Should You Get a Masters or a PHD?
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- čas přidán 17. 08. 2022
- In this short video I talk about a few considerations when thinking about whether to apply to Masters or PhD programs. Do you have any advice for people? If so, please leave a comment below.
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Thank you:)
A good mathematician not only study for himself but motivate others to do good in maths.. thankssssss
👍👍
A good mathematician is good at math.
I like it when Sir. Issac Newton motivates me to achieve great things in my life.
Thank you for uploading this video!
I always love your advice, and this one fits perfectly for me.
You're so welcome!
As a Master's student in Electronic Engineering working part-time while studying, it is tough to maintain the balance between work and study, however, I stuck it through a year, hopefully, my advisor will let me graduate in next year, finger-crossed. I think choosing an advisor is very important as well, a good advisor will support you, and well, vice versa.
Great information. This channel is useful and, over time, all of these tips will ADD UP to a Ph.D. for me! Thanks!
You're very welcome!
Great advice! I got my Masters in Pure Math from Queens College in NY, and started a PhD program in the CUNY Grad Center but working full time, daily commute, lack of time to study took a toll on me so I had to stop. But I have met some really interesting mathematicians, PHd students, great faculty, studied many great math topics ...this experience stays with you for a life time.
That is awesome!
Thanks so much for the video!
Glad it was helpful!
I can't express just how timely, and apt this video is for me. If you have a patreon or anything like that I have some questions regarding Mathematics in industry I was wondering if you could answer.
As someone who got in to the Johns Hopkins Applied Math masters program, I can confirm there is basically no funding at the master’s level, at least at JH
When I started grad school back in the stone age (University of Kentucky, GO BIG BLUE) there was plenty of funding for masters students. They were basically used to teach undergraduate students so the faculty could do their research and get grants, mostly from the NSF. I originally went in as a masters student but at the end of that had developed a crazy idea that I could get a Ph.D.
After >cough cough< (inaudible) years I emerged bloodied but unbroken with a shiny new doctoral degree in hand. Just a couple of weeks ago I celebrated 30 years at the University I ended up at.
Love the videos!!!
Thank you!!
Canadian masters programs have funding for international students!! It’s a great alternative for people who are considering a PhD cause you can get your masters, get a solid idea of what you want to do, and re-apply to PhD’s with a stronger application
I haven't even started my undergrads, but damn this was some good advice.
If what you posted is accurate, then you are describing a dire situation. When I went to grad school several decades ago (physics, Canada), then funding was available at all levels. Not guaranteed, mind you, just possible, although much of it was TA work.
There also the problem that a PhD program is much harder than a Master's program.
It can't be understated how hard working and going to graduate school is (save for working at the school itself)
I didn’t know you could do that, I am doing a PhD at the moment, having a Masters was a requirement.
What country? Just curious.
@@TheMathSorcerer I suppose in those European countries with 3 years degrees where they put mandatory Master's before being allowed to PhD. There are still 4 years degrees and also 1 year, 1 and a half year or 2 years Master's (all of them full time) you can choose from. There is even Master's + PhD programmes, as a bundle. I am only aware of all of those combinations in Europe, in general. There will be a new law/policy/regulation soon, affecting all the European Space for Higher Education (ESHE) where they will impose a minimum number of credits before being able to apply for PhD. I don't know which number will be, probably worth 4.5 years full time at least.
I’ve recently been thinking how nice it would be to go back to school after I invest well and have a family and THEN get my PhD in math in my mid life. I just love the subject so much, I don’t care to actively do research, but i would like to contribute a little bit 😊
None.
Pick up your books, go through them and do something with the knowledge. Unis don't deserve our money anymore.
This is 10000% the correct advice . Terminal masters degrees only make sense for professional fields like social work or business and it’s a real shame those programs aren’t funded.
Greetings Mr.Professor,
Thanks for the Insightful Words Masters is Mastery of Subject while PhD is complete devotion to Subject. Good Overview about Grants for Academia involving PhD.
