masters?

[C.P. Jones]

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Hi,

in the event that i have to reapply, i was thinking about the possibility of getting a master's degree. I would like to work full time at the job I am currently at, and w/ that, would it be possible to get a master's in a year? or do they generally take two years. are there any fields that will take only a year if i work really hard?

i'm assuming many schools will still take apps this late.

i'm looking at a few schools in the new haven area right now, but i'm not seeing info on what it takes to get the degree yet, but i will continue my search

thanks

 

[jiujitsuchick]

I recently submitted a post called "stuck in grad school" and that pretty much sums up how I feel about the question. Its not incredibly common to get a Master's in a year, I've never heard of it (but anything is possible). Usually its a two year commitment. You also have to be careful with working at an outside job. If the school you are going to apply to offers to cover your tuition in exchange for TA services, they may ask you to quit your job. (For example, I am under contract that says I cannot have an outside job... which really sucks.) Wait for some more posts before you make a decision, but my opinion, if you like your job, is just to work instead of getting tied into a program. Good luck with everything...

 

[DrKitty]

C.P.Jones, I did my Masters in science at NYU - that program you can finish in 1.5 years if you take courses full-time AND complete your thesis paper (which could be based on your lab work or on library lit. review). I suppose you could try finishing a program like this in a year, but that would be overkill, I think. Plus, if time is an issue, you might have to take some courses you hate, since there might be conflict with scheduling. The good thing about NYU Masters is that noone tells you what to do, you are free to choose your courses, pace, extracurricular activities/jobs, and faculty are really supportive of students who want to apply to med schools afterwards.

I think Masters is a good idea if you want to strengthen your application.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

The only one year mansters programs I know of are "special masters" and would require a full-time commitment. To be honest, I'm not sure how many 2 year masters degrees you could complete if you worked full-time somewhere else, either. Either way, if you will be a reapplicant you want to make sure your grades reflect your full academic ability/potential, as this is how ad comms will evaluate you.

 

[DrKitty]

Also, if you want to work and take grad courses (as I did), you might want to look for schools that offer courses in the evening, unless your boss is flexible and will allow you to take morning classes and come to work later in the day. Personally, it would be impossible for me to work AND study full-time; I was only able to work full-time while taking grad courses part-time. But who knows, if you are really determined, maybe you could pull it off.

 

[C.P. Jones]

thanks for the responses,

i talked to some people in my lab, and have decided that it wouldn't be best for me. my best option would be to continue working at my lab and probably shadow. i wanted to think of this masters option now so that i don't miss out on any deadlines, but as you have all said, the work/school would be way too much to handle. in addition to this, my job wouldn't be able to accomodate a class schedule as i need to accomodate my job

i'm more or less looking to strengthen my app for "next time", should there be one, and beginning a masters in the fall when i would already hope to have some interviews would probably be a bit late, unhelpful, and way too stressful. if i were looking to hold off another year on applying, then i would still consider it, but i don't think i will....i was really talked out of it by co-workers.

one person did mention that maybe i can just take an Anatomy course or the kind and have it count as credit to med school, which the person knows someone else who did this, but another person who is a md/phd student advised me not to as i would miss out on learning it w/ my class....and if i took it outside of med school, i wouln't be focusing on it at all

i'll have to take a search for this other thread. thanks again everyone 🙂

 

[ChocolateKiss]

oops, posted by accident.

 

[Phil Anthropist]

There are quite a few 1-year masters programs. Many of these were made to cater to pre-professional students, so the curricula are accelerated to simulate the rigor of med school. These are often referred to as Special Masters Programs (mentioned by Zoom-Zoom above).

Check out the Postbac forum for more info.