collageIt’s only natural to assume that getting a master’s degree is what comes after already having earned a bachelor’s. But truth be told, in some cases, there are exceptions as some universities will allow you to pursue a master’s degree first. There are schools that offer programs in which an undergraduate degree is not required. We’re going to take you through the ways in which you can get a master’s without a bachelor’s degree. Just note that most universities are still very traditional and getting a bachelor’s first is still a mandatory requirement.
Reading through the article below will definitely give you free access to the best and latest information on masters degrees that dont require specific bachelors, masters without bachelors canada & masters without bachelors reddit. What’s more? You will find related posts on masters without bachelors & masters without bachelors uk on collegelearners. It’s definitely possible to earn a master’s without a bachelor’s. However, it is pretty rare, and most universities expect you to get a bachelor’s degree first. Here is a full guide to what you need to know.
A Guide to Getting a Master’s Without a Bachelor’s Degree
Although it is true that most universities expect graduate school applicants to already have a bachelor’s, there still are some universities that consider other experience, like work experience, instead of an undergraduate degree. Did you know that only 34% of Americans hold a bachelor’s degree? That leaves a large majority who haven’t earned an undergraduate degree. And even less have a master’s , at 9.2%. If you’re among the many who don’t have a bachelor’s but want to get a graduate degree, it is possible. Some universities will take into account your professional experience and certain certificates and/or diplomas you may have. However, it is important for you to do the proper research.
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Leveraging Your Professional Experience
One of the best ways to learn is by experience and some universities are beginning to understand that. There are going to be concepts that students typically learn in a master’s program that you may have already experienced first-hand in your professional life. You just might not be aware of them as theories that are taught in curriculums.
But having come from experience and seeing those concepts in action, whether they succeed or fail, gives you great value. That knowledge can easily be equal to, if not greater, than someone who earned a bachelor’s degree and is applying for a master’s directly after graduation.
If you have experience in the field, be it in business, sales, or as a computer programmer, those years on the field are valuable and may be acknowledged in a university application. Whether you were employed or self-employed, you can explain your experience in your application.
Depending on the major, Universities such as Southern Cross University will consider your background when reviewing applications. Typically, if you have five years’ experience in a relevant field or other qualifications (like an associate’s degree or other certification) they will consider you for a postgraduate degree without coming from an undergraduate degree. They also weigh in your professional experience, which is about seven years and over, for the possibility to receive credit or ‘Advanced Standing’ towards a postgraduate qualification.
The University of Essex is another example of a university that will consider your past experience instead of an undergraduate degree. Their online MBA program accepts students without a bachelor’s, as long as they can prove at least five years of relevant managerial experience.
Masters Degrees that Don’t Require Specific Bachelors
In 1233 a papal bull decreed that anyone admitted to the mastership at the University of Toulouse should be allowed to teach freely in any other university. Ever since then it has been set in stone that the rite of passage into a master’s degree is a three or four-year undergraduate degree. Pretty much by definition, a master’s is a follow-on from a bachelor’s degree. Originally the master’s was a licence to teach, but the nineteenth and twentieth centuries saw a huge expansion in the variety of master’s degrees and they became more oriented towards preparing to pursue professions in their subject areas.
In our current times of upheaval in education a lot of moulds are being broken, and the bachelor’s-to-master’s order of events is about to become one of them. Which institution is planning to undermine centuries of tradition? Some backwater college with an over-imaginative director of studies who likes to experiment? No, actually it’s MIT.
Under a new initiative, instead of needing a bachelor’s degree, students take a program of online courses set by MIT and delivered via EdX. If successful in the proctored exams that follow these courses, they receive an MITx MicroMasters credential which permits application for a full MIT master’s or master’s courses at several other universities. In theory, not even a high school education is required for entrance – but you’d have to be extraordinarily bright.
The online courses are free, but students pay a means-tested amount of between $100 and $1,000 to take the entrance exam. This is because the no-bachelor’s-required master’s is a product of MIT’s Poverty Action Lab, whose approach to reducing poverty includes giving simpler access to ‘postgraduate’ study to those whose backgrounds and circumstances might not permit the expensive luxury of a full four years at college.
The normal path into a master’s in the United States is via GREs (Graduate Record Examinations), a standardised test for admission to graduate school, plus an academic transcript and a letter of recommendation. The MITx MicroMasters route does not require GREs to be taken. Here’s why. Esther Duflo, co-founder of the Poverty Action Lab, says “The GRE is not very informative, because no one who comes to MIT doesn’t have a near-perfect GRE anyways.” Furthermore, she adds, letters of recommendation mean little unless they come from institutions MIT is familiar with. “ … in practice, if you come from the University of the Middle of Nowhere, we have no way to judge the quality of your application, and therefore that creates a lot of barriers.”
The first class of MicroMasters students received their credentials in June, and to date two programs have used the route: supply chain management and data, economics and development policy. 180,000 participated in the supply chain management program, 1,100 finished all the required online courses, and 600 passed the final exam to earn their MicroMasters. So, while academically rigorous and challenging, MIT’s initiative represents a democratisation of postgraduate education which could prove popular.
No college degree? Not a problem. No high school degree? Not an issue either.
Applicants to a pioneering master’s degree program at the elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) can now enter graduate school without having earned a diploma.
Candidates can now take courses online and if they do well on exams, they’ll be eligible to apply to MIT’s master’s program in data, economics and development policy. The program is part of MIT’s Poverty Action Lab, which measures the effectiveness of programs meant to help the poor. The classes are meant to equip “learners with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing developing countries and the world’s poor.”
Over 8,000 students from 182 countries around the world have enrolled online, according to a report at wburg.org. Students take five online classes at no cost, and only pay for the final exam, which costs $100 to $1,000 depending on the student’s income. If students score highly on their exams, they can apply to MIT’s on-campus master’s program.
The five-courses offered are:
Microeconomics
The Challenges of Global Poverty
Data Analysis for Social Scientists
Foundations of Development Policy: Advanced Development Economics
Designing and Running Randomized Evaluations
According to the report, MIT is still working out the details on tuition and cost of living in Cambridge, but expects it to be based on a student’s ability to pay. The first group of students is expected to arrive in 2020.
Other Education / Professional Certificates
There are many reasons why someone might not have a bachelor’s degree. Maybe you didn’t have the financial means to pay for four years of schooling or perhaps you started but weren’t able to finish the degree. About 40% of students actually drop out of college, leaving a large minority of people with a partial degree. Dropping out of college is clearly a common practice and must happen for a reason. Students may feel as though they have to earn money for the time being, or they started a family, or there are those who simply got bored by their program.
If this is the case for you, University of the People (UoPeople) can be a great option for you. UoPeople is a nonprofit, tuition-free, and US-accredited online university that offers Associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration, Computer Science, and Health Science, and master’s programs in Business and Education. Please note, UoPeople’s master’s programs require you to have a bachelor’s first. However, you have the opportunity to pursue a higher education without worrying about financial constraints. Find out more about UoPeople’s degree programs and how they can help you pursue a higher education.
All reasons aside, not earning a bachelor’s isn’t the end of the road by any means. There are other ways to get an education. Many people choose to earn a professional certificate or diploma from a community college. You can also consider an associate’s degree which is typically completed within two years. It’s a short-cycle degree program that is beneficial for working students on the path of developing their careers but aren’t able to stop everything and earn a full bachelor’s degree. An associate’s degree can either lead to a bachelor’s or master’s, depending on your field of study.
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