With regards,
RanjithJoseph (R.J)
❤️❤️
@@TheMathSorcerer Hi, can one go directly to a phd from bachelor degree?
Thanks Professor.
Please make video on how to do Ph.D. 👍
If you know what you want to do, it's better to establish maths in you everyday life during some years (if you work) before taking any decision at all, the rest will come naturally. (As an adult). Whatever, GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL !!
I learn more from this guy than my academic advisor 💀
Thank you
In the UK you can do masters level apprenticeships, you work full time for an employee and they pay for your masters which you do part time alongside working your employee. You work 4 days a week and have 1 day a week dedicated study time which you are paid for. It makes studying a masters and working more manageable because I can study 1 day in the week and do some more studying on the weekend etc. I’m starting an apprenticeship in data science which will be cool.
How do you apply for it?
Interesting...
When I waa applying to grad school, I went for the master's.
I put in applications to CSULB, CSUF, UCI and UCR.
I was accepted at CSULB, where I got my bachelor's and at CSUF and UCI, but not at UCR.
I remember talking to the graduate advisor about why my application was rejected.
They gave me some BS about my grades. It seems that I took some directed studies classes that they wouldn't count and I took a couple of PE classes on a CR/NCR basis. I got CR in one and an NCR in the other. (I got tired of the class and just quit).
UCR counted the CR as a C and the NCR as an F and took away my A and B from the directed studies classes, thus lowering my GPA.
The other schools did not do this.
Now, get this. This is the kicker. The advisor told my that although I was not accepted in to their Master's program, they would be happy to reconsider my application if I wanted to change to a PhD!
He then preceded to tell me about all the advantages of funding and teaching opportunities that were available to PhD students.
Go figure! I thought he was nuts.
Anyway, I went back to CSULB and got my Master's in Pure Math.
What a great story!! Thank you for sharing👍
Actually in Sweden we are kinda required to take a master's before a phd since we need 4 years of credits but all programs are 3 years and we have no equivalent to an honours degree.
Math Sorcerer, but what is your speciality in mathematics ? and what was your PhD thesis ?
He doesn’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.
Some schools do offer funding for Masters programs but they are rare.
Starting my masters in applied stats next Monday. It’s fully funded but the only reason is because an outside company is covering it (professor they’re working w needed assistance w the work load and they agreed) .
Oh that's so exciting! Congrats:)
The funding does not come for free. Master's programs are usually much easier than Ph.D. programs. A student who gets into a top school like Columbia University for a Master's might have a hard time getting into a Ph.D. program in a top 60-ish school like Ohio State. So if you have the money, you might consider buying yourself into Ivy League
The funding comes free if you get into a phd program.
Huh? Why are you talking about ivy league schools as if everyone can do that? Please remove this comment as it is irrelevant to the subject.
@@ivanleon4961 By not free, I meant that it comes with an opportunity cost. You have to give up your chance of getting into a much better school.
Also, those students who consider pursuing a Ph.D. are pretty good, and usually have a good chance of getting into the ivy League for a master's. Thus, although my comment may not apply to everyone, it applies to the audience of this video.
The same philosophy also works if you are an average student. If you can get into a top 200 Ph.D. program, chances are, you might get into a Master's program of a top 60 school.
If you are a *good* masters student at a top university, you will have no problem getting into a top 60 PhD program. If you make good relations with known professors and demonstrate your work ethic, passion and love for the subject they will vouch for you. Having strong recommendations is the single best thing you can have on your application, and they go a long way.
Hey Math Sorcerer, sorry for the off topic question, but what texts do you recommend for Multivariable Calculus? I'm heading into that course for the first time this fall and I want to rock it!
I think the texts by Larson, or Stewart, or Thomas' Calculus are all good choices. You can get all of them really inexpensively used and they have examples of multivariable calculus problems.
@@TheMathSorcerer
Awesome thanks! Time to build up my multivariable collection now lol.
@@stevenjames5874 what difference does it make which book since you never study and party all the time.
