Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you get an academic degree?
Generally no
Is that recognized socially ? As in opening a business after passes these classes.
Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
41–50 of 315 posts
Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#42When are we going to learn that encouraging everyone to get more education is a waste of resources? All it leads to is lowered standards and devalued degrees. Your credential is only worth something because someone else doesn't have it.
One would hope that one's salary would depend on one's expected productivity, which an education should increase.
Lowered standards and devalued degrees is probably a thing though.
Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
But in these cases aren't undergraduate degrees normally three years, and a master's degree one? So that's four years total, which is what Americans do anyway. An American undergraduate plus masters is six years, which is absolutely insane. Let alone their PhDs, which mean you could easily end up 29 before you graduate. I had a friend in Europe who finished their PhD with top-tier publications in two years - much les…
Europe is generally 3 for Bachelors + 2 for Masters.
And in some countries it's more common to do 5 years straight to Masters (for example it was the system in Poland when I graduated but it became more popular to do 3+2 since then).
At any rate - I wouldn't say it's a scam in countries with free university education. It's actually cheap to teach people and it improves the society. Win-win.
University system in US is a scam for the same reason that healthcare system in US is a scam - because it has bad incentives and no taxpayers control over them.
Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#44I had a friend who was wanting to get a master's degree in poetry, and it cost about 45k a year, back in early 2000s. I strongly advised against it, my friend did not take well to my advice. Hope it all turned out well. I have no problem with people getting degrees in the arts. My spouse has a Master's in fine arts, from a university in Europe. But she didn't acquire any debt from that degree, while I did in the US w…
That said about federal student loans, it is a low interest unsecured type of debt. At a bank an unsecured loan is at least 11-16% depending on the amount.
So if you as a student do have some of that debt leftover, it is much smarter to use that toward a car down payment or a deposit on an apartment. I feel like most college kids don't have even the slightest grasp on budgeting and how all transactions affect the accounting equation honestly.
Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#45In Europe a Master's degree is a necessity for the (better) starter jobs in industry, but usually in the more common (traditional) fields like economics, law, engineering, or science.
But in these cases aren't undergraduate degrees normally three years, and a master's degree one? So that's four years total, which is what Americans do anyway. An American undergraduate plus masters is six years, which is absolutely insane. Let alone their PhDs, which mean you could easily end up 29 before you graduate. I had a friend in Europe who finished their PhD with top-tier publications in two years - much les…
The continent is generally 3+2. In the UK it's generally 3 + 1.
Eg I got a Master's 4 years after high school in the UK.
Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#46I got my PhD in a field where you nonchalantly get a masters along the way (because masters degrees have an in-field glass ceiling). A terminal masters program was started by my program while I was in attendance. If you needed the education, it was billed as a professional degree and I think is put to good use. But if you had an undergraduate degree in the field and were not pursuing a PhD then it was just window dre…
Are you in physics?
Economics.
Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#47Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#48In Europe a Master's degree is a necessity for the (better) starter jobs in industry, but usually in the more common (traditional) fields like economics, law, engineering, or science.
I think that was the case when Universities offered only 5year Master's degree programs but it changed after the Bologna process and you have Bachelor's 3years (3.5 for engineering) + 2years (1.5 eng) Master's.
Bachelor's degree is often enough for a starter job in industry and I don't think it matters that much if it's Master's or Bachelor's even later in your career (at least in software dev), PhD is definitely regarded much higher
Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#49In Europe a Master's degree is a necessity for the (better) starter jobs in industry, but usually in the more common (traditional) fields like economics, law, engineering, or science.
But in these cases aren't undergraduate degrees normally three years, and a master's degree one? So that's four years total, which is what Americans do anyway. An American undergraduate plus masters is six years, which is absolutely insane. Let alone their PhDs, which mean you could easily end up 29 before you graduate. I had a friend in Europe who finished their PhD with top-tier publications in two years - much les…
> But in these cases aren't undergraduate degrees normally three years, and a master's degree one?
It's usually three years + two years.
At least in France there used to be a degree at four years, before the Master's (at five) but I don't think that exists anymore since they introduced the EU-wide new system (Bachelor's — Master's — PhD).
Re: Master’s degrees are the second biggest scam in higher education?
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
Generally no
Is that recognized socially ? As in opening a business after passes these classes.
My impression, knowing very few who has attended højskole, is that people do it for their own personal fulfillment and enjoyment.
Socially, I’d say that it is respected and regarded as a sign of dedication to ones interests.