4th Masters?

I currently have a Master of Education, Master of Arts in Theological Studies, and will be completing my MBA shortly. All from 4th tier schools. My employer will reimburse for undergraduate and graduate degrees however for graduate degrees they will not reimburse for a doctorate unless it is a law degree. Also they will not reimburse for certificates so the Stanford Advanced Project Management Certificate is not an option for me at this point. As a result I am considering one of two options. I would appreciate your feedback.

1) Distance Master of Science in Project Management from the George Washington University.

This program would add name recognition to my resume as I understand GW has a solid reputation and is considered a second tier school. Also it matches with my current career path and would provide PDU’s toward maintaining my PMP certification. In addition it would provide the 18 hours in a subject area, since I may want to teach as an adjunct at some point. On the negative side it would be a 4th masters and does not show progress other than in school reputation.

2) Law degree from local university (3rd or 4th tier)

Would necessitate a career change but may lead to a more lucrative career. I would be 45 upon completion. Would be using the degree for business law, as I would be locked into my current employer (investment managemnet) for several years.

I also wonder if a Doctorate from say NCU or Nova would provide more utility than the GW degree for teaching as an adjunct or going into consulting although it does not seem to be an option for me at this time.

Again your feedback is appreciated.

 

What is most conspicuous to me is that, despite your multiple credentials, you are not only unsatisfied, you are also totally unfocused. You don't seem to have any idea what you want. Do you have any goals? Any ambitions? Why bother getting another degree? What will it bring to you that you do not already have? I don't intend any disrespect but c'mon, four Masters degrees and you're still don't know what you want to do?
Jack

 

Law school part-time should take at least four years and even then can be a mountain of work. Are you saying you would owe your employer additional years of employment and they would "career change" you into business law? That would be unusual to say the least, and is a gamble if you find you hate law (either school or the practice thereof). George Washington is a good school, but I would try to narrow down my goals a little more. Do you want the prestige of a better known school? Do you want to get as much education as possible on your employer's dime? Are you confident coming off an MBA that you want to jump right back into grad school? Yes is a good answer to all of these questions, but try to rank you answers in importance first.

 

I don't think that anyone means any disrespect to you. It just seems that when you get so many Master's degree that when an employer sees this they will most likely ask you why you didn't go on and do a doctorate. I do think that the previous poster who replied to you could have possibly been a little more settle in the way that they replied to you, but they do have a valid argument and that is that you should really focus what it is that you want to do with your degrees. In other words, the time that you'd put into another Master's -- you could be in a doctorate program and be far ahead. The most important thing for you to do is to focus on what it is that you want to do, and then I would go after completing a doctorate instead of getting another Master's degree.

 

Go for the doctorate. The four masters raises too many questions and you would be too busy explaining.
New people ask for help and get condescending answers and judgement. How smug..and yes...disrespectful, no matter what anyone says.
BrianH

 

I appreciate all of your comments. It is medicine I need to take although I may not be quite as unfocused as it may appear. At one point in my life I worked as a Minister of Christian Education (Judeo Christian) and hence the M.A.T.S. and M. Ed. About 7 years ago I made a career change and have since been working as a Business Analyst/ Project Manager. The MBA, which I am taking through Liberty University, is aligned with my current career track. The main reasons I am considering the MSPM from GW are as follows:

1. More specifically focused on Project Management than the MBA
2. Earn PDU’s for maintaining PMP certification
3. Reputation of School

The big question mark for me is the 4 master’s although I would not have to list them all on my resume.

I had never seriously considered law school before but have been thinking that if the company will pay for it perhaps it is an opportunity that I should not pass up.

I like the idea of pursuing a DBA but would have to pay out of pocket which I do not consider and option at this time.

 

I slightly disagree with those who suggest that 4 master's degrees are somehow bad per se. I have met several people who have 1 or even 2 "practical" master's degrees and then 1 or more "personal development" degrees. If anything the "personal development" degrees make you look bright and interesting. A registered nurse who has an MSN and an MHA, and also an MA in pastoral theology, will hardly look suspicious. The one exception I think would be if your employment history is constantly punctured with periods of full-time school for a degree you do not seem to need or use in your job; then you look a bit aimless. But part-time and terminal master's have become VERY common, as have dual degree programs at the master's level, while the PhD and other doctorates are far less seen. Those of us interested in DL tend to focus on the doctorate far more than the non-academic world at large, because we have far more opportunities to earn one, but I suspect that the person who is perceived as pretentious about a DL doctorate earned in middle age will face harsher consequences than someone with a plethora of master's degrees.

