u/ElasticSeal

I’ve been on this sub for a while, but lately the hostility toward MS degrees seems to have gone up another notch, and it’s been pretty disheartening to see.

Yes, MS programs are often expensive since many aren't funded. But reading some of the comments here, you’d think they're invariably scams or worthless, which doesn't reflect the reality that plenty have gotten great outcomes out of the degree.

I personally applied only to MS programs (in engineering) because my undergrad was not in the US, I didn't have many opportunities to get deeply involved in research during undergrad, and my grades were solid but not exceptional. I'm prepared to take a loan and pay for the MS in return for a stronger profile that may allow me to get into a good PhD program or a research position in industry, just like how plenty of people take on loans for college. A lot of people have successfully walked this path, so I don't get all the people here deriding the degree and all who didn't manage to get into a PhD right out of college.

I have also seen people claim that MS programs accept basically everyone, which is clearly not true. Many programs have acceptance rates well below 20%. They may not be as selective as the top PhD programs, but they are far from the “open door” that some comments make them out to be.

And perhaps many Americans do not know this, but getting an MS is still the norm for stem students in many parts of the world (Europe, East Asia, etc). I went to a school ranked in the T100 globally, and over 90% of undergrads in engineering go directly on to get MS degrees and do research. The minority who don't mainly go into less technical careers like banking and consulting.

Of course, the message behind some of the comments have merit in that, yes, the schools use MS degrees to make money. But they're not completely worthless for the student. It's simply more akin to undergrad in that you're paying for a chance to learn rather than getting paid to do a job like PhD students are.