[kka25]

PG Masters that is.

PG Masters are expensive, I think everyone could appreciate that. What would be your advice to students that are doing a Masters but are heading towards a failed Masters or a poor performing Masters? Would you advice them to continue on or end their Masters?

I'm not so sure what employees would say about poor performing Masters really; would that effect the students negatively? Say for example the student has a good 2:1 degree but a barely pass Masters degree, would that effect their chances of securing a job related to the field or a research work?

And say for example the student has a First but their Masters is heading for a poor performing graduate degree; wouldn't it be better to just get out of the Masters and apply straight for a PhD if that's the reason why they are doing the PG in the first place (to get a place for a PhD)? - although one could argue that a Masters could strengthen the knowledge needed to do a certain field, but sometimes the Uni's way of dealing with the modules is difficult or the Uni made it unnecessarily difficult for the students to grasp the knowledge within that duration, hence why they are performing poorly.

Finally, would the ROI (Return of Investment) be poor if one gets a poor performing Masters - I mentioned this because some folks would say; "A Masters is a Masters" - is it?

Hope to have some discussions with all types of students (future,current and graduated students)

[Jake22]

(Original post by kka25)
PG Masters that is.

PG Masters are expensive, I think everyone could appreciate that. What would be your advice to students that are doing a Masters but are heading towards a failed Masters or a poor performing Masters? Would you advice them to continue on or end their Masters?

I'm not so sure what employees would say about poor performing Masters really; would that effect the students negatively? Say for example the student has a good 2:1 degree but a barely pass Masters degree, would that effect their chances of securing a job related to the field or a research work?

And say for example the student has a First but their Masters is heading for a poor performing graduate degree; wouldn't it be better to just get out of the Masters and apply straight for a PhD if that's the reason why they are doing the PG in the first place (to get a place for a PhD)? - although one could argue that a Masters could strengthen the knowledge needed to do a certain field, but sometimes the Uni's way of dealing with the modules is difficult or the Uni made it unnecessarily difficult for the students to grasp the knowledge within that duration, hence why they are performing poorly.

Finally, would the ROI (Return of Investment) be poor if one gets a poor performing Masters - I mentioned this because some folks would say; "A Masters is a Masters" - is it?

Hope to have some discussions with all types of students (future,current and graduated students)

My tuppence (based heavily on my own experience so your mileage may vary):

1) In terms of jobs - a non-vocational Masters isn't going to get you into any research or even particularly technical jobs. I would suggest that indeed, for the purpose of decorating your CV; a Masters is pretty much a Masters.

2) For a PhD application, a lot will hinge on references and your dissertation. You still have your first and that will still be considered. I would venture that it is worth hanging on and trying to do as good a dissertation as possible to strengthen a PG application.

[Zenomorph]

If I had a 1st or 2.1 and was about to perform way under this standard in Masters - I would pull out, but that's my me.

[Joinedup]

Batter the dissertation and try get something published?
Are you more concerned with saving money or saving face (trying to bail out and pretend it didn't happen)

[DynamicSyngery]

Pulling out doesn't necessarily look better, because there will be a gap on your CV and it's difficult to outright lie about having started the masters. Without extenuating circumstances it's going to look somewhat bad either way.

It depends a bit on your circumstances and goals. Is this in science? Do you want to do a PhD? Do you just want to earn more? Graduating with a pass is probably better than withdrawing regardless, but further damage control is less clear.

[kka25]

(Original post by Jake22)
My tuppence (based heavily on my own experience so your mileage may vary):

1) In terms of jobs - a non-vocational Masters isn't going to get you into any research or even particularly technical jobs. I would suggest that indeed, for the purpose of decorating your CV; a Masters is pretty much a Masters.

2) For a PhD application, a lot will hinge on references and your dissertation. You still have your first and that will still be considered. I would venture that it is worth hanging on and trying to do as good a dissertation as possible to strengthen a PG application.

Do you think it would look unfavorable to potential employee(s)? - poor Masters good BSc.

Hurm... but as I understand, a min requirement for a PhD is a good MSc isn't it? So a good MSc would be something along the lines of a Merit? Would a 'Pass' MSc but a First BSc help in the PhD process then?

(Original post by Zenomorph)
If I had a 1st or 2.1 and was about to perform way under this standard in Masters - I would pull out, but that's my me.

Care to elaborate?

(Original post by Joinedup)
Batter the dissertation and try get something published?
Are you more concerned with saving money or saving face (trying to bail out and pretend it didn't happen)

Yeah, publishing does help; but how about entry requirements? It would hurt the application wouldn't it if you'd get a poor Masters?

Hurm.... for the last one, a colleague of mine once said she'd rather bail out.

(Original post by DynamicSyngery)
Pulling out doesn't necessarily look better, because there will be a gap on your CV and it's difficult to outright lie about having started the masters. Without extenuating circumstances it's going to look somewhat bad either way.