But if your employer will pay for you to go to law school, and you won't feel like an indentured servant to the company later, this is very tempting. Be very careful though, because law school has a reputation for rigor and hard work that it deserves. One of my neighbors, a first tier university PhD in musicology with academic tenure as a full professor, went to a local law school part-time to become more active in social justice work, a "personal development" case for him. One class a week wiped him out to the point where he did not finish that first semester and felt like he could barely function. I don't mean to scare you, just to emphasize that law school is not to be entered into lightly.

 

This is a fun post. A fourth master’s may be somewhat unusual, but these days it is not so very out of the ordinary. The degrees may suggest a somewhat winding career path, or a wide-roaming intellect that thrives in the structure of school, or a little of both. But the situation does not intrinsically carry a stigma. You just need to be a little savvy about how and when you present the degrees in the context of your overall professional identity.

You might gain a little perspective on the matter by googling the phrase “has four master’s degrees” and then drop the apostrophe for more entries. Among the links you’ll see some bios where the four master’s play naturally and work to the professional’s credit.

Abstracting from the optics issue, however, it does sound like it is time to nail down the career mission. Corral as much clarity as you can about your long-term career goals before you scratch the academic itch. Then look at the variables of degree-level, prestige, subject matter, coin, opportunity cost – all this schooling can’t be good for your flat bench

 

I agree, Brian. We all need to give careful thought to our responses to others. We can't say to a virtual stranger in a post for hundreds of people to read what we might say one on one to a friend. We all need to be respectful.

 

If you're "ate up" enough to pursue four Masters degrees, then I would recommend forgoing that and, instead, sink your teeth into a doctoral program, which will have more utility and may offer more self-fulfilling satisifaction. I once met a fellow who bragged that he had 14 Associate degrees, but instead of being impressed with his "accomplishment," I silently wondered why he didn't have a Bachelors degree.

 

master or doctoral

I tend to align myself with those who have encouraged you to focus on your degree purpose, and once you have a better sense, do a doctoral program. Many for-profit schools are not admitting only 15% of applicants for slots in their doctoral programs. Take a look at the admissions essay questions for some B & M doctoral programs. If you can't articlate a compelling puropse for the degree in terms, for exampe, of why you cant' accomplish your career goals without the degree, many programs view this disfavorably. B & M schools want glory reflected on their programs and that glory only comes from those who actively use the degree, etc.

I'm simply saying that if you can answer the questions suitable for solid B & M program, pick either law or business and do a doctoral program. I do realize that some folks undertake graduate eduction for self enrichment, and that's fine. Align that component towards law, since it's free, and the other component towards you career goal. We can't help you becasue we don't know what your goals are.

A PhD is more theoretical - better for teaching but because DL programs are so applied, is fine for business also
A DBA is more applied - better for business consulting/applications.
A JD offers a borad platform for business, legal practice, public policy, and teaching. How could you apply a JD to better your career goal?

Good luck.

PS - Would you really be doing project management (rather than general management and administratin) at 45?

 

Re: Re: 4th Masters?

Fourteen Associate degrees! That's crazy. That might be some sort of Guiness world record. I can't believe some admissions counselor didn't point him toward a Bachelors degree.

 

Michael Griffin, the head of NASA, is working on his sixth Master's degree. He also has a Bachelor's and a PhD, so this will be his eighth degree overall.

His degrees, according to Wikipedia:

BSc Physics (Johns Hopkins University)
MSc Aerospace Science (Catholic University of America)
Ph.D Aerospace Engineering (University of Maryland, College Park)
MEng Electrical Engineering (University of Southern California)
MSc Applied Physics (Johns Hopkins University)
MBA Master of Business Administration (Loyola College)
MEng Civil Engineering (George Washington University)
MSc Computer Science - In Progress (Johns Hopkins University)

He also holds the PE title (Professional Engineer, California and Maryland).

 

It is good to see he has a hobby.

 

You simply wouldn't mention four master's degrees on your resume ... unless all four of them were relevant to one job. Simply put, if he applies for a job as project manager, he would mention the MBA and the MS Project Management and two master's degrees would be seen as a good thing. Were he ever to apply for a job as a teacher or an education professor, he would simply mention the master's in education and if he were to apply for a position as a pastor or a theology professor, he would mention the master's in theology.

 

Once I finish a doctoral program, then that's it for me!!!! No more formal schooling!!!! Instead of being a student and constantly absorbing things, I am going to start "putting out."

 

And at your doctoral graduation party, get out the old Pink Floyd album and have it blaring out: "We don't need no education! We don't need no thought control!"

 

IIRC, our old a.e.d. friend Dennis Huber earned 14 college degrees, including a M.Div., J.D., and a D.B.A.

 

You think you'll do some teaching?

 

Yeah...right