medical research job

[t man]

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how useful is a 1-year, thesis-based masters for finding work in the medical research field? i'm trying to think how useful this type of degree would be if i don't get accepted into dental school and decide to enter my back-up field, and if it's worth it for me.

 

[relentless11]

how useful is a 1-year, thesis-based masters for finding work in the medical research field? i'm trying to think how useful this type of degree would be if i don't get accepted into dental school and decide to enter my back-up field, and if it's worth it for me.

I hope I don't offend anyone with a masters degree, but IMO, research gained from a masters degree is still very limited. How can you have a meaningful thesis while completing your graduate course requirements in one years time? I'm sure there are programs and people who can do that, but you'll be subject to the same question by those that did more in depth research (e.g., 2-year masters, or PhD programs).

Short of already having a research project prior to admission into the masters program, its tough to see how 3 quarters or 2 semesters of original research can yield a meaningful thesis which can help relate to finding work in a medical research field. Any worthwhile research rarely adheres to a set timeframe. This is why people take 2.-2.5 years for a masters degree, or 7 years for a PhD degree. My classmate who was intending to do a masters in 1 year will now complete her degree in 2 years due to delays in her research.

The other question would be, what kind of medical research field do you want to get into? Both academia and industry have a demand for what will make their institutions more prestigious and rich. You want a skill that is in demand, rather than just having a few letters after your name. Are you going to be merely a lab tech? Or are you going to be a scientist? Those are the questions you have to ask yourself. More importantly, it should be something you ENJOY doing.👍

 

[t man]

I hope I don't offend anyone with a masters degree, but IMO, research gained from a masters degree is still very limited. How can you have a meaningful thesis while completing your graduate course requirements in one years time? I'm sure there are programs and people who can do that, but you'll be subject to the same question by those that did more in depth research (e.g., 2-year masters, or PhD programs).

Short of already having a research project prior to admission into the masters program, its tough to see how 3 quarters or 2 semesters of original research can yield a meaningful thesis which can help relate to finding work in a medical research field. Any worthwhile research rarely adheres to a set timeframe. This is why people take 2.-2.5 years for a masters degree, or 7 years for a PhD degree. My classmate who was intending to do a masters in 1 year will now complete her degree in 2 years due to delays in her research.

The other question would be, what kind of medical research field do you want to get into? Both academia and industry have a demand for what will make their institutions more prestigious and rich. You want a skill that is in demand, rather than just having a few letters after your name. Are you going to be merely a lab tech? Or are you going to be a scientist? Those are the questions you have to ask yourself. More importantly, it should be something you ENJOY doing.👍

that's along the lines of what i was thinking, and i'm under the impression right now that you really are going to need a PhD to land a solid research job. i would want to be a scientist, by the way. i'm in a unique situation because i did well during undergrad, and wasn't accepted in to dental school on my first try. i'm not looking to improve my GPA, but now i have a year off that i don't want to waste. i thought the one year masters at UMDNJ could be applicable towards both fields, and therefore be a perfect option. if accepted to dental school i would still pursue research, so this program can still be useful, i just want to make sure i'm making an informed decision so i can have an idea of what to expect in the worst case scenario.

i have a few questions i'm going to ask UMDNJ tomorrow, so i'll post again once i find out a little more.

anyway... thanks, relentless. your input was helpful.

 

[DoctorPhud]

that's along the lines of what i was thinking, and i'm under the impression right now that you really are going to need a PhD to land a solid research job. i would want to be a scientist, by the way.

Yeah... for serious research, a PhD definitely helps (unless you have a great deal of experience in the field that leads you to it).

By definition, a Masters degree shows that you are a Master of a field of endeavour... You are able to work at a high, skilled level and given a problem, you can solve it in an effective way.

A PhD, by contrast, is a Doctor of Philosophy - someone who is skilled in being able to assess the state of the field and then take a conceptual step beyond that.

Therefore, a PhD definitely helps in finding research positions, since research is what we do. Ultimately, research isn't the true goal of a Masters program; rather, it aims to develop and qualify people who are highly skilled in an existing manner.

That said, some Masters students do some great research in their projects that shows all the hallmarks of a good researcher and ought to indicate that those are good candidates to pursue a PhD or some other position. Some Masters projects are genuinely brilliant, deserve recognition and should achieve interest from institutions and organisations who want to snap up someone that they can groom into a good researcher.

In short, if you do a great project, you might be able to use that to acquire a research position, but that isn't the prime objective of a Masters program, and you'll be going against the expectations of a Masters degree vs. a PhD. No matter what happens, unfortunately, an institution or organisation is far better off employing a PhD graduate with a pile of papers and articles than a Masters graduate with a single good project, no matter how you look at it.

Sorry :-/

 

[t man]

Yeah... for serious research, a PhD definitely helps (unless you have a great deal of experience in the field that leads you to it).

