efoto said:
And another thing, whats with being able to get a masters in an unrelated field to your undergrad? If it is complimentary or something, sure, but there are a ton of people who study one thing only to master in a completely unrelated field. I thought a masters was an advancement of one's learnings in their undergrad studies....
many people get a master's/phd in a totally different subject to advance in their field...i have seen many an engineer with their BS degree later go on to get a master's in business administration hoping to go from the ranks of techie to suit
also many people get a master's/phd to change careers...i had a friend who studied engineering and was in the navy for many years but then wanted out for various reasons, then get his master's degree, and become a teacher in social studies subjects
i got my BA in hr/business/mgt and having been in the field less than one year after graduation, i didn't like it so i tried different jobs until i chanced upon computers and eventually started my own business like many cs majors and non cs majors due to the dot.com phenomenon here in northern california where it was felt the most...it was then i decided to get into a master's program for computer engineering designed especially for those who wanted to join the field/do a career change and who didn't have their bachelor's in a technical field...the only stipulation was that the student take a few prerequisite classes in finite math, one programming language, and a couple of engineering classes (but nothing compared to a full BS degree in engineering)
there is also this MS degree in accounting (MSA program) at san jose state designed for people with a bachelor's not related to accounting or business and only requires a prerequisite class in financial accounting and one in managerial accounting and the program is closed to anyone with an accounting degree...it's a crash course for career changers who want to vigorously make a career change into a full fledged accountant with a master's degree
and finally, my roomate in college got his BS in metallurgical engineering and worked in the field for some years but then got into being a college professor teaching welding...but having a master's degree is usually the case for a professor so since he was now in an educational institution, he got his master's degree in education and the combination of a technical bachlor's degree and an education master's degree fit perfectly for his welding classes at the junior college
so there are good reasons to get a master's degree in a field unrelated to your bachelor's degree but a job candidate who has both a bachelor's and a master's in one subject area is definitely more focused/trained than a person who just spent two years of grad school in that field