<p>What are the benefits of doing MS then going for a PhD at a different institute?
And does having a MS before PhD reduce the average time scale for obtaining a PhD?
Thanks!</p>
<p>If you plan on getting a Ph.D. just go for it right away. That is your best chance at getting support all the way through since not all programs offer assistantships to M.S. students. That being said, some programs insist on you getting a M.S. first but that is a minority (depending on the field).</p>
<p>Will a M.S. speed up your Ph.D.? No! Think of it this way. You do an M.S. for 2 years of courses plus thesis (2-3 years) then you change schools, and maybe have to take another year of courses plus start on a new project (minimum of 4 years). If you go right for a Ph.D. you can probably get all your courses done in 2 years and get started on research too You might be able to finish it all in 5 years or so if things go smoothly.</p>
<p>Of course, if you are not strong enough to get into the Ph.D. program that you want, an M.S. will help you establish your qualifications to be a graduate student and you might have to go that route.</p>
<p>Master’s is a terminal degree in some fields (education, social work, engineering come to mind) otherwise it is pretty useless in fields where a PhD is expected as the entry level professional degree.</p>
<p>As you said, I was thinking of taking the MS degree route because there are schools I’m really interested in getting into but I wasn’t sure I was qualified enough to get in.
I think I will be graduating w/ a gpa of 3.6-3.7 at top institute and I really want to get into BME (nano/instrumental conc.) but I’m afraid the 2 C’s from biology courses will hurt me a lot to get into high notch schools.</p>
<p>Your GPA is probably good enough to have you considered for a good program, particularly if your GRE scores are good and you have strong letters of reference. Don’t count on the most selective programs even if you have a wonderful Masters degree. They have so many applicants that it is quite hard to get into them even with a perfect GPA and great letters of reference. There are just so many strong applicants. Instead, focus on good programs (ones that have interesting research and good funding profiles) where you will be a prized applicant and go for it. Of course you can apply to those most selective programs too.</p>