Obtaining a degree in any field of study is always a huge step towards expanding ones knowledge base and driving towards something that the student is wanting to learn. Choosing a Bachelor’s Degree is usually the easiest decisions to make as the degree holder is likely to want to choose a major that they have genuine interest in or knows will be a good fit in years to come. Should the path of learning guide the student towards a Master’s Degree, it’s important to understand how and what the degree is. This will allow the student to choose the appropriate prerequisites in order to achieve that extended degree.
Bachelor’s Degree vs. Master’s Degree
As it was mentioned above, the Bachelor’s Degree is the first step towards an education that will carry with the student for their entire life. As diverse as each and every student is, identified learning paths are just as much if not more so. A student focusing on a degree in art will have to continue in that field of study or be forced to start over. Just as a psychology student will be forced to start over should they want to pursue other interests such as engineering. The Bachelor’s Degree is the starting point and is the foundation of learning.Where the Bachelor’s Degree is the foundation, the Master’s Degree is the upper floor. The purpose of the degree is to enhance one’s knowledge already attained rather than to replace what is already known. This is why the Master’s Degree almost always have specialized aptitudes towards them. A student doesn’t just receive a Master’s Degree in finance, for example, they receive it in accounting or business administration. The knowledge gained through the upper degree allow the student to apply that knowledge towards the things they’ve already learned in through the other degree.
Attaining a Master’s Degree
That being said, the attainment of a Master’s Degree is almost always affiliated with the first degree. A student wanting to get their Master’s Degree in a subject of interest should have already laid out the foundation for learning the subject itself. While it isn’t impossible to attain an upper level degree in an unrelated field, the requirements for it are much more difficult. The student should be prepared to take many prerequisite courses to gain the basic knowledge needed towards an upper level degree.What this equates to a student wanting to obtain a Master’s Degree in psychology is that there should already be a background established in psychology. A popular crossover career is education where a teacher wants to become a child psychologist. Even then the teacher, who likely has a degree in childhood education, will still have to take the necessary required courses to attain a Master’s in psychology. This is completely dependent on the original degree itself. A person with a degree in business or technology will not have likely taken the courses necessary to obtain a Master’s in psychology and will likely have to simply get a second Bachelor’s Degree in psychology as a stepping stone towards that Master’s Degree. Is it necessary to attain an undergraduate degree? No, it isn’t if the original degree is of related study. Is it likely that an undergraduate degree in psychology is needed? The answer to that is, yes.
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