Graduate degrees: What's in a name?
This is primarily for those studying for masters degrees or PhDs in the biological sciences, so feel free to skip if this doesn't apply to you:
My department recently underwent an extensive reorganization involving the merger of three previously separate departments. However, the graduate programs were not similarly merged at the time of the departmental merger, creating a rather large bureaucratic nightmare for grad students and administrators. Now the department is trying to decide how to restructure the graduate degrees, and the largest problem with this process is that the discussions have been largely philosophical and have not involved comparing notes with people outside of the institution (like people seeking to apply to grad programs or people trying to get jobs after leaving such programs).
So here's what I'm wondering:
1. For you, how important was or is the specific name of the degree program you chose when you made the decision to apply to grad school? (i.e. would it have mattered if your program was in Biology or Microbiology? Zoology or entomology? Integrative biology? Is specificity better, or generality?)
2. For those who have graduated, how important was the name of your degree for your future career path? (i.e. do employers care if your degree is in Biological Sciences or in Plant Biology? Do you have to explain yourself to potential employers because your degree has some weird title?)
Thank you in advance for your feedback.
My department recently underwent an extensive reorganization involving the merger of three previously separate departments. However, the graduate programs were not similarly merged at the time of the departmental merger, creating a rather large bureaucratic nightmare for grad students and administrators. Now the department is trying to decide how to restructure the graduate degrees, and the largest problem with this process is that the discussions have been largely philosophical and have not involved comparing notes with people outside of the institution (like people seeking to apply to grad programs or people trying to get jobs after leaving such programs).
So here's what I'm wondering:
1. For you, how important was or is the specific name of the degree program you chose when you made the decision to apply to grad school? (i.e. would it have mattered if your program was in Biology or Microbiology? Zoology or entomology? Integrative biology? Is specificity better, or generality?)
2. For those who have graduated, how important was the name of your degree for your future career path? (i.e. do employers care if your degree is in Biological Sciences or in Plant Biology? Do you have to explain yourself to potential employers because your degree has some weird title?)
Thank you in advance for your feedback.