I have started looking into master programs, and I don't understand the term and scope of the word "cohort." Can someone explain this to me? On one site, they said "cohort 4 start date..." and "cohort 5 start date..." but I have also noticed it used in other context. THANKS!!
The "cohort" that I went through was a group of people who started a Masters program together -- and then went all the way through the program "together." We had a few drop-outs, but the cohort became a very tight group where ideas were readily exchanged throughout the program. It was richly rewarding and I highly recommend it.
Plus and Minus There are pluses and minuses to cohort groups. On the plus size you can develop, as has been suggested, a close connection with a group of learners. If the group is diverse, but reasonably compatible, this can be great. If the group isn't - or if there are people in the group you can't work well with, it can be bad. Also, cohorts sometimes fall apart while they progress. If a member of the group gets an out of town job assignment, for example, they may have to drop out and then join another cohort. Some schools work explicitly with cohorts - others end up with them on a "de facto" basis. The NSU DBA program isn't cohort, but students often find themselves in multiple courses together depending on when they enter the program and the specialty they take. Regards - andy Regards - Andy
Just a quick note on cohort based programs: If you get the chance to choose between cohort-based and non-cohort-based programs, all other things being equal, choose the cohort-based program. The relationships you develop over the course of a program will help you again and again over the course of your career, and the "I don't want to get left behind" factor will really help during the difficult dark days that you invariably encounter at some point in every program. Talking with my friends from my MBA program kept me going, even through Finance (by far my worst subject)!
>> Thanks. Funny, but my associate degree program was a "cohort" program but I didn't know that because it wasn't called that. We were called "groups" (I was in group 113!) and you start and finish together- we gained and lost a person now and then, but the core is the same. There are pros and cons- I'll have to give it some thought. Thanks!
