In many parts of the world, the traditional route is that students must do a Master’s degree before they can do a PHD. However, in some countries, including the US, there is a non-traditional route whereby you can skip the Master’s degree and go directly for a PHD. Now the question arises, should you do a PHD right after your undergrad?

Doing a Master’s and then PHD

Doing a Master’s first is the traditional route of acquiring a PHD. In many Asian and European countries, you cannot enroll directly in a PHD program right after your bachelor’s. You have to complete a one-year or a two-year master’s program before becoming eligible for a doctorate program. Let’s delve into some of the pros and cons of doing a Masters before doing a PHD.

Pros

Improves your chances of getting into a PHD program

Let’s suppose that you didn’t do very well in your undergrad. Since PHD admissions are far more competitive than masters, you will have a hard time getting directly into a PHD program.

Opting for a master’s degree first allows you to recuperate your chances of being accepted for a PHD because an admissions board will consider your master’s CGPA instead of your bachelor’s.

Moreover, by doing a master’s first, you will also acquire more research experience and build a strong relationship with professors who can write you stellar letters of recommendation, and believe me, LORs go a long way in getting you into a doctorate program.

Furthermore, an impeccable master’s record will allow you to apply to even more selective doctorate programs than you with your undergrad record.

Gain perspective

You might be unsure about which field you want to do your doctorate in. By doing a master’s first, you get to experience your interests first without committing to a 6 to 7 year long doctorate program. If you find that your research interests lie somewhere else after doing your masters, then you have the option to explore and change your field for your doctorate.

It will be helpful if you want to do your PHD in Europe

If you are thinking about doing your doctorate from Europe and would like to keep your options open, there is no harm in doing a master’s first, as it will allow you to study abroad for your Ph.D. Even if you change your mind by the end of your master’s and decide to do your doctorate from the US, it will have no adverse effect on your prospects and help you because some fields such as public health and social work require a master’s degree before Ph.D.

Experience different universities

Doing a master’s first also gives you the chance to experience multiple universities as you have the option to do your Ph.D. from another university. Each university has a distinct academic environment, and experiencing a different university can give you a broader perspective.

Test the waters first

It might be the case that you are uncertain about pursuing a doctorate. If that’s the case, then a master’s degree can offer you ample time to make up your mind.

Cons

Cost

Unlike a Ph.D., it is rare that you would secure funding for a master’s program. Sure, you might be able to find some grants or scholarships, but they are rare and competitive. A lot more students apply to masters each year than they do to Ph.D.

Doing a Ph.D. directly

Students can enroll in a doctorate program directly in the US as most Ph.D. programs don’t require a graduate degree. However, this is the road less traveled when you compare the number of applicants with the traditional route. There are still some pros and cons to this route, which you can find below.

Pros

May save you time

Many American Ph.D. programs do not offer any significant coursework reduction to students who have already done a master’s before their Ph.D. This means that undergrad students will end up doing 5 to 7 year Ph.D. on top of their 1 to 3-year master’s degree. If this is the case, then doing a doctorate directly after college can potentially save you multiple years.

Can easily acquire funding 

You won’t have to worry about funding your Ph.D. because most doctorate programs either offer full or partial funding to students, and some even pay additional living stipend every month.

Moreover, doctorate students also have more funding options outside of their universities. Many national grants and fellowships favor Ph.D. work over master’s studies, which can help your funding situation.

Get straight to business

Those students who are sure about their research interests can dive straight into their Ph.D. work without any delays. If you have already identified specific supervisors you would like to study under and are sure about your goals, why delay it with a master’s?

You don’t have to move again

While it is true that doing a master’s first will expose you to an additional university environment, moving again and again is not exactly a pleasant experience. If you directly enroll in a Ph.D. program, you only have to move once, saving you a lot of time and money.

Cons

It’s a massive adjustment

Going from an undergrad school’s relatively tame academic environment to a doctorate program isn’t exactly an easy undertaking. It is tough to get accustomed to the significantly different climate, course work, techniques, and relationships with the faculty. Students coming from graduate school would have already experienced all this and would fit right in.

Lack of research experience

A crucial part of a master’s degree is writing a research proposal for your thesis. This is where a student would submit an outline for a research topic, and it typically forms part of the Ph.D. application as well.

Students who apply directly to a doctorate program would have a tough time coming up with a research proposal as they would lack experience. On top of that, even when you submit a research proposal, the research may already exist, which will further cause problems and delays.