Working and going to school -- it took over 30 years to get from Associates to Master's degree. BUT I also do NOT owe a dime.
Being 46, married, and working full time I went for my Masters. Plus, the local universities do not offer a PHD. But, I still wish I could find a way to go for one.
You can apply to same university Dr Dre got his phd from. It’s easy. Just takes 1 week.
My mathematics masters is really fun 😊
It much depends on your age, and financial ability. I got a Master's degree just last year, and think about a PhD; however, it would also cost me roughly $64,000 OR MORE. I am also 62 years old. I do not relish putting myself in debt at my age. Now when I went through Associates to Bachelors to Master's degree, my Associates and Bachelor's was free because I made top grades so it was easy to get scholarships. My Master's cost me about $25,000. Not bad from a grad degree BUT I also worked part time (making good money in my field even p/t)...but for two more years of school $64,000...no thank you.
But you could get assistantships to cover tuition.
Its 2024 and i am going to choose the phD. Thank you for this
Could you do a video on what the day to day life of a math phd is like?
@@arshadali2312 what's your point? I presume he still has insight into the day to day life of a phd student.
@@arshadali2312 oh, yes, how obvious, he probably has nothing to say about being a phd student then.
@@arshadali2312 can you please just not reply to my comments?
Very different from how other countries do it, in Europe you can't qualify for a PhD without a masters. Plus you get paid while doing your masters, so no work needed. Your salary will differ based on the university, but at least where I'm at in Sweden the salary is pretty good.
I was an accounting major. Now an accountant full-time and self-studying to bridge the knowledge gap (undergrad stuff). Not sure if i could make it into Master's, let alone a PhD. Saving money for education is crazy too. Any advice?
PhD-track students are exempt from tuition + they get paid for working at the college they're studying.
Also won a quiz bowl(not Math centric).
So if I went to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga next spring for a master's in Math could I jump ship to a PhD program fall 2025 at a bigger school? UTC does not have a PhD but it's in the same system as UTK which does.
UTK will not have assistantships until next fall after this one. So if I go there I am looking at just grad school work but not being able to do all the other stuff like TA or RA.
In the US there is a lot more to it. Given the state of this country today I am not even going to get into it as more serious issues need to be addressed.
Yeah there is a lot more to it for sure!
@@TheMathSorcerer Thanks for acknowledging that. Your videos make it clear that you would not be one to promote those biased attitudes. P.S: I do have an MSCS degree, so I have encountered great professors as well. My favorite was an older guy from the UK with both a math and CS Ph.D. For an independent study (summer) project I developed a Prolog simulator in (probably) Java 1.2. It read the output of swiprolog and generated an inverted tree with color-coded nodes for the try/pass/fail results that occurred at each step. He was clearly impressed, which made it one of my proudest moments as a student.
Ya I try hard to avoid stuff like that lol
In my country, an individual needs to complete master program before continue to Ph.D peogram.
I'm starting to enjoy math more. Finishing up calc-1. Entering my 2nd year at community college. Gonna transfer for my bachelors degree(after my associates). Perhaps I should go for my PHD, l never thought about going that far, mainly just bachelors, or going for an applied math route. I wonder...
I'm in the middle of my 2nd year finishing up my last math class at CC. Have about a year before I can transfer, gonna self study maths in the mean time. I have chosen Pure Maths, thinking about teaching, perhaps at the college level. And maybe doing some research type work, still have to search, but my plan has slowly come together and it will grow as time passes. What a 9 months its been lol.
Hey math sorcerer what’s your opinion on what math creators like me can do to grow
Not sure, still trying to figure that out lol:) I started by posting tons of videos. The more content you have the better maybe. Although some people have only a few videos and are super popular.
What about doing research on Fourier analysis
So if you go for a PhD and decide you want to be done after those first two years or so, you can essentially get your masters without having to pay for it?
Yes most schools have this option. Every school has different requirements for the masters but in many cases it’s as simple as that.
