There have been many articles that call the master's degree the new bachelor's degree. Do you agree? Why or why not?

2014-04-08T10:49:41-04:00

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2014 10:52 AM

2014-04-08T10:52:13-04:00

No. My fiance just completed her Masters Degree in polymer chemistry and the distinction between Bachelors, Masters, and PHd are quite evident in the job hunting.

As for online degrees there may be a difference. Some online colleges are not even recognized as being "valid" degrees.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Apr 8 at 2014 10:58 AM

2014-04-08T10:58:16-04:00

I think that too many, with the job market the way it is, they think this way because it SEEMS you need a Masters where in the past having a Bachelors was all one needed for a certain job and having the Masters or earning it after being hired set you apart from your peers within the company/corporation.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2014 11:16 AM

2014-04-08T11:16:25-04:00

As others have stated here, it is a matter of perception. The articles that are stating that you now need a Masters to be competitive tend to focus on mid to high level positions and they are absolutely correct that an applicant will not be competitive for these jobs without a graduate degree.

For now, a Bachelor's is still the standard for nearly all entry-level professional positions. Of course, as a member of the military, retiring after 20 or more years of service, I've seen a tendency for the Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine to expect more than an entry level position and want the pay to be commensurate. Although there are 'Green Friendly' companies out there that actively seek out retiring military for their management, organizational, and leadership abilities and do compensate them for the additional skills they bring to the table over a recent, 20 something college graduate, that is still the exception rather than the norm. If you are retiring as a 20 year infantryman/tanker/mechanic/whatever with a bachelor's degree in business, most companies will only consider you for an entry level position because they see no translatable skills from your military service. If you want to start at higher than entry level with that company, you are going to need an MBA. It's the same for nearly any civilian position. Even if you are applying for a DA Civilian position, most of the GS-11 or higher positions state a requirement for a graduate degree in the qualifications section.

In the end, your expectations for position and pay after your military career will determine whether you need a bachelors or a masters degree and the majority of potential employers will thank you for your service but aren't going to credit you with squat in the application and interview process for your time in uniform unless it directly relates to there business model.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2014 11:29 AM

2014-04-08T11:29:54-04:00

I would argue that is a yes. I am currently stuck in middle management going back to get my masters for that reason.

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Apr 8 at 2014 12:32 PM

2014-04-08T12:32:46-04:00

I can see that being for the higher level positions, but I have also been seeing bachelor's degrees becoming more necessary for entry level positions at a variety of institutions. It feels like the decay in education throughout the nation are requiring more and more years of education to be at the level recommended. While I can see the proposed question becoming more of the standard, I would like to counter point: How can we fix the United States education system so a high school diploma means something again?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2014 2:43 PM

2014-04-08T14:43:17-04:00

It's worth mentioning that with the popularity if online schooling, that bachelor degrees are more available to more people. This used to be the primary discriminator, and those who possessed a degree were in higher demand. Now that the degree is becoming more common, a masters is now the rarity, even moreso than it used to be

There are some fields that are masters level entry. Psychology/counseling is one. Speech therapy.
Many who say that the masters is the new bachelors are focused on highly technical fields or upper level management/corporate structure.
In fields like business, masters degrees are discriminators and salary boosters.
Most masters are better suited to people who have real world experience. To have a masters degree but no experience is a wash to most employers. The experienced guy with the bachelors is going to win out over a masters degree with little or no experience to back it up. This is not always true in technical fields however, such as engineering for example.