Are second Bachelor's degrees considered the real thing?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am interested in returning to school for another degree. Currently, I hold a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. However, it's become increasingly obvious that the technology industry is a suboptimal career path for me.</p>

<p>One problem is that Computer Science has little to no overlap with most other majors. As such, I would probably need substantial undergraduate coursework even if ultimately attending graduate school. As a result, I'm seriously considering earning a second Bachelor's degree.</p>

<p>Another problem is that my Computer Science degree was awarded by a small private college which is best described as obscure. Few people outside the general area have heard of it. As such, it doesn't have a bad reputation per se, but rather doesn't have much of a reputation at all. Compounding the problem, the school is hundreds of miles from where I currently live or from any of the other locations I'm interested in working. (I had extremely limited options due to financial constraints combined with no realistic hope of sufficient need-based aid.)</p>

<p>My cumulative GPA is above the average for admitted transfer students at most of the universities I'm considering. These universities are all generally considered tier one or tier two schools, or would be if they were located in the USA. They do generally offer second Bachelor's degrees (I'm aware that this isn't a given).</p>

<p>If I earn a second Bachelor's degree from such a school, will potential jobs genuinely consider me an alumnus of that school? Or are they still going to associate me with the college that awarded my first Bachelor's degree?</p>

<p>Likewise, will other alumni genuinely consider me an alumnus of the school awarding the second Bachelor's degree? Will it be possible to participate in the alumni network?</p>

<p>Similarly, are graduate schools likely to genuinely consider me an alumnus of the school that I receive the second Bachelor's degree from? FWIW, I'm undecided as to whether to attend graduate school at this time but definitely want to leave the door open to doing so.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>What do you want for your second degree? If it’s business don’t bother. Go directly for an MBA. I know of a few people who have gone back for a second bachelor’s but it really isn’t worth the $ or time. I would imagine the new school would take you as one of their own and you could use the alumni network for job searches.</p>

3

<p>if you get a 2nd bachelor’s it is as real as the 1st one. But I doubt your best path is to spend 2-3 more years as an undergrad. I know people who got into good MBA programs with a CS degree. An MBA program is open to students with any degree; they take people with majors from art to zoology. They’ll teach you all you need in terms of business based courses.</p>

<p>If you’re considering a grad degree in some other area, you’re still better off applying to grad school. I don’t know where you live, but in CA for example you can get into a grad program in a Cal-State school and work towards a Masters with pretty much any undergrad degree. If you have deficiencies and need to take some undergrad courses before taking the grad-level ones then you take those courses. And since the highest degree offered is a Masters, when you complete that (or even when you’ve made a dent towards finishing) you can apply to PhD programs if that is your final goal.</p>

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<p>
[QUOTE=Erin’s Dad]
What do you want for your second degree?

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Good question.</p>

<p>For fields whose graduate degrees can be pursued after any undergraduate degree, such as MBA or Law, a second Bachelor’s degree isn’t necessary. But nothing I’m considering falls into that category.</p>

<p>I’m still investigating possible majors and careers at this point. Among the fields I’m considering are the social sciences, cognitive science and writing. Having been pushed towards the STEM fields, I know little about which other career possibilities exist.</p>

<p>
[QUOTE=Erin’s Dad]
I know of a few people who have gone back for a second bachelor’s but it really isn’t worth the $ or time.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>My goals are as follows:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>To gain enough background in a new field to find work in that field. If a Master’s is necessary, then I’ll get one. If a Bachelor’s is sufficient, it might be avoidable (especially if no funding is offered, etc.)</p></li>
<li><p>To have a degree from a school which is reasonably well-respected in the areas where I hope to work. An alumni presence in these areas would also be a plus.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>
[QUOTE=mikemac]
If you’re considering a grad degree in some other area, you’re still better off applying to grad school. I don’t know where you live, but in CA for example you can get into a grad program in a Cal-State school and work towards a Masters with pretty much any undergrad degree.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Some of the graduate programs I’ve investigated apparently do require undergraduate coursework. For example, to be considered for admission to a Master’s program in economics, an entire year of undergraduate coursework was required. Even in the absence of an explicit requirement, it seems unrealistic to jump into graduate-level coursework in fields in which I have almost no background at the undergraduate level.</p>

<p>I live in New York State. Fortunately, the SUNY system allows second Bachelor’s degrees. As a bonus, their residency requirement can be as little as 35 semester hours. If I need to take almost this much coursework anyway, it seems to make sense to get the degree.</p>

<p>FWIW, I’m not considering getting a Ph.D. due to the amount of time required to earn one.</p>

<p>Do you think that tier one or tier two graduate schools are going to be as flexible as the Cal State system? It’s important to me to attend a tier one or tier two school, even if it requires more effort to get to that point.</p>

5

<p>My undergraduate degree is in Archeology - total Liberal Arts experience</p>

<p>My Master’s degree is in Agriculture (from a famous up-state NY public institution actually)</p>