@@TheMathSorcerer In Europe, or in UK specifically, there are steps along the PhD way. You can get out half way through with a MPhil. There is also the degrees called Master's by dissertation or Master's by Research, cheaper, with less taught modules but a lot more going on in the Master's thesis.
Cool thank you👍
nice nice
In my country it's not possible to jump from a bachelors degree to a PhD without going through a masters degree
.
Oh wow how interesting. What country?
@@TheMathSorcerer south Africa
Master is 2 years and PhD is also 2 years
Oh wow, that’s cool.
Good Day Math Sorcerer, what is the difference between MMath and M.Sci in Mathematics? Which one is worth taking?
I'm studying Mechatronics Engineering and finishing i plan doing a Masters in Artificial Intelligence and a Phd in Theoretical Physics.
Is it possible to enter Physics Phd after Engineering and Artificial Intelligence?
Is it worth it?
As long as you have a Physics background sure:)
@@TheMathSorcerer Thank You.
In college we see some Modern Physics like The Photoelectric Effect, and i'm preparing myself self-taught Physics and Math
I have no idea how you are doing this ) AI itself is a boardless field
Man, you must be insanly good if you can pull that out. Also, why switching majors that late?
@@cardinalityofaset4992 Is not switching majors, is more like complementary, i plan on working both as a researcher and a technologist.
Today if you go for a B.S. degree, for sure go for a Masters's degree. Yes, if you are that far go for your PhD.
I'm about to finish an undergrad course. But I don`t feel prepared for a masters or a phd. I`m struggling... grades got low in the last semesters... it`s been a hard time... maybe I`ll take a break and go back to study in the future.
Any advices?
hit the books with some self studying. Don't take a break or the info will leave your skull
I thought math Phd programs in Europe (Germany or France for example) almost certainly require you first complete a Master's or you have very low chances of being accepted; Is that not the case?
Hmm, not sure, maybe some do? I haven't looked much at the PhD programs in Europe. In the US having a Bachelors is the standard. If you have a Masters degree and you go into a PhD program in the US, then they often give you less time to complete your degree. I had a friend who had a Masters and he told me they gave him 4 years to finish. If you have a bachelors some programs will give you up to 6 years or so.
So 3.907 with Math 3.7 GPA incl. Python req. Three 400 classes Real A(C+), Capstone, and Math modeling project both As. ODE A, MVC A, His of Math A, Transition B, Linear A A. Withdrew from first attempt at ODE, MVC, and Linear due to a 16 hour semester of retaken Linear, MVC, ODE, His, and Vert Zoo(Bio). Was trying to do Honors and Math and had Linear and Calc 3 exam the same day? Calc 3 was more important. 3 Honors classes, one 1 credit but still required work. Collats His/Bio. Took CA 2, Precalc, and P&S additionally early on.
I am very confused about all the systems in US because here in Germany as far as I know you have to have a masters degree first and then you can be a PHD candidate but as far as I know you will only get like a research task and do that for a couple of years and help out your professor a bit with teaching and thats it. You dont go into classes in our PHD programs or maybe I just dont know
I didn’t think you know.
Hello Math Sorcerer I'm a college student and transferring to get my bachelors to be a math teacher at high school. Will this be a great benefit for me? thankyou
Everyone should get a paid job in the related field FIRST.
Work for a couple of years, get a REAL LIFE experience, learn how to be SELF-SUFFICIENT.
And then, after couple of years, you will be able to make a well-though decision on - do you really want to spend your life on further studies, OR get a mortgage, car, family etc.
There are countless people that spent many years of their life on research, just to find out their PHDs are useless in the jobs market and there is no further funding available for postdocs.
Is there a stigma behind dropping out of a phd program with a masters? Or could you just omit the fact that you were on a phd track in applications.
No stigma, but you will burn your bridges with that department, so you have to decide if that's worth it.
Does the funding for a PHD includes a salary (enough for housing and food)?