By definition, a Masters degree shows that you are a Master of a field of endeavour... You are able to work at a high, skilled level and given a problem, you can solve it in an effective way.

A PhD, by contrast, is a Doctor of Philosophy - someone who is skilled in being able to assess the state of the field and then take a conceptual step beyond that.

Therefore, a PhD definitely helps in finding research positions, since research is what we do. Ultimately, research isn't the true goal of a Masters program; rather, it aims to develop and qualify people who are highly skilled in an existing manner.

That said, some Masters students do some great research in their projects that shows all the hallmarks of a good researcher and ought to indicate that those are good candidates to pursue a PhD or some other position. Some Masters projects are genuinely brilliant, deserve recognition and should achieve interest from institutions and organisations who want to snap up someone that they can groom into a good researcher.

In short, if you do a great project, you might be able to use that to acquire a research position, but that isn't the prime objective of a Masters program, and you'll be going against the expectations of a Masters degree vs. a PhD. No matter what happens, unfortunately, an institution or organisation is far better off employing a PhD graduate with a pile of papers and articles than a Masters graduate with a single good project, no matter how you look at it.

Sorry :-/

i see what you're saying, but even if it doesn't help with finding work, i'm still interested in the program. mainly because with the one year program, i'll have the chance to test the waters with research. and i think that's a good thing because 1. i would like to do research in dental school, 2. if i decide not to pursue research, at least i'll have a masters to put towards something else, and 3. if i decide that research is the field for me for whatever reason or circumstance, perhaps the credit and research done during the year can be applied as credit towards a PhD program- which is one of the questions i need to ask UMDNJ.

thanks for the input, anyway.

 

[relentless11]

i see what you're saying, but even if it doesn't help with finding work, i'm still interested in the program. mainly because with the one year program, i'll have the chance to test the waters with research. and i think that's a good thing because 1. i would like to do research in dental school, 2. if i decide not to pursue research, at least i'll have a masters to put towards something else, and 3. if i decide that research is the field for me for whatever reason or circumstance, perhaps the credit and research done during the year can be applied as credit towards a PhD program- which is one of the questions i need to ask UMDNJ.

thanks for the input, anyway.

I agree that a masters is a good way to "test the waters", but I would encourage you to volunteer in a lab this summer so you can get a better feel for it. Most masters programs are "pay to play" so you have to pay for tuition. It would be ashame if you ended up not liking it and having to stick it out since you payed the tuition and stuff.

I must say that masters level research is usually superior to that of undergraduate research. Therefore it would provide you with a better idea of what to expect (or at least a foundation) for PhD work. There are of course exceptions. Some of my undergrads have done masters level research, and one is actually going to carry over into a masters program.

Many people go from a masters to a PhD including that friend I mentioned. Conversely some people go from a PhD to a masters too for various reasons😉.

 

[t man]

I agree that a masters is a good way to "test the waters", but I would encourage you to volunteer in a lab this summer so you can get a better feel for it. Most masters programs are "pay to play" so you have to pay for tuition. It would be ashame if you ended up not liking it and having to stick it out since you payed the tuition and stuff.

I must say that masters level research is usually superior to that of undergraduate research. Therefore it would provide you with a better idea of what to expect (or at least a foundation) for PhD work. There are of course exceptions. Some of my undergrads have done masters level research, and one is actually going to carry over into a masters program.

Many people go from a masters to a PhD including that friend I mentioned. Conversely some people go from a PhD to a masters too for various reasons😉.

i'm avtually doing undergrad research right now, so i have a pretty good idea of what it entails, and it wouldn't be a blind decision to enter the research field. i am happy to hear that masters level research is usually better than ugrad research.

also, just so i know where the advice is coming from- no offense i appreciate the advice you've given- what do you mean by "some of my undergrads"?

 

[relentless11]

i'm avtually doing undergrad research right now, so i have a pretty good idea of what it entails, and it wouldn't be a blind decision to enter the research field. i am happy to hear that masters level research is usually better than ugrad research.

also, just so i know where the advice is coming from- no offense i appreciate the advice you've given- what do you mean by "some of my undergrads"?

I'm a second year PhD candidate in pathology. I have 6 undergrads in my lab (3 of which work directly with me). Two of them will be seeking a masters through our school based on their work in our lab. As I mentioned, 1 has done most of the experiments/data collection already so she will finish her masters thesis in like 3 months into her masters program.

So yea, if you already have a project, then you can get a lot done, and get a degree rather quickly without sacrificing research experience. I originally looked into a masters, but found my existing research project to be too in depth, and I was intending to do an MD/PhD anyway, so went with the PhD program. Not to mention, for some sick reason, I thought the PhD qualifying exam to be something interesting to do. I still stand by my decision🙂.