【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!
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！
