Do you need a master's degree after a bachelor's degree in Russia? Do I need to study in a Master's program after undergraduate studies?

Many modern university graduates think about the question of whether a master's degree is required after a bachelor's degree? Indeed, this is a serious matter, because a young man has a choice: continue his education at another stage of higher education or look for work.

We will try to answer this question.

What is a magistracy?

Before solving the problem, if you need a master's degree after a bachelor's degree, you need to understand what it is.

This type of training arose in our country relatively recently. It emerged after Russia adopted a two-tiered system of higher education, long established in the Western world. In this system, higher education is divided into two parts: a bachelor's program, which involves practical training in professional skills and a master's degree, which is a higher level of mastering professional skills.

The Master's degree studies are completed by the defense of the master's thesis and the receipt of the first degree.

The second stage of higher education

It would seem that, with this approach, it is very easy to solve the problem of whether a master's degree is required after a bachelor's degree. "Of course, it is needed," - thinks any graduate of the school or his parent.

However, in this innovation there are a lot of pitfalls, which we will consider below.

Master's degree as an innovation of recent years

It so happened that the importance of the magistracy for the Western system of higher education is much more significant than for ours.

It happened because in Russia there always existed another system of higher education, which assumed its following stages: primary, secondary, secondary vocational and higher. There was also the possibility of obtaining academic degrees: a candidate and a doctor of science.

At the present stage in the Russian Federation, these two systems have been preserved, because of this, higher education has divided into two halves: bachelor's and master's degrees. At the same time, it turns out that an ordinary specialist who spent exactly five years in the university was equal to a master who wrote a whole thesis.

Therefore, until now, experts can not unequivocally give an answer to the question of whether a master's degree is required after a bachelor's degree in Russia? It is necessary, because the graduate of the university has not one but two higher education diplomas, but employers do not pay much attention to what their higher education has: bachelor's or master's degree.

What prospects are open to the graduate?

First and foremost, the school's graduates are asking themselves what will bring them such a two-stage education in the university.

Therefore, they already decide for themselves whether they need to go to the magistracy after the bachelor's degree, or not.

Let's consider these prospects in more detail.

Theoretically, the magistracy makes it possible to claim a higher educational status. Therefore, a person with a master's degree can seek a more prestigious job.

However, as practice shows, employers are often interested in just higher education and the specialty indicated in the diploma. He as a whole does not care who comes to him: an expert, a bachelor or a master.

In doing so, the Master's Degree gives you the opportunity to modify your professional path. Suppose a young man has completed a bachelor's degree in management. But he entered the magistracy in the specialty of journalism. After passing an additional exam, he can get a second higher education in 2 years and then work in that specialty that he chooses himself.

Another perspective that attracts young people who are thinking about whether a master's degree is needed after a bachelor's degree is the opportunity to engage in teaching activities. But more about this in more detail in the next section.

Master's Courses for Teaching

In the West, this stage of higher education is a guarantee that the graduate will work in an educational institution: a college or a university. He can also be a junior research assistant.

At us such prospect exists, more likely, theoretically, than practically.

This is due to the fact that in Russia you can now get three academic degrees: Master, Ph.D. and Doctor of Science.

The universities work mostly candidates and doctors of sciences, doctors are more appreciated, but they are fewer in number. There is a small percentage of teachers who have either a full higher education on the principle of specialty, or a master's degree.

However, there are very few such teachers (about 8% of the total number of pedagogical staff) and their position in universities is the most unenviable: they have the most workload and the smallest salary.

Therefore, in our country, in order to teach at a university and not be afraid of a possible reduction, it is necessary to have a scientific degree not a master's degree but a candidate of science.

And for this it is necessary to enter postgraduate study and pass a difficult procedure for the defense of the candidate's thesis. Requirements for it are more stringent than for master's work.

Features of modern magistracy

At once we will notice that to study is always useful business, but training should go on advantage to the person, instead of in harm to its health or a material position.

Therefore, before deciding for yourself whether you need to go to a magistracy after a bachelor's degree, a young man must relate his desires to his own possibilities.

If he likes to study, is engaged in college with pleasure and is ready to spend two more years of his life in order to gain new knowledge, master new skills, then his choice is a magistracy.

If he barely lasted 4 years of study in a bachelor's degree, went to classes once and dreamed not about knowledge, but about a diploma as a document on education, then he certainly should not stay in college for another 2 years with vague prospects for Their future professional activities.

