<p>If you get into a PhD program, does that usually mean that along the way you will be awarded a master's degree as well? So by the time you are done you will have a MA and a PhD? Is it common for one to stop and leave the program after completing a masters?</p>
<p>Many doctoral programs will have the option for a masters along the way, but there are also programs that do not have this option. There are people that quit after they get their masters instead of continuing with the doctoral program but it's not reccomended. I would suggest applying for a terminal masters degree if that's all a person wants but one shouldn't apply for a doctoral program just to purposely quit after the masters portion is completed.</p>
<p>From what I have heard it is not too uncommon to leave a PhD program with a Master's degree. Some students plan to do this because it is a lot easier to get funding for a PhD program than it is to get funding for a terminal Master's degree, and others may decide to leave their PhD program because they realize that grad school is not their cup of tea.</p>
<p>So if you are planning on completing a doctoral program, does it matter if you get also masters? In other words, are there any benefits to having a masters in addition to a PhD?</p>
<p>If you complete a doctoral program, you will likely earn a Masters degree along the way. Sometimes this is an MA, sometimes it is an MS, sometimes it is an MPhil. Often, the degree is conferred when qualifying exams are completed. Sometimes, the degree is conferred when coursework is completed. It really depends on your field of study, and on your department.</p>
<p>The Masters degree will not matter to you (or to anyone else) UNLESS you leave your doctoral program before completion. In that case, the Masters degree will be the only graduate degree you have.</p>
<p>Only 50% of people who go into a PhD program leave with one. So it is very common for people to leave with just a Masters. I am currently in the position of most likely leaving my PhD and getting just a Masters.</p>
<p>Applying to the PhD program gives you a much better chance of funding, but at the schools I looked at, it is much harder to get into the PhD program compared to the Masters. My school has around a 50% acceptance rate for Masters and a 9% acceptance rate for PhD.</p>
<p>And yes, some schools will not even give you a Masters for leaving, but I have never actually heard about that happening to anyone, but people say it is possible.</p>
<p>Also, if you go into a PhD program then you most likely will have to take some sort of a screening exam BEFORE you get a Masters, which means extra work and stress.</p>
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That depends on the subject. For instance, higher education in sciences such as biology and chemistry rarely gives Master's degrees in PhD programs.</p>
<p>really? in all the schools i've looked at, plus three graduate programs i've been in (some department transfers involved there), they've always awarded masters degrees en route to the PhD. frequently it's treated as a consolation degree -- that in the event one fails to pass the 2nd-year exam and has to leave the program, at least he/she will have something to show for the first two years of work.</p>
<p>granted, these masters aren't exactly useful ... for my field, at least. if my next few years of schooling work out, i'll be holding a chemistry MS, a pharmacology MA, and a M. Phil and PhD in biological sciences. guess which of those four is the only worthwhile one?</p>
<p>I agree with kryptonsa36, It depends on your major.
If you are going for a Physics or other Physical Science degrees, a MS is just as useless as a BS.</p>
<p>This is NOT the case for Engineering. A MS is very useful.</p>