For someone with a liberal arts degree. I'm looking for a Master's Program in something that will lead to a job. Law school isn't the way to go unless I can get in for free or go to a top 10 and that ain't happening. Any ideas?

6/6/2011 6:30:42 PM

Accounting

6/6/2011 6:32:53 PM

^the issue with that and with other programs is that I don't meet the pre-reqs.

6/6/2011 6:38:57 PM

Well, i guess you'll just have to give up!

(so take the pre-reqs...)

6/6/2011 6:40:53 PM

MBA seems like a nobrainer here.

6/6/2011 6:40:56 PM

^ I did a lot of research about MBA's and it seems it really depends on the school you get into. Also, without several years of career exp under my belt, will a MBA make me competitive, or will I be spending 100k to have an entry level position? I read that the one thing an MBA doesn't get you is a job, is this true?

[Edited on June 6, 2011 at 6:45 PM. Reason : (would it make more sense to go back and get a 2nd undergraduate degree? engineering or business?)]

6/6/2011 6:43:36 PM

depends

6/6/2011 6:46:37 PM

woah you are throwing a lot of lifechanging questions at tww right now.

6/6/2011 6:54:26 PM

so what DO you have pre-reqs for?

6/6/2011 6:55:48 PM

Quote :

"^the issue with that and with other programs is that I don't meet the pre-reqs. "

Terrible excuse. UNC's program doesn't accept accounting majors (i.e. no pre-reqs), Wake Forest's program has a couple pre-reqs that you take during the summer before your classes start. These are the top two programs in the state, Wake Forest has one of the highest CPA pass rates in the country.

6/6/2011 7:04:36 PM

Quote :

"For someone with a liberal arts degree. I'm looking for a Master's Program in something that will lead to a job."

Well, there's not really any liberal arts graduate degrees that "lead to a job" (not really Professional degrees), so honestly if that's what you're after then an MBA or Accounting as suggested seems like a good idea.

6/6/2011 7:09:41 PM

Maybe an MPA? Are you looking for gov't, non-profit, or private?

6/6/2011 7:15:46 PM

This is totally the wrong way to look at a graduate education. You need to find out what your goals are and what you want to do in life and pursue a program that will give you depth in your chosen field.

Getting a job is certainly something you should factor in, but just because the world needs and will readily employ an accountant doesn't mean that you'll be happy doing it 9-5 for 40 hours a week or even more in tax season. Yes, you'll be hired at 50,000+ with an MAC but they don't tell you that tax season (depending on where you work and what the focus is) you can work 60-80+ hours a week easily and you're still on the same salary.

People who say liberal arts degrees don't lead to jobs are wrong. Jobs come to those who work hard, network, and have the requisite experience. Liberal Arts degrees can be professional (MIS, MPA, Journalism, Public Policy, etc. though these may fall out of the liberal arts definition).

Even with a Master in English you could get a job doing journalism and work your way up to editor (like my aunt and uncle did, both making well over $100,000/yr. and loving their job). You can edit technical reports (which is valuable in many sectors) and you can teach in grade school with higher salary and yearly increases than somebody with just a bachelors. You could teach community college classes, work with people with speech impediments, do linguistic research, etc. I don't have an English degree, but I am just using one of the most hated on degrees as an example.

Don't get a master's just to stay in school. Take the time to test the water in whatever field interests you and then find a program that will help you progress and I promise you it will yield much better results.

[Edited on June 6, 2011 at 7:40 PM. Reason : .]

6/6/2011 7:22:15 PM

^to be honest, I'm just looking for someone to hire me. I thought about an MPH or something in sustainability because those are 2 growing sectors with good job prospects.

6/6/2011 7:22:27 PM

UMUC has a lot of useful masters degrees, geared towards working professionals. Their website lists the potential career paths for each degree. Homeland security management would be a good choice, or you could go with something more general. Most of the degrees are offered online, but UMUC is part of the University of Maryland system and not a for-profit university. They do a lot with the military and their focus is adult education so the degrees are in fields that do have jobs. http://www.umuc.edu/programs/graduate.shtml

6/6/2011 7:44:23 PM

picking a career based on sustainability and not on whether you're actually interested in it is a terrible idea, IMO. obviously you don't want to go into something that's dead end, but you don't want to be hating your life simply for the sake of having a job. a master's is a big commitment, so i wouldn't jump into it willy nilly without having some kind of interest in it

6/6/2011 8:26:30 PM

Read up on how to ace a business interview and go for a consulting/analyst position for fin advisory, IB, or mgmt consulting. A few friends have degrees varying from psychology to english, and are making bank in fields stated above.

