Posted by Jost on November 16, 2006, at 16:49:16
In reply to Re: What exactly is a Grad student?, posted by Meri-Tuuli on November 15, 2006, at 14:09:03
Meri, they don't have to take so long. They mostly take so long in the US because people don't do them that fast. But there's no arbitrary requirement to drag your feet, hem and haw, second guess yourself forever, etc.
You can just do the work and finish up-- it's just not the usual path here.
About the Master's Thesis, that Linden mentioned-- that can be an option, but it's not the same as a PhD thesis (or dissertation) by any means.
Usually, in programs where the MA is a final degree (in the humanities, I can't speak for the sciences)--even if some people continue on to get a PhD--to be awarded an MA, you have to take and do fairly well on a Master's Exam (kind of a general exam of the field) and/or write a Master's Essay (or Master's Thesis).
Programs that are only PhD programs generally don't have that-- you take your orals (or written exams) in order to officially begin your dissertation-- but the orals aren't per se for you MA. You are granted your MA when you get your PhD.
For example, in the place where I started out (not where I finished), you had to take a Master's Exam and get either a 1 or a 2 out of 3.
People who got a 1 or 1- and wrote a good Master's Thesis were admitted to the PhD program; people who got a 2+ or 2 and did a good Master's Thesis were probably admitted, etc.
I think my year, there were about 100 people in the first year program, of which only 20 or so were admitted into the PhD program But they've changed that, since it was very unfair-- people didn't realize they weren't getting into the PhD program right away. They justified it because it was in NY, so the MA was good for jobs in publishing-- but it was mostly for money-making.
The second program I went to was very small-- 13 in the first year, of whom I think only 8 went into the second year--- it was brutal-- and I"m not sure how many finished. Like I say, it was brutal. I shoulda stayed where I was (first place)-- of course if I had, I probably would have thought I should have left.
Yucccccjk. I should have gone to law school. sigh. (dreams of money....)
Jost
poster:Jost
thread:702575
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/studs/20060709/msgs/704329.html