<p>I couldn't find anything on this topic after searching, so I figured I'd ask if anyone knew.</p>
<p>My school offers a "4+1" masters program in most departments, where you pay $13,000 for the next year to take another year of classes and do some research for a masters. I'm pretty much going to be in the classes that master's students would take by my senior year (I've just taken a lot of math here... pretty much nothing but), but I could use the next year to take many more courses.</p>
<p>Would this be to my advantage when applying to graduate schools?</p>
<p>In my opinion, I wouldn’t do it. Graduate schools expect more from a master’s student then they do from an undergraduate student. But in only 1 year, you won’t be able to accomplish as much as a master’s student in a 2 year program(research, etc).</p>
<p>Not to mention, you will lose at least 30 K this way(13K to pay for masters, 17K is lost stipend).</p>
<p>The common advice in mathematics is not to get a Master’s before applying to PhD programs. There are the financial losses that hfkjds has described, but also academic difficulties: you might have to retake courses similar to those you have already taken for your Master’s, or else you might have to decide on a dissertation adviser without having time to get to know the faculty in your new PhD department. And then there’s the he-must-have-not-gotten-into-a-PhD-program-initially stereotype that comes along with a Master’s degree.</p>