Was thinking about this the other day. Hmm? Good for West Texas A&M University- WT. February 13, 2024. https://www.wtamu.edu/news/2024/02/wt-to-offer-embedded-associate-degrees-for-students-pursuing-bachelors.html “Tarleton State University, also in The Texas A&M University System, is the only other four-year state institution providing associate degrees, though WT’s plan focuses more on giving students a recognized milestone or stop-out point.” Also. “Students will not enroll in an associate degree program, so the plan is not meant to compete with community colleges. Rather, the degree will be automatically awarded to them once they meet the requirements. They will be mailed a diploma, but they will not take part in graduation ceremonies. “Our intent is still for these students to earn their bachelor’s degrees, and our commencement ceremonies will continue to reflect that,” said Dr. Neil Terry, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.”
I like it. Students whose progress is interrupted for whatever reason, will have something tangible - and of value, to show for their effort and expense. An undergrad version of the British M. Phil. It might have a long-term beneficial result for the school. Those who earned this reward and thereafter had their progress interrupted, will be more likely to return, when that is possible. But the schools already knew that, right?
Nowadays I expect that holding a Master's when applying for a PhD program is the norm, not the exception.
So would I. But here are 11 combined Master's and Doctoral programs at US Universities. https://www.gradschools.com/degree-guide/joint-masters-phd-programs @nosborne48 If you meant programs where a Master's is awarded prior to the doctorate, The above is your answer. If you meant is an M. Phil awarded at a certain point of achievement in the PhD process in US schools, here's Wiki info: "Most American universities do not award the Master of Philosophy degree. A few institutions, such as Yale University,[14] Columbia University,[15] New York University, George Washington University,[16] The New School, and the CUNY Graduate Center, award it under certain circumstances, such as to Ph.D. candidates when they complete their required coursework and qualifying examinations but have not yet completed and defended their doctoral dissertation.[17][18][19] This formalizes the more colloquial "All But Dissertation" status; as such, defense of a dissertation proposal is sometimes required for conferral. Other colleges and universities, such as the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, offer a standalone MPhil as an advanced graduate degree in various fields." From here: Whole article on the M. Phil in many countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Philosophy First time I ever saw combined Master's and Doctorates was in the SCUPS Catalogue, in the 1980s. I liked that school, which is now Cal. Southern. Although they were not accredited at the time, I was very tempted by SCUPS. I didn't require accreditation as I had no need of a degree for employment purposes. They were offering me 68 credits for my recently-acquired Canadian Community College diploma. They almost had me. Looking back, I should have gone.
That's interesting. Back when I went to UC Berkeley the master degrees were generally just given out to PhD students that didn't finish their doctorate.
In UK the US AS or AA degree would be entery degree to professions that require HND or Foundation etc.
