Joint Masters Degrees

[Schmarc3000]

Hey-

Just wondering, how many of you are planning on getting a joint masters degree in vision science, rehabilitation, or one of the many others that schools offer? I've been invited for interviews at PCO and NECO, and both schools have masters programs. Is it really advantageous to get a masters degree or do optometrists typically end up in the same place without one?

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[optometristan]

I was thinking about asking this myself actually. In my personal opinion, seeing as though the masters degree would be included in the flat rate for most schools (if not all, but I'm not certain on that) I couldn't see why it would be a bad idea at all.

I'm sure though it would be a lot of extra stress and course work, and it may be a slight detriment on the O.D. degree grades, but then again, no one really cares what an optometrist's gpa is in practice. However they would notice the extra M.S. at the end of your title.

Further more, with the "surplus" of optometry schools, it may mean less job openings for optometrists, but it means more job openings for Optometry professors.

Again, just my opinion. What does everyone else think?

 

[Oogilily]

I am going to be doing a MEd (Master of Education with a emphasis in visual learning processes) degree along with my OD degree. It's not a bad deal as it is a ton cheaper than a regular masters because it does fall in the flat rate of the school. Don't be fooled by the amount of work though. The master degree is another 30 credit hours that I have to finish before I graduate. It isn't going to be easy (in the least bit!) to add even more classes to what I have. So in order to do that, I will have to start taking classes during my lunch hour. I'm not excited about that, but I think the master's degree will give me one more thing on my CV that will allow me more opportunities. I will say that not many people do it though.