6/6/2011 10:52:36 PM

Poor humanities majors. Should have done what the rest of us do -- get the engineering degree and minor in liberal arts

6/6/2011 11:36:02 PM

Keep in mind when people tell you to pick a job you want and not that is sustainable, they probably fall into one of two categories. They either got a job several years ago when the job market was hawt hawt hawt, or they are an idealistic college student without a lot of experience in the real world. I understand not everyone falls into this category, but just be careful. It's easy to give advice on the internet that you don't have to deal with the ramifications of. On that note, my best advice is to take all your earthly possessions, liquidate them, and bet them all on black at a roulette table. If you win, you double your shit, and if you lose, just go on wellfare and unemployment. If that's not a win/win I don't know what the fuck is.

In all seriousness, I enlisted in the Navy right out of high school in '97. They have paid my way through college at NCSU, and are now giving me a free year to work on my Master's Degree, of which I am 80% complete. 4 of my 20 years in the Navy will have been spent doing nothing but furthering my own education. I am 6 years away from a very stable retirement. I make well over $100K a year. That being said, I hate what I do..... like really really hate it even more than Ben Roethlisberger and/or black olives. BUT my wife and daughter are set for life, and in 2017, I can retire with a pretty good paycheck and do whatever I want in life, all at the age of 38. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get ahead. Money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure as fuck doesn't hurt.

[Edited on June 7, 2011 at 12:09 AM. Reason : Grammar ftw.]

6/7/2011 12:08:25 AM

Quote :

"People who say liberal arts degrees don't lead to jobs are wrong. Jobs come to those who work hard, network, and have the requisite experience. Liberal Arts degrees can be professional (MIS, MPA, Journalism, Public Policy, etc. though these may fall out of the liberal arts definition)."

I completely agree with you, it's exactly what I'm doing, but this guy has made it very clear he is not exactly passionate or motivated about anything, he's asking an internet forum to recommend him graduate programs to "get a job".

6/7/2011 1:46:17 AM

Yeah, homie should really think about getting a second undergrad degree.

6/7/2011 6:55:24 AM

Quote :

"I make well over $100K a year."

What do you do?

6/7/2011 7:33:25 AM

I think he sits around in a giant underwater penis.

6/7/2011 9:04:56 AM

Quote :

"I think he sits around in a giant underwater penis. "

You are correct!

Except for the sitting part.

6/7/2011 11:24:45 AM

Quote :

"I make well over $100K a year."

What do you do?

6/7/2011 2:16:01 PM

Quote :

"MBA seems like a nobrainer here."

i disagree, unless he can get into a solid program. for a lot of technical almost any MBA is worth it, but with a generic liberal arts degree he really needs to look at cost-benefit and make sure he's not spending himself into a hole thats going to take him a long time to get out of.

6/7/2011 2:33:09 PM

Quote :

"BUT my wife and daughter are set for life"

I fear your opinion of the relative security a hundred thousand dollars grants you may be just a bit FeebleMinded.

6/7/2011 3:25:00 PM

Hey that's clever.

The 100K a year is a very small part. I have invested since I joined, and I have quite a bit saved that way. But the real nice thing is the $4,000/month I will get from retirement, plus medical benefits. That's not crazy money by any stretch, but $50K a year for doing nothing is a nice start. That will let me work pretty much anywhere I want, and even if I don't make that much, I'll still be comfortable, especially considering I'll probably settle down in a low cost area like my awesome home state of West Virginia.

6/7/2011 4:57:20 PM

You have a lot of faith in the future of federal pensions and the USD. If you want to invest in your families future, convert some of that paper wealth into physical gold and silver bullion.

6/7/2011 4:59:27 PM

jesus christ shut the fuck up

6/7/2011 5:55:26 PM

It's a suggestion from one individual to another. Mind your own business.

To the OP, my advice is to think long and hard about your natural talents and abilities, and find some work. For most people graduating right now, more school isn't the answer. You can't afford to take out a bunch of debt when you don't actually know what you want to do.

[Edited on June 7, 2011 at 6:18 PM. Reason : ]

6/7/2011 5:58:52 PM

Quote :

"this guy has made it very clear he is not exactly passionate or motivated about anything, he's asking an internet forum to recommend him graduate programs to "get a job"."

QFT.

6/7/2011 6:11:29 PM

w/o reading the thread... this is a horrible way to go about this endeavor.

