Educational Focus: American Education System, Part 3

This time, we’ll take a brief look at the American Educational System and graduate school. Last time, we saw that post-secondary education generally involves attending a college or university and earning a B.S. (Bachelor of Science) or a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) degree. For most students, this represents the final stage of their education.

Others, however, choose to continue by attending graduate school. Certain areas, such as law, medicine, and other academic pursuits, require an advanced degree such as an M.S. / M.A. (Master of Science / Master of Arts) or a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy). In particular, a Ph.D. is required to teach in a tenured position at most colleges and universities. Furthermore, anyone who is interested in doing research at a major company almost certainly needs a Ph.D. as well. Likewise, earning a master’s degree gives one the advantage of having a higher salary in the workplace, and opens up doors of opportunity that might otherwise remain closed.

To earn a master’s degree, one typically takes courses for two years beyond the bachelor’s degree. The exact courses required depends on what area the master’s is in. One significant difference between courses at the bachelor’s level and those at the master’s level is that the focus is exclusively on the student’s concentration – students in the mathematics master’s program will take classes in upper-level mathematics (statistics, algebra, or analysis, depending on the particular emphasis), students in the law school will take upper-level law classes, and so on. Another difference is that classes at the master’s level and beyond are much more rigorous, and therefore require much more study. Accordingly, most graduate students take only 3 three-hour classes, or perhaps 4 classes per semester. Upon completing the requirements for a master’s degree, the student generally has two options:

1) Take comprehensive examinations. These exams (“comps”) provide a complete testing of all that the student was required to learn in the course of his master’s studies. To earn a degree, the master’s student must pass his comps – 60% for passing is typical. If the student doesn’t pass his comps, he has up to one year to study again and retake the test. Failing the comps means that the degree will not be awarded.

2) Write a master’s thesis. Instead of taking comps, the student may choose to write a thesis. The student consults with his faculty advisor, who helps him by suggesting suitable topics and guiding him through the various stages of writing the thesis.

Earning a Ph.D. typically requires two years beyond a master’s degree, or a total of four years beyond the bachelor’s degree. Doctoral students take many of the same courses that master’s students take, plus additional courses as required by the college or department he is enrolled in. In the first few years, doctoral students concentrate on taking the core courses necessary for passing their qualifying examinations (“qualifiers”). Once the doctoral student has passed his qualifiers, he has completed one of the major steps towards earning his Ph.D. After the qualifiers, his next hurdle is to write his doctoral dissertation. Like a master’s student writing his thesis, the doctoral student receives guidance and assistance from his faculty advisor in researching, writing, and preparing his doctoral dissertation. Once the dissertation is completed, the doctoral student must defend his dissertation in front of a panel consisting of certain members of the faculty. If he has defended his dissertation to the satisfaction of the panel, he has successfully completed the requirements for a Ph.D., and will be recognized as a Doctor of Philosophy.