【Career Development Centre of Student Affairs Office】 Further Study Insider (14): Why you might want to do a Master’s before a PhD

【學生事務部 生涯發展中心】 升學情報(十四):先完成碩士課程,再攻讀博士學位的原因

Why you might want to do a Master's before a PhD

The choice between a PhD and a Master’s degree is becoming increasingly popular for people who want to enter academia. However, for some students, this is a crossroads: “Do I need a Master’s to get a PhD?”, “What is the difference and which is the better choice?”

The purpose of this article is to remind you of the reasons why you might want to do a Master’s before a PhD. After reading it, we hope that you will have a clearer idea of which route to take.

  • A Master’s degree will help you determine the need for a PhD

    A Master’s degree is generally short and serves as an introduction to postgraduate study, allowing students to explore new fields and more specialized areas. In comparison, a PhD is more time-consuming and requires more commitment, so doing a Master’s might make you question the value of a PhD, as sometimes the fields or topics might not be as interesting and appealing as you thought and might be overwhelming.

  • Better chances of getting admitted

    An undergraduate degree gives you more general knowledge, while a Master’s degree gives you at least one to two years of experience that can be applied to your potential doctoral research. As a result, many graduate schools prefer applicants with a Master’s degree, and this is a good idea if you want to improve your academic performance after your undergraduate degree.

  • Speed up the doctoral process

    Did you know that in some countries, such as the USA and Canada, Master’s degree credits were offered that were transferable to a PhD? The flexible credits have allowed scholars to complete their PhDs more quickly, giving students a pulse for a definitive research topic before embarking on the PhD journey and gathering sufficient information and knowledge about their PhD.

 

Finally, it is always a good idea to ask for advice, whether from your tutors, future alumni or anyone else who knows the field. Getting personalized suggestions will give you a better idea of what your PhD course is like, and remember, there’s no penalty for asking questions, so don’t miss out!

References:
https://www.mastersportal.com/articles/730/can-you-get-a-phd-without-a-masters-yes-but-heres-why-you-shouldnt.html

先完成碩士課程,再攻讀博士學位的原因

對於想進入學術界的人來說,在博士和碩士學位之間做出選擇正變得越來越普遍。然而,對於一些學生來說,這是個兩難的抉擇: “我需要一個碩士來獲得博士學位嗎?”、 “兩者有什麼區別,哪個是更好的選擇?”

這篇文章的目的是讓你瞭解,先完成碩士課程,再攻讀博士學位的原因。希望你能更清楚地知道該走哪條路。

  • 碩士學位可以讓你明確自己攻讀博士學位的必要性

    碩士學位的修讀時間一般較短,作為研究生學習的入門課程,它為學生提供了探索新領域和更專業領域的機會。相比之下,博士學位會更耗時,也需要學生投入更多的精力去完成它。因此,在修讀碩士課程期間,你可以思考攻讀博士學位的價值,畢竟有些領域或課題並不是你想像的那麼有趣和吸引,甚至會發現碩士課程已經讓你被壓得喘不過氣來。

  • 增加博士課程的錄取率

    本科學習為你提供學科的基礎知識,而碩士課程給你至少一到兩年的研究經驗,並能應用在未來的博士研究。因此,許多研究生傾向錄取具有碩士學位的申請者。如果你希望在本科畢業後提升學術能力,攻讀碩士課程是一個合適的抉擇。

  • 加快博士課程學習進度

    你知道嗎,在一些國家,例如美國和加拿大,大學會允許學生將碩士課程的學分轉入博士課程中?靈活的學分制度使學生們能夠更快完成博士課程,並讓他們在開展讀博的旅程前,提前掌握及確立研究課題,以及充份獲得博士課程所需的資訊及知識。

 

記得,請教別人總是一個好主意,他們可以是你的導師、未來的校友,或者其他了解這個專業領域的人。通過獲得針對性的建議,你會對博士課程有更好的了解,所以,不要錯過任何可以發問的機會啦!

參考資料:https://www.mastersportal.com/articles/730/can-you-get-a-phd-without-a-masters-yes-but-heres-why-you-shouldnt.html