As we already noted above, the master's program in modern conditions is something like a small plus in the biography. And more precisely - this is evidence that the man diligently "gnawed the granite of science" for the sake of his future success. He rationally chose for himself another professional simpler or improved his knowledge in the old field, he worked day and night. However, the Master's program does not guarantee any future prestigious employment.

For example, let's ask ourselves whether a graduate student needs a bachelor's degree in economics

Perhaps another diploma of higher education will come in handy. However, it is obvious that a young man who has completed a bachelor's degree and enrolled in a particular position of economist at a small enterprise after two years will gain more theoretical and practical experience than the one who enrolled in full-time magistracy and 2 more years spent at the university.

Forms of training

Note the fact that the forms of study in the Master's program are the same as in the baccalaureate.

There is the possibility of full-time, correspondence education. Distance learning lasts two and a half years, full-time - two years. In the diploma of education the form of training is not indicated yet, although in the near future the Ministry of Education intends to indicate such a form.

Anyone who decides whether to complete a master's program after a bachelor's degree and at the same time plans to work and study, you should know that the number of lectures in the master's program is great. Often, universities because of the lack of classrooms transfer master's classes to the third shift, which begins around 5 pm and ends in the late evening.

The forms of control are the same as in the baccalaureate: accounting for current academic performance, tests, exams, for correspondence students - test papers, etc.

Number of budget places for undergraduates

Also young people who dream of continuing their education should be aware of this trend in recent years, as the reduction in the number of budget places in universities for undergraduates. Usually the number of such places is one fourth of the graduating bachelors.

If the entrant does not go to a budget place, then he or his parents will have to pay for the tuition from their own pocket. At the same time, the prices for studying at a master's degree are much higher than at a bachelor's degree.

Partly because of this, the flow of those wishing to study is not that great. It turns out that many young people on the question of whether to enter the magistracy after the bachelor's degree, answer for themselves negatively.

This, of course, does not mean that from education at this stage of higher education should generally be abandoned. However, it is necessary to carefully evaluate both their strengths and their capabilities.

How do I proceed?

In general, any young man who is trying to solve for himself such a serious question as "Is it necessary to study in a magistracy after a bachelor degree?", One can advise the following.

First, weigh all the pros and cons of their possible training. To think about whether his family or himself has a financial opportunity to receive such an education. After all, in fact, it will be very difficult to work during these 2 years. Will such a student be able to provide for himself financially? Will he be able to find means for his content?

Secondly, to think about whether there are budget places for such a level of education or will have to search for own money resources?

Thirdly, is there an opportunity to enter a master's degree in a new specialty? For example, let's ask ourselves whether a master's degree is required for a lawyer after a bachelor's degree. Perhaps, it is necessary, if the lawyer enters the magistracy in a new specialty, mastering the specialization of a criminalist or political scientist.

Is it possible to drop a magistracy?

This question is also often asked. Indeed, the number of graduated students from the master's degree is 2 times more than from undergraduate programs.

This is due to the fact that young people, realizing that, after getting into the magistracy, they continue to remain in the status of a "student", decide to give up the role they have bothered and go into professional activity. They already have a diploma of higher education at the Bachelor degree.

For example, do you need a master's program after a bachelor programmer, a young man who is already a popular specialist in the modern labor market? Do I need to study for 2 more years when he can already work?

Of course, every young programmer should answer this question on his own.

Is there an alternative to such training?

It should be noted that there is an alternative to such training today. This is the so-called professional retraining, which allows to engage in a new type of activity.

The essence of such training, presented in the programs of most large and small universities of our country, boils down to the fact that a person who wants to get a right to engage in a new type of activity comes to such a program and after a while receives a diploma.

Training is individual and group, however, there are fewer hours of study, so there are not enough classroom classes either.

And the last question: do you need a master's degree after an undergraduate accountant?

After all that we have said above, it is not difficult to find an answer to this question. Yes, the master's program can be useful to the accountant, but he still needs to try to find such a kind of training. In our country an accountant will be able to become even a person without a higher education, just finished accounting courses. There is an accounting in the baccalaureate, but a magistracy with such specialization in general is very difficult to find.

So not for all specialties in this country there is this direction of higher education.

Thus, in this short article we have considered the question of what is the modern magistracy in Russia. Certainly, this direction of education has certain prospects, but for the time being this system is experiencing difficulties related to the peculiarities of its implementation in the educational practice of our state.