<p>In between, I went back to school in at my home-state public U and took a year and a half of coursework that was prerequisite for the graduate studies. I was considered a transfer student by that university for the first year, and a non-degree grad student for the second.</p>

<p>Something like that might work for you. If you take a good look at the community colleges near you, you may even be able to get your pre-reqs. out of the way there.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>

6

<p>My D graduated a couple of years ago with a double major and now wants to go back to be a public school teacher. She has to take all of the required education courses plus do her student teaching, so she has about 30+ credits to do. I don’t know whether that gives her another degree or not.</p>

<p>Is education a field you’ve considered?</p>

7

<p>
[QUOTE=happymomof1]
Something like that might work for you.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>This is more or less what I’m considering doing. The main difference is that I’m considering actually getting a second Bachelor’s degree on the basis of the coursework I have to complete anyway, as opposed to just taking individual classes.</p>

<p>It’s likely that I can be admitted to a tier one or a tier two university as a second Bachelor’s candidate and can pay for it. Being admitted to a tier one or tier two graduate school is less certain. Obtaining funding at such a school is even less likely. Actually obtaining a second Bachelor’s degree ensures that at least I earn a degree from a tier one or tier two school even if continuing to graduate school is infeasible.</p>

<p>Now, this reasoning relies on the premise that the second Bachelor’s counts for anything. Hence the original question.</p>

<p>
[QUOTE=happymomof1]
Wishing you all the best!

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>
[QUOTE=kitty56]
Is education a field you’ve considered?

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Actually, it is. I’d need 21 credits of education coursework. Education is a special case because it’s all about state licensing requirements. They want specific coursework and want you to have a Bachelor’s. However, the Bachelor’s isn’t required to be in education per se in any state I’m aware of.</p>

8

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<p>I can’t speak for these fields in particular, but a bachelors in other fields is not really worth much. How would you feel if you discovered mid way through an undergrad degree, that the same barriers exist for getting a satisfying career in these fields as in computer science. You may well need a masters degree as a ticket to play in these fields.</p>

<p>Perhaps something to consider- you could take courses in the field of interest as a non degree student. At least enough to make a case for being admitted to a graduate program in the area. This option would allow you to take classes, explore new areas, continue working full time and make a graduate degree a realistic possibility in the near future.</p>

9

<p>
[QUOTE=belevitt]
How would you feel if you discovered mid way through an undergrad degree, that the same barriers exist for getting a satisfying career in these fields as in computer science.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>This is a valid point. Before even starting any formal academic program, I plan to thoroughly research career possibilities. Which degree is realistically a minimum for breaking into a field is a detail I would definitely try to research in advance.</p>

<p>When I was studying Computer Science, it was highly marketable. Shortly after I graduated with a Computer Science degree, the job market collapsed. Years later, career opportunities remain limited in this field. This was unforeseeable, and as such was simply bad luck.</p>

<p>I also understand the other reasons why choosing IT as a career didn’t work and should be able to avoid making similar mistakes in the future.</p>

<p>Having a full-time job which you’d like to hold on to while studying is a problem you’d like to have. My career has degenerated to the point where it’s not really full-time anymore. The silver lining is that the informal IT contracts and the work outside my field that I’m currently doing could probably be found elsewhere if need be.</p>

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<p>Kitty56 - Depending on where you daughter is studying, she may be able to earn an M.A.T., or she might just be getting the credits necessary for certification. Some states (including MD where I live) run special quickie certification programs that only take about a year and don’t necessarily award college credits.</p>

<p>Take3 - I know three people who earned second bachelor’s degrees at their home-state-Us in new fields following degrees at other institutions. I had enough pre-requisite credits from the first time around so that I didn’t need to take as many lower level courses as they did. For me it was more time and cost effective to jump into grad level work after 12 months of undergrad classes. If I’d needed to spend more time in undergrad classes, I probably would have been more willing to pick up the peculiar-to-that-U required courses necessary for a second bachelor’s degree. Once you figure out what it is you want to study, you will be able to work out whether a second bachelor’s is absolutely necessary, a reasonable first step, or not particularly important for achieving you goals.</p>

11

<p>And if you do complete a second bachelor’s degree, you will be on the hook for that alumni association for the rest of your life. Depending on the connections available through that U, it may be worth it to you to complete your degree.</p>

12

<p>
[QUOTE=happymomof1]
Once you figure out what it is you want to study, you will be able to work out whether a second bachelor’s is absolutely necessary, a reasonable first step, or not particularly important for achieving you goals.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>This is more or less what I was thinking. Career decisions are something I’m exploring and evaluating. (I haven’t asked much about this topic here, as it’s not directly related to college per se.)</p>

<p>Some of the universities I’ve looked at actually waive general education requirements in the case of a second Bachelor’s degree.</p>

<p>Also, good point about the alumni association. I don’t have access to an alumni association which is realistically useful as it stands.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone for your help!</p>