Not Newly Minted Degrees; New Minted Degree Names

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by P. Kristian Mose, Dec 12, 2001.

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  1. P. Kristian Mose

    P. Kristian Mose New Member

    Hi, been enjoying this discussion group for several weeks. I'm getting all fired up at the thought of pursuing a master's degree, probably though some form of DL, and possibly in the liberal arts. Partly for intellectual stimulation, partly for snob and credential appeal.
    Many of you know that the master of liberal arts degree concept was pioneered in US schools some thirty to forty years ago. It is still not all that common, but it is out there.
    Some schools call it Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (eg., Dartmouth and U. of Oklahoma), or MALS. That's odd enough. Now Excelsior calls theirs MLS, which is identical in initials to the credential of the librarian. Isn't that problematic?
    Now I see that Thomas Edison State calls their program the goofy monicker "MAPS," or Master of Arts in Professional Studies.
    The degree is the very opposite of a professional degree! What the hell were these administrators thinking?
    No, wait, I may rescind that thought. I daresay they were thinking, "Let's market this degree to the middle management guy in corporate America, who wants both to read a little Flaubert and get a promotion."
    Unfortunately, they are also ridding their program of bona fide liberal arts folk like me who might otherwise enjoy the program but for its name and initials.
    If I completed such a degree, I think I would say on my resume, "MA (liberal studies), TESC." Would that be kosher or not, gang?
    Thoughts, please.

    Peter in Toronto
     
  2. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member


    No. You are "translating" Professional Studies into Liberal Studies. That's not what the degree says.

    My second Regents bachelor's (B.A.) is technically in Liberal Arts with a Concentration in Sociology. That's a lot to put on a resume. But "B.A. in Sociology" is technically incorrect. My solution: I omit it entirely. If it comes up in conversation, I tell people I hold a B.A. in Sociology. But writing it down seems to demand accuracy, so I don't use it at all.

    If I held the master's degree you cite, I would list it as it is titled by the school. Or simply, "Master of Arts."

    Rich Douglas, Master of Business Administration (which really sounds stupid)
     
  3. P. Kristian Mose

    P. Kristian Mose New Member

    No. You are "translating" Professional Studies into Liberal Studies. That's not what the degree says.

    My second Regents bachelor's (B.A.) is technically in Liberal Arts with a Concentration in Sociology. That's a lot to put on a resume. But "B.A. in Sociology" is technically incorrect. My solution: I omit it entirely. If it comes up in conversation, I tell people I hold a B.A. in Sociology. But writing it down seems to demand accuracy, so I don't use it at all.

    If I held the master's degree you cite, I would list it as it is titled by the school. Or simply, "Master of Arts."

    Rich Douglas, Master of Business Administration (which really sounds stupid)

    Rich, what you say regarding the TESC "MAPS" degree makes sense. Of course in an outline resume one should preserve the accuracy of a degree's name. Thanks for the splash of cold water that I needed.

    My point is also broader, though, and I'd welcome your feedback and that of others. With all the newly invented degree designations, they lose their meaning to most people. Isn't it confusing that MLS now means both Master of Library Science and Master of Liberal Studies?

    And if only one school in the world now offers a master's degree in the liberal arts and calls it MAPS, how is communication enabled? If people trip over the name, the credential itself becomes almost suspect.

    You are right that "Master of Business Administration" is, if you think about it, a loopy thing to call oneself, but nonetheless MBA is a stock set of initials that everyone in North America at least understands. (Do you know whether the MBA designation havs wider currency than in North America?)

    Not so with the master's programs I am exploring in the liberal arts. When I scrutinize the TESC catalog, even *they* haven't decided whether to plug the "liberal arts-ness" of their newly minted program or its "professional studies-ness." I guess they are selling the degree from both angles.

    They are welcome to do so, but I find both angles suffer in the bargain. Maybe what I'm trying to say is it's stupid and annoying, given that the program iteself looks rather good.

    Cheers,
    Peter
     
  4. P. Kristian Mose

    P. Kristian Mose New Member

    No. You are "translating" Professional Studies into Liberal Studies. That's not what the degree says.

    My second Regents bachelor's (B.A.) is technically in Liberal Arts with a Concentration in Sociology. That's a lot to put on a resume. But "B.A. in Sociology" is technically incorrect. My solution: I omit it entirely. If it comes up in conversation, I tell people I hold a B.A. in Sociology. But writing it down seems to demand accuracy, so I don't use it at all.

    If I held the master's degree you cite, I would list it as it is titled by the school. Or simply, "Master of Arts."

    Rich Douglas, Master of Business Administration (which really sounds stupid)

    Rich, what you say regarding the TESC "MAPS" degree makes sense. Of course in an outline resume one should preserve the accuracy of a degree's name. Thanks for the splash of cold water that I needed.

    My point is also broader, though, and I'd welcome your feedback and that of others. With all the newly invented degree designations, they lose their meaning to most people. Isn't it confusing that MLS now means both Master of Library Science and Master of Liberal Studies?

    And if only one school in the world now offers a master's degree in the liberal arts and calls it MAPS, how is communication enabled? If people trip over the name, the credential itself becomes almost suspect.

    You are right that "Master of Business Administration" is, if you think about it, a loopy thing to call oneself, but nonetheless MBA is a stock set of initials that everyone in North America at least understands. (Do you know whether the MBA designation havs wider currency than in North America?)

    Not so with the master's programs I am exploring in the liberal arts. When I scrutinize the TESC catalog, even *they* haven't decided whether to plug the "liberal arts-ness" of their newly minted program or its "professional studies-ness." I guess they are selling the degree from both angles.

    They are welcome to do so, but I find both angles suffer in the bargain. Maybe what I'm trying to say is it's stupid and annoying, given that the program iteself looks rather good.

    Cheers,
    Peter
     
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

     
  6. P. Kristian Mose

    P. Kristian Mose New Member

    You can certainly see I am clumsy with the discussion board format, but I trust I'll get the hang of it!
    Peter
     
  7. Bill Highsmith

    Bill Highsmith New Member

    You might be fretting about a non-issue. If you've studied what you want to study, it is no big deal to take a few extra words to explain it on your resume. The resume is not poetry, it is more like technical writing. You're trying to get across an unambiguous message about your qualifications. If you have to put MLS (liberal studies) instead of just MLS, no one is going to have a heart attack.

    Your extra postings might have been caused by hitting the refresh button immediately after posting; that resends the post rather than showing the updated thread. Wait after a post for the screen to automatically return to the thread-viewing mode. (Been there; done that. )
     
  8. P. Kristian Mose

    P. Kristian Mose New Member

     

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