6/7/2011 6:51:24 PM

Pat -> NCSU Online MBA

6/7/2011 8:17:36 PM

Quote :

"Maybe an MPA? Are you looking for gov't, non-profit, or private?"

I second this. The NCSU MPA does a good job preparing you for public or nonprofit sector work.

My classes had people with interests ranging from transportation, city planning, parks & rec stuff, to state and federal gov interests, to teachers and nurses, to nonprofit, to healthcare and social services, and public policy and public affairs interests.

You can go general, or you can specialize somewhat, and its a guaranteed summer internship which can help you build connections.

6/8/2011 1:55:11 PM

to you fucking idiots arguing that you must have passion to do any sort of post-graduate work: NO ONE is passionate about accounting. this guy's not asking how to get an MA in musical theater. some people in here are acting like they're the guardians for all things holy in the world of higher education.

6/8/2011 2:11:03 PM

Agreed.

6/8/2011 2:20:16 PM

^

[Edited on June 8, 2011 at 7:41 PM. Reason : also, you complain about pre-reqs but then you ask if you should get a second b.s. ]

6/8/2011 7:38:08 PM

So....what are your interests? What was your undergrad in? Do you have any relevant work experience in any field?

Because you need a direction before we tell you what graduate program to go into.

Work experience will undoubtedly make you more attractive as a Masters candidate. And if you need pre-reqs for a program, look at community colleges. Super cheap, especially in NC.

6/9/2011 4:27:49 PM

I think all the unemployed folks with technical degrees have a lot of free time to trash liberal arts degrees on message boards.

Either that or they are wealthy enough to afford an abundance of mobile devices with internet connections.


Ladies: What you lack in intelligence or skillsets (i.e. any type of liberal art degree) you have to compensate with hotness. I highly recommend the master's program called joining a gym and getting hot if you want a job
Men: Sorry, no dice.

6/10/2011 3:23:21 PM

... or we just wolfweb while we are at work

6/10/2011 3:26:40 PM

Quote :

"NO ONE is passionate about accounting. this guy's not asking how to get an MA in musical theater. some people in here are acting like they're the guardians for all things holy in the world of higher education. "

I think 90% + of all dollars made in this world are dollars going to a person providing a service in a field they hate. Welcome to the free market.

Here's an ascii bar chart to help the visual learners

Stuff that makes you $ |||
Stuff you enjoy doing ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jobs in what you want |||
Jobs you can get not in that ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Life planning folks

6/10/2011 3:31:37 PM

Quote :

"Ladies: What you lack in intelligence or skillsets (i.e. any type of liberal art degree) you have to compensate with hotness. I highly recommend the master's program called joining a gym and getting hot if you want a job"

I know chicks that make a killing in outside sales. Their only job is to schmooze with middle-age/older men and make the sale, despite not actually knowing much about the service or product they're representing.

6/10/2011 4:00:07 PM

My personal feeling is that you should be passionate about your hobbies, family, etc. A job is just something you do to fund what you actually enjoy doing. More power to you if you can land a job that you enjoy, but there are only limited positions out there available for space cowboys, porn cameramen, and ESPN anchors.

But seriously, good luck in holding out for a job you love in today's market. I imagine we could get some testimonials from some people who are doing that now, but they likely can't afford a computer or internet connection to tell you about how awesome it is.

6/10/2011 4:11:01 PM

I was half joking.

The rule definitely applies for men. Top tier firms never hire "the fat guy" unless the boss is fat and wants someone fatter around to make him feel better.

6/10/2011 4:11:05 PM

master of divinity

6/10/2011 4:36:59 PM

Quote :

"I know chicks that make a killing in outside sales."

3 days and no one has hit this with an "outside sales" meme yet?

T-Dub is slipping.

6/13/2011 12:45:45 PM

i was unaware that there are any reputable graduate programs in [user]pee drankin[/user]

6/18/2011 2:55:26 AM

Not to derail the thread but...Biomanufacturing is a pretty great grad program for someone with a technical degree (think biology, micro, even chem-e). The facility on Centennial is unlike any other in the country and it really gives you a leg up towards a job in pharmaceutical manufacturing or biotech. I think the number of undergrads who get a job with just a minor in the program have a 90% placement rate in the field or something absurdly high like that. The program has a great reputation in RTP and gets you instant credibility.

6/18/2011 10:34:16 AM

There are MBA schools that do not cost 100k.

6/19/2011 12:53:10 AM