It depends on the location. Some areas are cheaper than others. IMO it’s worth looking at apartments near the universities to see what they rent for even before applying. This way you can see if the stipend will cover your expenses. There are several great universities in the US where this is possible.
I worked in graduate admissions. Masters programs are treated like cash cows in the the industry. It's insane.
Wow
Yes, they are, yes, they were from the very beginning. In Europe, mid 90's nobody did a Master's. You did a 5 years undergraduate and directly to PhD, Master's weren't a thing. The thing started only with MBA and the like. When Bologna happened, and they cut the degrees shorter, at the beginning they compressed them to 4 years, and all was good, then to 3, many of them in some countries, and then it was bad. Nowadays, UK has some ridiculous thing called an "integrated Master", where you can study 4 years again, undergraduate, like time ago, and all is well and you can go to your PhD. But if you do an European 3 years bachelor, you are cut short and it is better to complete your education with a Master's, so the cash cow was born. The final proof it is a cash cow, even if the academic level is good, is that is very easy to get into them, even in very prestigious Universities in UK.
@@franciscodanieldiazgonzale2096 The icing on the cake of the "cash cow" argument is if the course will be cancelled unless there are enough students paying at the foreigners' rate.
Wait, I don´t get this video. Don´t you have to do masters and only after you get your masters can you apply for phd? Also what is there to fund when you are doing masters degree. It is not like you would do hardcore research, isn´t it? And as far as I know many universities offer to pay for your tuition if you teach like begginer underglad classes. So if you get into a good college with the right program for you that offers this, then it is win win for you and should definitely go.
No, in the USA at least, it’s pretty common to apply to a PhD program after finishing an undergraduate degree.
@@dAntony1 Lol, that is super weird.
@@cardinalityofaset4992 like he said in the video, many PhD programs will award you a master’s degree after the first two years then you can decide to finish or just leave with the master’s. So you’ll technically be getting a master’s first, just you won’t have to reapply to get into a PhD if that makes sense.
@@cardinalityofaset4992 There are 4 years undergraduate degrees that are more or less like the 5 years degrees of old in some countries of Europe still. You can go directly to a PhD with them. If you choose to do a 3 years undergraduate degree, unavoidable in many European countries nowadays, then no, you are cut short of fully training for a PhD and should do a Master's. But there are one year Master's for that in Europe as well, so you will finish nevertheless with, at least, your 4 years training. There are 2 years Master's if you choose so.
@@franciscodanieldiazgonzale2096 yea, I know that in the early 90s and further there were only those 4-5 years programs at the end of which you were awarded masters (if done succesfully). And you could go int PhD after that. As far as I know, medical students here in the Czech Republic still take those if they want to become doctors, but its rather exeption
how much GPA i need to be able to get into a phd program?
Uhm.. Unrelated but can anyone recommend a very good vector analysis textbook
Do you have an earned Ph.D?
Can we go straight to PhD without doing masters first?
Yup in the US that’s the usual path. I think it’s different in other countries.
But phd is a head ache, which come With its huge cost and benefits as well.
Expect a PhD to take 6-7 years.
But PHD's are difficult right ?
yes, very!
“6 decades in pursuit of a PhD or 2 years for a Masters”…..hmmmm
Should a mature student, 46 years old study math ?
Sure it doesn’t matter how old you are👍
@@TheMathSorcerer checking in here at 50...taking a bunch of Math classes in retirement! I do feel a bit slow sometimes, but as a mature adult I have the confidence to ask questions when confused. Most of the class is shy kids who don't say a word (used to be one of them, so no judgement!)
@@tvstation8102 what happened to moving to senior citizen home??
is it possible to do PhD without masters?
yeah it is, although usually you can just get the masters along the way
@@TheMathSorcerer
Can you elaborate the difference between he 2 please and how is it possible to get to PhD without masters(requirements), as for now I'm just a level 2 undergrad. but I really wanna get to that PhD
In the US a masters takes 2 years and a PhD takes 4 to 6. At most schools if you go for a PhD you can get the masters automatically after 2 years. In other countries it’s different sometimes.
