Whats harder , 2 masters degrees or a Ph.D ?

[MAJOR METAL]

Whats harder , 2 masters degrees or a Ph.D ?

[spade2you]

Depends on the program. My PhD is responsible for my lack of hair!

[ras1983]

Having seen what my father went through to get his PhD (and his colleagues) I'd have to say a PhD is one of the most demanding things a person can achieve.

[Marcury]

I just finished a single Masters, can't imagine doing another or a Ph.D for that matter. But watching friends who've done it I'd say a Ph.D is harder and al ot of people take forever to finish them.

[HollowBassman]

I think that two pieces of paper would be harder than one piece of paper.

[MAJOR METAL]

Originally Posted by Marcury

I just finished a single Masters, can't imagine doing another or a Ph.D for that matter. But watching friends who've done it I'd say a Ph.D is harder and al ot of people take forever to finish them.

What did you do yours in ?

[rap138]

i'm finishing my MA and wasn't that difficult, I wouldn't mind doing another one. Doing a Phd seems pretty hard work, and expensive.

[smperry]

I think that on average, a Ph.D. is way harder than two M.A.s.

Marshall

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Id say a PhD would probably be harder than two masters in most cases. Time-wise, you can do two masters quicker than a PhD (well, by how its done here anyways), where, full time, a Masters takes a year, and a PhD takes 3.

Im still stupidly planning on going the PhD route, but, not right now . . . nope, definatley not right now! (plus it would be useless, and make life harder when trying to get a job until ive got some decent experience under my belt)

[smperry]

3 years! I should've moved my family to Scotland....

M

[funkalicious101]

Are you asking how hard a Ph.D is?


yes, I am twelve years old, why do you ask?

[bassguppy]

Probably depends on course of study you are in for the 2 Master's or the PhD. I would guess a Phd in physics is harder than 2 master's in Home Ec (no offence to those in the Home Ec field).

[jazzbo]

Originally Posted by smperry

I think that on average, a Ph.D. is way harder than two M.A.s.

Marshall

I very much agree with this. And, MM, don't forget about dual degrees like a PhD, JD or PhD, MBA. This has it's own challenges.

I do think that on average, a PhD is the most difficult academic task that one can perform. There are certainly examples of exceptions though. A PhD requires a deeper application of material that encourages original thinking of the highest level. To me, a Master's Degree, does not present nearly the same challenge. Now, again, there are exceptions to this.

I've heard people, (I'm not talking about here at TB), that take this discussion to the next level and create a hierarchy of doctorates. (We're constantly looking to prove our worth, aren't we?). It's like the jazz is harder than rock argument, right? All doctorates present their own challenges. For example, a good friend of mine is in law school and I am getting my doctorate in clinical psychology. We often talk about the differences. He has a lot more reading and writing each week, (on average, he reads about 800-1000 pages per week, and writes about 3 papers vs. my 500 pages per week and 2 papers). But then again, I'm seeing patients in and doing therapy. This requires a level of emotional work, (including attentiveness, curiosity, empathy, awe, honesty, introspection, and much more), that he is not subjected to. So, yes, he does more written work, but every week I have a 3 hour case conference, 1 hour supervision, 1.5 half hour group supervision, and a 4 hour case consultation group once per month that require me to examine my work in many contexts, but particularly in the context of how I as a person am in the room with another person who is struggling with life.

The great thing is, I love what I do, so it's exciting. My dissertation is exciting to me. Presenting a case in front of a panel of individuals is enriching. I like the, sometimes, philosphical reading that is abstract and indefinite. My friend enjoys his detailed and objective law books. He likes what he does, I like what I do. To get the degree I'm getting, you have to.

[Eric Cioe]

My mother, who has both two MA's and a Ph.D, would no doubt say that the Ph.D was the far more difficult of the two.

Why? Dissertation. Even if it's in a topic that totally captivates you, it can still take 2-3 years to research and write. That's far harder than writing two 40-60 page MA theses.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Is the main written part of a Masters typically only 40-60 pages? My Bsc dissertation is going to be pretty close to that 40 mark!

Also, ive seen everyone refering to MA's , in the US are all Masters classed as an MA? As over here you get quite a fre, MA (arts), MSc (science) and not to mention a few others, a friend of mine is doing a Masters which has a pretty wierd title, which i cant remember right now :S

[jazzbo]

There are all types of Master's. There is the Master of Arts or Master of Science. However, there are obscure degrees as well like my wife's Master's in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are all types of doctorates as well, (EdD, JD, DC, DAOM, PhD, PsyD, etc).

[Hawaii Islander]

I began working on my Masters degrees in 1996. I completed my Master of Science (MS) in Microbiology in 1998 and my Master of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental and Occupational Health in 2000. I was enrolled in both programs concurrently, but finish my MS in Microbiology first.

Currently, I'm taking a break from the Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering PhD program (started in 2003) due to family matters. Lack of funding hasn't helped either.

Two Masters doesn't equal one PhD in the working world ( to HR eggheads). It's about the same as getting one PhD. Many of the positions that required a Masters now require a PhD. (again to you know who! )

[Brad Barker]

Originally Posted by rap138

i'm finishing my MA and wasn't that difficult, I wouldn't mind doing another one. Doing a Phd seems pretty hard work, and expensive.

hehehe, not expensive if you're in the sciences.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Brad Barker

hehehe, not expensive if you're in the sciences.

If you get the funding it isnt!

But trying to get that funding is a different matter altogether

[jsbass]

Technical diploma.

Go me!