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I realize there's an actual education forum on CD, but I wanted to gain a local perspective on this question. Is anyone familiar with master of professional studies (MPS) programs? Is an MPS degree respectable? My employer will pay for coursework towards a master's degree and I have therefore been researching various programs in the area. For example, Georgetown's School of Continuing Studies offers several MPS programs, as does GWU. Here's a link: Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies
I've known a few people who've done such programs in things like PR, Liberal Studies, Human Resources, mainly either because their employer was paying for it, it was free for them because they worked at the particular University or they perceived it as a backdoor way to get a degree from a "prestigious" university.
What's the objective? I certainly wouldn't regard them as major career trajectory changers-- but if it's a subject area you're just interested in, costs are not a huge issue and you are not looking to go down an academic or research path in that subject area, what's the harm?
I've known a few people who've done such programs in things like PR, Liberal Studies, Human Resources, mainly either because their employer was paying for it, it was free for them because they worked at the particular University or they perceived it as a backdoor way to get a degree from a "prestigious" university.
What's the objective? I certainly wouldn't regard them as major career trajectory changers-- but if it's a subject area you're just interested in, costs are not a huge issue and you are not looking to go down an academic or research path in that subject area, what's the harm?
Thanks for responding. Yeah, this wouldn't be a career change or anything; I'm just looking to compliment my PR and marketing background, especially since I wouldn't have to pay out of pocket for the tuition.
Thanks for responding. Yeah, this wouldn't be a career change or anything; I'm just looking to compliment my PR and marketing background, especially since I wouldn't have to pay out of pocket for the tuition.
Why not just do an MBA? More flexible and transferable
Thanks for responding. Yeah, this wouldn't be a career change or anything; I'm just looking to compliment my PR and marketing background, especially since I wouldn't have to pay out of pocket for the tuition.
I have a colleague who is doing the MS in marketing Johns Hopkins offers through it business school locations in DC. The pace and rigor of the program seems about right in line with what she wanted ; kind of an MBA-lite with very flexible class schedules.
Back to the question. I started out once with an Interdisciplinary Masters Degree, it was billed as write your own degree. I soon dropped it for a number of reasons. First of all, most of the courses were in general analysis of how master degrees work (statistics, testing, building a study) and few were on what I wanted to study.
Secondly, if they want someone with a master's degree in your field of interest, they are going to take the person who studied that interest entirely, not someone with a part time attention to it. It's like having a geography degree with an oceanography course or two. For someone asking for an oceanographer at the MS level, the former is not going to make the resume cut for their degree, geography with emphasis in oceanography does not say an oceanography degree.
Finally, in taking the interdisciplinary degree, there was a great loss of comraderie. We, my fellow students, all came from different walks of life, were going in different directions, and we had nothing in common to talk about. It was very lonely. Now, I have been with groups where we had different backgrounds but as that we had similar goals, that was okay and fun.....but not the interdisciplinary degree. I dropped it and went for a CJ degree.
I feel like the continuing education degrees from the upper tier colleges are over-priced and a waste. I would be looking at how many of the faculty hold PhD degrees and whether they teach full time or are adjunct. If you're looking to do a part-time Master's I think you could do better in both quality and costs at a state university like George Mason or UMD. There are many quality lower-cost private and state schools that have decent Master's programs online now, as well. And they will be full MA/MS, not MPS or MLA. Some of them offer in-state tuition rates to all online students. The GU and GWU's are looking to capitalize on the name-brand, and the quality and return is just not there in my view. It also seems a lot of the students are looking to ride on the name without actually meeting the same admission standards and level of academic rigor as the full time programs. Just my opinion.
What are you going to be a master of? Are you gonna fix complex mechanical issues? Are you gonna build and or design a structure of great significance? Have you found the secret to ending world hunger? What contribution to society does a professional studier offer?
What are you going to be a master of? Are you gonna fix complex mechanical issues? Are you gonna build and or design a structure of great significance? Have you found the secret to ending world hunger? What contribution to society does a professional studier offer?
What is as professional studier, and why would they be held to standards that most other people are not?
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