It depends a bit on your circumstances and goals. Is this in science? Do you want to do a PhD? Do you just want to earn more? Graduating with a pass is probably better than withdrawing regardless, but further damage control is less clear.

Just lie? lol Masters is quite short really, so don't think they might notice?

I'm thinking whether they would look unfavorably with a poor Masters but a good degree though.

[MancStudent098]

My first line of advice would be "Stop making excuses, pull your finger out of your arse and get a decent grade".

My second line of advice would be "Don't consider doing a PHD in a field where you couldn't hack the masters course. Irritating modules or short time frames are a minimal problem compared to ploughing through three years of research mostly under your own direction."

As for employability, I doubt a pass masters is going to make much difference to most employers, they tend to get the whole 1st, 2.1, 2.2 thing but I'm sure you could get away with leaving grading off your CV entirely at masters level. Even if the masters is relevant to the field I doubt it'll be an issue - I certainly can't see a firm caring that much whether an economist (for example) has a pass, merit or distinction in their masters, as long as they've got a good undergrad.

[DynamicSyngery]

(Original post by kka25)
Just lie? lol Masters is quite short really, so don't think they might notice?

I'm thinking whether they would look unfavorably with a poor Masters but a good degree though.

"I graduated university and then sat around for 7 months"

There are also companies that find things out about applicants. They don't spend too much money and I don't know if this is something they can find out, but it's a gamble to say the least. Just checking facebook would do it for a lot of people.

[Zenomorph]

(Original post by kka25)
Do you think it would look unfavorable to potential employee(s)? - poor Masters good BSc.

Hurm... but as I understand, a min requirement for a PhD is a good MSc isn't it? So a good MSc would be something along the lines of a Merit? Would a 'Pass' MSc but a First BSc help in the PhD process then?



Care to elaborate?

Because, it would probably defeat the purpose of why I would be doing a Masters, that is to improve my job prospects. If I had a 1st and then I was about to get a fail/ or a bare pass at MSc level, then it'd really set me back.

Employers will look and say " This guy is volatile, unreliable, we won't know what we are getting : the1st class guy of the pass guy ", and you'll probably be rejected.

So if I knew this was going to be bad, I'd rather pull out, gather myself and rethink my plans, once it's on your record then it's very hard to ignore and it'll pull you down.

[sj27]

(Original post by kka25)

Just lie? lol Masters is quite short really, so don't think they might notice?

.

"Just lie"? That would certainly cut a candidate out of the running for us. Although I have to say, so (probably) would bailing out of a degree; unless there's a very good reason, we like to see evidence that people can finish what they start.

Any gap longer than a few months would be questioned on a CV, at least where I work.

[threeportdrift]

(Original post by kka25)
PG Masters that is.

Pull your finger out and do something focussed and substantial to improve your grade.

Don't put your Master's grade on your CV - there is no need. Masters degrees are considered more or less pass/fail by most employers, at best on application forms you have to put a %.

Stop considering academia for a career, it isn't for you at the moment. Go and get a career started and think about further study 3-5 years down the line when you have professional experience to give perspective and motivation.

[Politics Student]

(Original post by kka25)
PG Masters that is.

PG Masters are expensive, I think everyone could appreciate that. What would be your advice to students that are doing a Masters but are heading towards a failed Masters or a poor performing Masters? Would you advice them to continue on or end their Masters?

I'm not so sure what employees would say about poor performing Masters really; would that effect the students negatively? Say for example the student has a good 2:1 degree but a barely pass Masters degree, would that effect their chances of securing a job related to the field or a research work?

And say for example the student has a First but their Masters is heading for a poor performing graduate degree; wouldn't it be better to just get out of the Masters and apply straight for a PhD if that's the reason why they are doing the PG in the first place (to get a place for a PhD)? - although one could argue that a Masters could strengthen the knowledge needed to do a certain field, but sometimes the Uni's way of dealing with the modules is difficult or the Uni made it unnecessarily difficult for the students to grasp the knowledge within that duration, hence why they are performing poorly.

Finally, would the ROI (Return of Investment) be poor if one gets a poor performing Masters - I mentioned this because some folks would say; "A Masters is a Masters" - is it?

Hope to have some discussions with all types of students (future,current and graduated students)

A pass is a pass. The masters is an entire academic level above the BA so that is not really an issue. On top of that the course is only one year which you could easily fluffed up if you choose a topic you did not enjoy or if you were you struggled with the new demands.

On top of that if you are currently studying then just pull your finger out for the dissertation and aim for an overall 60% to get a merit. That is simply what is needed if you wish to do a PhD. Even then a PhD is a different skill set from a masters so if you struggled by have an interesting and original research proposal I recommend going for it.

Quick note: a masters is often a basic requirement for a PhD application.