I've heard of people with bachelor's degrees going for master's degrees in different subjects. Is this typical? How different can the subject be? Can someone with a BFA get accepted into an MBA program? BS -> MFA? BA in English -> MS in CS? etc. Or must the subjects be similar? Do they need to be under the same department? Ex. bachelor's of computer engineering -> master's in CS, math -> physics, English -> education, etc. Do the prerequisites for admission to a master's program differ radically from university to university? If the bachelor's differs from the master's, do some programs accept you but require "catch-up" courses? I'm trying to understand what the typical protocols are for applying to a master's program and whether I could jump over to different program. (I have a BS in CS.)
You usually have some pre-requisites to complete in addition to the graduate coursework if you are entering with a degree in a different field. Three years ago, I graduated with a B.A./Psychology. I applied and was accepted to the M.S. in Computer Science. However, I have to complete some pre-requisite courses before enrolling in the graduate courses.
Those with degrees in humanities (arts, languages, literature, etc.) and social sciences (history, psychology,sociology, etc.) are often sought after by graduate schools of business, law and others. The perception is that students with more "liberal arts"-type degrees are desireable, since they supposedly have been exposed to a broader range of academic experience than those with business and pre-law bachelors. Admissions officers and business leaders have told me that those with all of their degrees in a single area tend to be highly focused and possess a high level of expertise, but tend to have trouble adapting to new work situations, corporate restructuring, re-training, etc. When my brother-in-law graduated with his B.A. in humanities from Brigham Young U., he had offers from several business and law schools and ended up taking a great management position with Fidelity Investments. Tony Piña Administrator, Northeastern Illinois University
With an MFA you typically need a portfolio of your work. Your undergrad could be in just about anything.
It's typical in some majors. Some MBA programs will admit people with any undergraduate major, for example. But it's unusual in other fields, such as the sciences. (Science majors may jump to closely related majors within the sciences though, but you don't enter an MS program in physics with a BA in English lit.) Depends on the major. Ideally, the bachelors programs should have provided a solid undergraduate preparation in the subject. But increasingly masters degrees are becoming undergraduate certificate programs with attitude. I think that this trend is degree-millish, frankly. I think that in many cases the answer is 'yes'. The MBA program may or may not require the student to take some additional foundation classes in stuff like accounting. Depends on what the BS was in. But it's less common than with MBAs. San Jose State, a credible but not especially prestigious art school, will admit people to their MFA with bachelors degrees in anything, but those applicants need to have taken 60+ units in art with a 3.0 GPA, including distribution requirements. (There's also a portfolio requirement.) Lord I hope not, but I wouldn't be surprised. I think that's how it's traditionally been done. People with a BS in physics might do an MS in applied math, or vice versa. Stuff like that. But it's getting more common for people to jump to an entirely new field in their graduate program and to use the 30 "graduate" units for introductory classes. Then people prance out with glamorous graduate degrees and claim rank over people with lowly bachelors degrees in their subject, people who have actually taken more courses and done more advanced work than they have. Yes. And from department to department within a single university. As I said, the sciences are most resistant to this degree-deflation. Many do. But in some cases the catchup courses are kind of token and don't equate to an undergraduate major. I think that you need to carefully read the admissions sections of university catalogs. It varies a lot and is hard to generalize.
In the artistic endeavors, it's more important what you can demonstrate you can do than what you have an undergrad degree in. This is true of the MFA and the MM. If you can present a portfolio that warrants advanced study then you'll likely be accepted. One doesn't get an undergrad degree to learn to create, one is creative and applies the knowledge from the undergrad degree to his/her creativity. In this way, someone with great musical skills might get a degree in history in order to better understand a period or composer (or as a practical matter). A writer might get a degree in physics in order to better understand the science fiction he writes about. An artist might study classics because that's where his/her interests lie. Too, those creative folk that study a field afar from their creative outlet often aren't in the highest percentage of their class (such as the writer studying physics) but their ability to create imroves many fold. MFA and MM programs (and the like) often base admissions heavily on creative work presented (a portfolio or recital or composition) and not on undergraduate experience. In music we say "if you can play then you can play"; meaning that it really doesn't matter in the real world what your GPA is or where you went to school - it only matters how well you perform.
