Couple questions aobut masters.....please help

[Guest red devil 85]

Hi, I was wondering if someone knew a bit more about course based masters degrees.....I've been having trouble trying to find examples of some....so far i've only found epidemiology

 

Also, I have heard rumors that accelerated masters programs exist where u can start right after you finish 4th year and work solid until the august of the following year and be done in the equivalent of one school year....

 

I was hoping someone had some more info on this, or could point me in the right direction on where to look.....

[Guest uteng]

Try looking under professional programs. Course-based programs can often be offered to the busy professional who would like to up their credentials or get some experience with leaders in their fields.

 

Examples include course-based master's in health policy, clinical engineering program at UofT (engineering undergrad required) and MBA programs (I think Laurier offers a one-year MBA). Instead of a thesis, you are graded based on project work in your courses. I think purplefairy13 did a Master's in economics under a year too.

 

Scanning the field for course-based, short Master's program sounds like a easy way out of doing a full Master's program just to get into med school. If that's the case, I would probably recommend doing undergrad courses instead. Only a handful of programs consider work done at the graduate level, so grades in these Master's courses won't help you. Those that do may ask for research productivity, and it's pretty difficult to publish in a Master's that's less than a year.

 

Just some thoughts, good luck.

[Guest fierysweet]

Hi,

I did an MSc in Health Administration and chose the course-based option. We had the choice of doing a thesis or an internship in a hospital + a project with another hospital. It was a great program because I finished in exactly 2 years and got some excellent hands-on experience. I started a full-time job 3 months before I had even graduated.

 

Also, I had research assistanships during the summers, even though I wasn't in the thesis option. You could also choose research methods courses for your electives, that way, if you ever do want to go into research, or if you want a research job, you could still do so.

 

Fiery

[Guest satsumargirl]

Hey Red Devil,

 

Uteng is right that most programs don't consider your marks from grad school, so look into that before you take the plunge if raising your GPA is the goal.

 

Course based masters are often professional programs such as SLP, OT and I think PT now too. MBAs are course based....but crazy expensive (my bf just finished and his tuition was 28k/academic year).

 

I had a friend who did occupational health at U of T and I think her program was less than 2 years, but not sure exactly how long it was.

 

Clinical ethics could be an option as well.

 

Library sciences. My sister is taking this and it is 12 months or 16months if you do a "co-op" type placement. So it is short. Not my interest (I can't even organize myself let alone an entire library facility) but she really thinks it's interesting and her class seems an interesting mix...ex-lawyers, profs etc..

 

That is all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Guest peachy]

I know someone who did a course-based masters in science journalism - seemed like a pretty cool topic to me, and something that would teach you really useful skills!

[Guest marbledust]

I know someone who did a course-based masters in science journalism - seemed like a pretty cool topic to me, and something that would teach you really useful skills!

 

Hey Peachy,

 

It does sound like a very cool topic, doesn't it?

 

Do you know what school offers this program? I have a friend who is looking for something at the grad level to compliment her undergrad degrees in English and Biology. Sounds like it would be a perfect fit for her (she needs more school 'cause she doesn't want to start working full-time )

[Guest peachy]

Marble -- The person I know did a program at NYU, I think. There are probably similar programs in Canada, though!

[Guest acropolistica]

I'm not entirely certain of this, but I believe that some schools offer an entirely course-based MBA (a very good degree to have). Try to look into that if you're interested.

[Guest marbledust]

Marble -- The person I know did a program at NYU, I think. There are probably similar programs in Canada, though!

 

Thanks peachy. I will pass along the information.My friend was looking into a number of journalism programs at the masters level in Canada (there isn't that many) and has been having a hard time finding one that would be a good "fit" for her.

 

Hmmm...having a friend living and studying in NY might work out very well for me in terms of visiting her

[Guest satsumargirl]

I know someone who did journalism at UWO and really enjoyed it.

 

Yeah the MBA at Ivey is course-based (I think most MBAs are) but I think you really have to actually want the MBA to make it worth the 28k tuition a year.

 

I guess with an MBA and MD you could get a neat health care management type position if that is what interests you. An MD/MBA program is in the works at Ivey. You could contact them to see when they plan on having it up and running.

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

I completed my MBA at Queen's, and although MBAs are generally course-based, many do have a thesis-like component, e.g., a full-year, new venture launch, where you incorporate financial, economic, legal, strategic, marketing, etc., analyses into an executable business plan. Also, these may be geared towards any area of business that interests you. In my case, I aligned myself with a research team in Toronto who were developing a non-invasive biopsy device and developed a business plan for its launch. Granted, you generally don't defend these projects as you would a thesis, but you still learn a lot, and in some cases, successfully launch a new venture.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen