ideas. If you want to propose and
explore new ideas or design novel solutions, and you're willing to spend
30% to 75% of your time writing proposals, get a PhD. Otherwise don't.

Also, it's not easy to go back to school later to convert your MS into a
PhD. If you enter the PhD program directly, you probably won't have to
take unnecessary additional courses (beyond the MS) just to satisfy a
school's wish to make money from your tuition fees. You also won't have
to give up your car, house, and family when you go back to being a
student/pauper. Returning to school after you've been out in the world
is probably harder than you think.

Randy

[Ashish]

First of all, I am a CS undergraduate student in India, so, the field
is obviously CS.

You said :
"Also, it's not easy to go back to school later to convert your MS into
a PhD. "

I am not talking about goin back to school to get a Phd. I am talkin
about "extending" my M.S. to Phd. Is it actually feasible to do that? I
mean do schools easily agree to do that? I've heard that people do that
but I m not sure abou it.

[Randy]

Post by Ashish
First of all, I am a CS undergraduate student in India, so, the field
is obviously CS.

OK. Those facts weren't obvious from your original post. I'm speaking
only about CS degrees too. At US universities.

Post by Ashish
"Also, it's not easy to go back to school later to convert your MS into
a PhD. "
I am not talking about goin back to school to get a Phd. I am talkin
about "extending" my M.S. to Phd. Is it actually feasible to do that? I
mean do schools easily agree to do that? I've heard that people do that
but I m not sure abou it.

I can't say what is done in India, but in the US you may find that if
you choose to earn a MS first:

1) Unless you enroll for a PhD at the same school where you got your MS,
you will have to take more courses than if you enrolled in a PhD program
directly. In my experience, you'll take 50% to 100% more courses that
way. That's what happened to me, and those supercilious courses are
largely what convinced me that the PhD was not going to be worth all the
extraneous effort.

In fact, after completing the coursework necessary for a MS, most PhD
programs require few if any more courses for the PhD -- BUT ONLY IF BOTH
DEGREES ARE EARNED AT THE SAME SCHOOL.

In the US, after finishing your MS coursework, most PhD programs then
require you to: a) take a qualifying exam, b) complete a MS thesis or a
project course that requires a write up of some trivial research, and c)
propose a research topic and get it approved by a committee. After that
you do your research, write it up, orally defend it, and you're done.

2) You will receive little or no financial aid for a MS degree, but you
will for a PhD. If you enter a PhD program first, you can often get
financial aid and then quit after a couple of years to receive your MS.
Later, if you then want to return to the same school for the PhD, you
may not even have to reapply, just be readmitted. But it depends on the
school. Applying for a PhD at a school *other* than the one where you
earned your MS will require another full blown grad application.

3) Applying for a MS may be harder than for a PhD, since graduate
programs are designed around PhD degrees, not MS degrees. Also, some
PhD degrees do not respect some MS degree programs, especially those
that do not require a thesis. They often regard the MS as non-research
terminal degrees, much like earning a second BS. That or they see them
as concession prizes, indicating that you weren't good enough to finish
a PhD, and you were awarded the MS at the same time they kicked you out
of the PhD program.

So yes, it's probably possible to extend your MS into a PhD, especially
if you do it at the same school, and ideally if you do it soon after
earning the MS. Consult your department's graduate admissions office
for details. Every school (and sometimes department) is different.

Randy