DVM and MSc - is it worth it?

[a.rose7121]

I recently accepted a seat at SGU starting this upcoming fall, and I have been toying with the idea of pursuing a MSc (not MPH) along with that. I have done quite a bit of neuroscience research in undergrad and absolutely loved it, and I'd be ecstatic to continue research through graduate school.

At the moment, however, I don't envision myself working in a strictly lab setting. There's a chance that could happen down the line (my SO is getting her PhD in neuropharmacology and wants to work in a university setting), so a more research-oriented job in the future is possibility. But for the time being, the plan after school is to jump into clinical practice and possibly do an internship in neurology to work towards a specialty.

My question is this: is the MSc worth it? It's 34 credits and its $887 per credit, totaling up to over $30,000. That's a lot of money if I'm not sure! Will it increase my employability? Could it seriously affect entry level salaries? Does the value of the degree depend on the area?

I know a lot of these questions are vague and don't have concrete answers, but any advice is super appreciated. I'll be visiting SGU in a few weeks and will be touring some labs and meeting professors, and I'd like to go into that managing expectations and having a better understanding of the real value of that degree after graduation. Thanks in advance!

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[WhtsThFrequency]

I recently accepted a seat at SGU starting this upcoming fall, and I have been toying with the idea of pursuing a MSc (not MPH) along with that. I have done quite a bit of neuroscience research in undergrad and absolutely loved it, and I'd be ecstatic to continue research through graduate school.

At the moment, however, I don't envision myself working in a strictly lab setting. There's a chance that could happen down the line (my SO is getting her PhD in neuropharmacology and wants to work in a university setting), so a more research-oriented job in the future is possibility. But for the time being, the plan after school is to jump into clinical practice and possibly do an internship in neurology to work towards a specialty.

My question is this: is the MSc worth it? It's 34 credits and its $887 per credit, totaling up to over $30,000. That's a lot of money if I'm not sure! Will it increase my employability? Could it seriously affect entry level salaries? Does the value of the degree depend on the area?

I know a lot of these questions are vague and don't have concrete answers, but any advice is super appreciated. I'll be visiting SGU in a few weeks and will be touring some labs and meeting professors, and I'd like to go into that managing expectations and having a better understanding of the real value of that degree after graduation. Thanks in advance!

A MS in the sciences that you have to pay for? And hell, $30,000??

That would be a hard sell IMO. I don't know many MS or PhD students in the sciences that don't receive a stipend and/or tuition waiver, much less have to pay that exorbitant amount of $. If you are working as a GRA or GTA, you should have a stipend. Period.

If you are interested in a future neuro residency, many of those incorporate clinical MSs into their programs. I would NOT spend that amount of money to pusue an additional degree *while* in vet school. No way.

 

[Lupin21]

A MS in the sciences that you have to pay for? And hell, $30,000??

That would be a hard sell IMO. I don't know many MS or PhD students in the sciences that don't receive a stipend and/or tuition waiver, much less have to pay that exorbitant amount of $. If you are working as a GRA or GTA, you should have a stipend. Period.

If you are interested in a future neuro residency, many of those incorporate clinical MSs into their programs. I would NOT spend that amount of money to pusue an additional degree *while* in vet school. No way.

yeah, that price tag would not do it for me. at all.