<p>For PhD programs in Science or Engineering, does having a Master's beforehand give one an advantage in admissions over others with just a B.S.?</p>
<p>Yes, if you happened to do well in the graduate coursework that comprised the master's degree, and also because many master's degrees require that you work on a thesis, which you can use to demonstrate your research skills. However, if you did poorly on your master's coursework, or if your thesis was poor, then that would probably hurt your chances for admission to the PhD.</p>
<p>Then again, if you did poorly on your master's coursework and/or your thesis was weak, then you probably aren't going to be interested in getting a PhD anyway.</p>
<p>I am very new to the graduate school thing as I'm sure my question will show, but is it true that you don't need a master's degree to get into a Ph.D. program? If so, then what is the point of a master's: is one more about independent research and the other about continued learning from others. Any very general overview would be very helpful and greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>It is true that you don't need a master's degree to get into a PhD program. </p>
<p>The point of a master's degree varies from discipline to discipline. I take it you don't want to hear about master's degrees like the MBA or the MPA/MPP, or other such professional degrees, and that you just want to hear about academic master's degrees. In that case, a master's degree is used to validate a level of knowledge beyond the bachelor's degree, but obviously not as much as a doctorate. Such master's degrees are particularly useful in such fields as engineering and computer science, where a master's degree can often times give you a marked advantage in the job market. Academic master's degrees in other fields like the humanities and the social/natural sciences are less useful. I wouldn't call them useless, but they certainly don't give you much of a boost beyond the bachelor's degree. Often times, these master's degrees in these disciplines are 'consolation' master's degrees for people who couldn't complete their PhD's. </p>
<p>However, other people use master's degrees as a stepping stone to get into a PhD program. For example, somebody who has a mediocre undergraduate academic record, or who is looking to get into a PhD program in a discipline for which he has taken little undergraduate coursework may often times pursue a master's degree in that field as a way to shore up his academic background to make himself presentable to the PhD adcom. Sometimes a master's degree program is used by some departments in some schools as a gateway into that school's PhD program for those candidates who are decent, but not good enough to merit direct entry into the program. For example, take the EECS department at MIT. If you're not good enough to get into the PhD EECS program at MIT, you can try to get into the master's degree program, and if you do well in that program, then you may be able to get into the PhD program. Of course, there are no guarantees.</p>
<p>Then of course there are the combined bachelor's/master's programs which I think are a good deal if you can get it. These programs basically allow you to complete both the bachelor's and master's at the same time. Only certain departments at certain schools run such programs. For example, at MIT, only a few departments like EECS run such programs. Harvard offers such programs in certain fields. The point of these programs is obviously to obtain a credential that validates a higher level of knowledge than simply a bachelor's degree.</p>
<p>Thanks very much, sakky.</p>