When looking to take a masters in the UK and then having my work transfer back to the US for a Phd, I was asked how many credit hours did I work in my subject. Basically, if the course you are looking only has say 20 credit hours the schools you are looking at for your phd might not accept that as enough work to justify a masters.
You're best best is to call the schools you are looking at for a phd and ask how they treat masters from the UK.
The way I see it (and have been told by many people in my field) is get your degrees where you wish to be working. If you want to teach or whatever in the US, stick with the US system.
I totally agree with this, especially if you're going into academia. The only reason I applied to UK schools exclusively is because I have no intention of coming back.
@ tisiphone: Me too! I'm not entirely sure where I want to "end up", but I know I want to do my Master's (and PhD if that works out) in the U.K., so teaching there would be lovely too.
@ mallyns: About credit hours, that makes total sense. Several of the American PhD programs I was looking at require you to do the two years of course work no matter what kind of post graduate work you have (or have not) done, presumably to do away with the equivalency hassle. The division of degrees across the English speaking world is confusing!
If it helps, it is extremely difficult (but not impossible) to get a job in the UK even after you get the degrees. The reason being is that they have to hire citizens first and only if they can't fill the slot with someone from there, then they can look outside for people.
Plus there is this whole point system to qualify for a visa.
Things are different over there and if you haven't gone, I recommend taking a trip to see what it is like and what the schools are like. I went and my top choice for a UK school turned out to be horrible. I knew right away I could never go to that school. Horrible professor's and a horrible town.
Oh dear! I'm really sorry to hear that. What school was it, if you don't mind me asking? I'll hopefully have time to check some of these schools out more seriously if I get accepted.
Citizenship-wise, I have kind of a weird pedigree: I was born in England, raised in the U.S., and will be receiving my B.A. from a Canadian university, so I have no idea how I would qualify. I know that my current university (U of British Columbia) has hired several PhD's or DPhil's from the U.K., so I know it happens even if it is rare.
Now I'm curious, do you mean it is considerably more difficult to get a job in the U.K. than in North America? I wouldn't be averse to returning, though I know that has its own inherent difficulties.
I can't give facts or figures but I can only tell you about my best friend and her problem.
She went to a school in Scotland (She is both English and Scottish) and has a masters degree. It took her 5 years to find a job.
I have another friend- US citizen who tried to get a job in the UK. No one would look at her.
Basically, it is shitty all around in all countries for all people looking to get jobs. I wouldn't say one is worse than another, just that each will have it's own brand of hoop jumping.
You can only do what is best for you and if it doesn't work out, try something different.
Oh right. I kind of assumed the English Masters+PhD (from somewhere like Edinburgh or Oxford) would equal the 5 year PhD program from a U.S. school (like Berkeley). Oh, if only it were so simple!
My understanding is that in Europe, you typically do a Masters that may include some coursework and then a PhD that is just research. So you don't have many people doing PhD programs in Europe without a Masters first. This is quite different from PhD programs in the U.S. where you do 2-3 years of coursework (to prepare you for qualifying exams) and then thesis research for 2-4 years after that.
You're best best is to call the schools you are looking at for a phd and ask how they treat masters from the UK.
The way I see it (and have been told by many people in my field) is get your degrees where you wish to be working. If you want to teach or whatever in the US, stick with the US system.
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@ mallyns: About credit hours, that makes total sense. Several of the American PhD programs I was looking at require you to do the two years of course work no matter what kind of post graduate work you have (or have not) done, presumably to do away with the equivalency hassle. The division of degrees across the English speaking world is confusing!
Thanks so much for your responses!
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Plus there is this whole point system to qualify for a visa.
Things are different over there and if you haven't gone, I recommend taking a trip to see what it is like and what the schools are like. I went and my top choice for a UK school turned out to be horrible. I knew right away I could never go to that school. Horrible professor's and a horrible town.
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Citizenship-wise, I have kind of a weird pedigree: I was born in England, raised in the U.S., and will be receiving my B.A. from a Canadian university, so I have no idea how I would qualify. I know that my current university (U of British Columbia) has hired several PhD's or DPhil's from the U.K., so I know it happens even if it is rare.
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It was a Northern England school, I don't feel comfortable saying which school here but if you want to know PM me.
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She went to a school in Scotland (She is both English and Scottish) and has a masters degree. It took her 5 years to find a job.
I have another friend- US citizen who tried to get a job in the UK. No one would look at her.
Basically, it is shitty all around in all countries for all people looking to get jobs. I wouldn't say one is worse than another, just that each will have it's own brand of hoop jumping.
You can only do what is best for you and if it doesn't work out, try something different.
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SO. TRUE. Thanks again, I appreciate the honesty.
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