@@TheMathSorcerer Thanks a lot DOC(If not mistaken)
He gave the answer in this 2-minute + video. He said to do the Ph.D. since you get funding for it, and if you didn't get it, at least you will end up with a Master's degree.
I have just finished high school in Egypt, but the schools( I mean colleges) here are not pretty good as in other countries like US or UK. And I'm really keen on getting BSc currently in mathematics, but as I applied in the US and UK last year as a senior back then, I didn't get into any of the colleges or universities there because of the funds as I applied for full scholarships only, because getting partial scholarships would not be sufficient enough because of the income here in Egypt is very low compared to the required fees to study there. I would be really grateful if you can mention much more about the full scholarships for BSc for international students, as I'm really interested in mathematics and I've got several honours and some medals in many of the math competitions.
Math is same everywhere. Stay in your country .
I thought you needed a Masters in order to do a PhD. Perhaps it varies from place to place.
Sir if I want to do a Master's in Computer Science and funding or College isn't a problem to me then where in the world should I pursue a college.... Do have anything u can suggest like what is best university to do a Master's in CSE...? Btw i live in India.
MIT
@@akunalana6370 is University of Cambridge a good opportunity for that....?
Moscow state university,SPbU,ITMO, Tokyo unversity,MIT,MIPT,Seoul university,higher school of economics,tsinghua university
@@ciriya3536 Yup I was thinking the same MIT, University of Cambridge or St. Petersburg University Moscow. Anyone from these.
BTW thanks for the Suggestion 🤜🏻🤛🏻
University of Patna.
It seems you are basing this on finances. What if money isn't the issue? What if you just enjoy learning math and want to teach math in your spare time?
RJ
The increased earnings from the MA never makes up for the loss from the time out of full time employment. Just pretend you're un/under employed and getting a masters, and sock the difference in a passive index fund. You'll come out way ahead
rlly now how u know this
@@arshadali2312 again ur saying this but like whats ur source/experience with this? and is a Ph.D in math useless or every Ph.D?
@@arshadali2312 Sorry, my dear Arshad Ali. However, I doubt your claim as you have not provided sufficient evidence. Now, my dear Arshad, where is that evidence I have requested?
grammer nazi on ytube in 2022 lmao
If you're over 5000 years old like me, you probably won't be doing either one.
Does math sorcerer have a PhD?
No he doesn’t.
@@user-wm2tw Masters? I know he went to graduate school at least
@@AB-et6nj he does say he went to grad school but he never says if he finished his masters soooo who knows if he finished it . Who knows maybe he went to same grad school as Rapper Dr. Dre 🤔
Must be hard study in U.S. In Sweden Masters Degree are free of charge. Most students take them over a 5 year program (First undergrad and then grad). You are not able go to PHD without a master, You miss out lot good ppl that have no funding... Stupid.1
Out of curiosity, do you have a masters or a PhD?
Master's degrees are low key rip offs!
Terrible advice. Depends on what your goals are and what your background is. If you don't have a strong background in math you will not be considered for a phd, only options are some masters programs. If you have a medium/poor application profile with a BS in Math then you can either settle on being rejected or going to a bad PhD. Better to get a masters in a decent program, do well in grades, subject test, produce a thesis and apply to a decent to good Phd. If you plan on solely to get a job in tech, actuarial work, finance get a masters. You should never go into a phd program with the intention of getting a masters for free and not completing the PhD. You are wasting the programs time and investment in you and also showing that you lack commitment and aptitude in most cases. Which is not a good signal. Please consider level and breadth od coursework as well; prestige of your undergrad math program, and most importantly prestige of the professors you obtained rec's from.
So what I need to complete the Master's degree before moving on to the PHD or can I transfer before completing the master's degree? Also I hear PHD programs frowned upon people taking masters programs at places that offer doctorals.
Also what do you mean strong background in math? Are you talking about summer research projects?