Why masters degree

There are two types of Masters degree. Taught Masters are similar in structure to an undergraduate degree but to a more advanced level, you will attend lectures and seminars, working towards your dissertation. A research Masters allows you to work on a topic independently and further your chosen field of study to produce a paper for publishing. Both options will develop your ideas and teach you different skills in academia which you can apply in your future career.

During your undergraduate degree you met people who may have become friends for life, and this started your professional network, even without realising it.

As a Masters student, both you and your new friends are focusing on similar or related fields and moving to the next level in your careers. Building your network is an important part of studying and working, and having the opportunity to meet new people and reinvigorate these relationships will be very useful, and fun! A key difference between your undergraduate degree and a Masters is the level of independent study. You will be expected to have autonomy over your learning and spend time researching ideas that you have not been specifically asked to.

Along with this, you will gain the necessary skills for your personal development, like motivation, independence and time management. You will also build your confidence in sharing your ideas, meeting new people and presenting to a group, which are all helpful in your personal and professional life. A question you will ask when deciding your next step is: is a Masters degree worth it? Further study is not cheap, but it is an investment.

Not only that but as an expert in your field, you are likely to find work that suits your interests. It suggests expertise and credibility in a particular field and allows you more freedom within that field.

This specific knowledge increases your proficiency in a particular discipline, which gives you an advantage at a time when many employers are raising their educational requirements for emerging positions. The additional hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your career could mean more savings, living more comfortably, planning dream vacations, or security in case of an emergency.

Graduate school immerses you further into your specific industry. Without the need to fulfill general education requirements, you can focus solely on your field of study. With the opportunity to try several areas of your specialty in a short amount of time, you may gain a greater understanding of how to narrow down the path you want to pursue.

Many companies will reimburse their employees to continue their education. You will get the opportunity to apply theory to practice while simultaneously getting your education through apprenticeships, internships, and projects. In many career sectors, such as higher education administration, public affairs, and social services, a master's degree is replacing a bachelor's as the minimum requirement for employment.

With a bachelor's degree in the s, one could secure an entry level position as an admissions counselor, academic adviser, or student services coordinator. By the s, applicants for these same entry-level positions were not even considered unless they held a master's degree. While holding a graduate degree is not a guarantee of ultimate success, it certainly opens many more doors for employment.

Data from the U. For graduate degree holders, the numbers are favorable: U. Anything that you can do to make your professional life easier and more rewarding is always a positive thing that you should strive to achieve. By doing so, the impact on your life will be astounding. Practical applications is the use of something for a reasonable purpose. Knowing more about what you love is how you nurture that love and let it blossom into a rewarding career that you can take pride in.

You will gain niche knowledge that other people in your field might not know, and this will give you an edge while at the same time bring you closer to the heart of your field. You will also be doing highly advanced work and research into niche parts of your field.

Botany and virology are both extremely different niches that both fall under the biology umbrella, so not only would a student learn about the basics of biology, they would also learn about a specialized field that is a part of biology. You can even specialize further, if you so wish. Lab and research opportunities are a very powerful and compelling way to learn all the subtleties about your field.

And, as an added bonus, you will also gain access to more high-tech gadgets to use in your research, which allows you to become familiar with some tools that you might need to use after graduation. Research opportunities will usually offer students stipends to help pay for living expenses and tuition, this will be covered more in-depth later in this list. All in all, having access to more and better research opportunities is a great way to gain life experience, career experience, learn more about what you love and give you the tools you need to succeed in your chosen field.