AboutLaura Trauth Expertise PhD program in History. A more conservative Catholic institution, the school is also less self-contained. This means it has less of a sense of family and community, but also that it is connected with the nation`s capitol and all the academic, artistic, and social resources that DC provides. The History and Medieval Studies grad programs have a core faculty of dedicated and talented scholars who encourage students to pursue original research and analyse current scholarship.
Question Hello Laura,
I am a month away from receiving my Master's of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. You can do thsi in 36 months in our school. THe lady that grades our papers has 3 Master's degrees( 1 from Marquette in Milwaukee), and says that she knows a woman whose son is going for a Mastr's in Chemical Engineering. I think it is taking him 5 or 6 YRS,(full time). My question is: Why would a Master's in Chemical Engineering take that much longer than a Master's in oriental medicine wherein one is involved in a serious way in treating human diseases? Does the length of time to receive a Master's or a Doctorate depend upon the school attended, the field one is entering, or both? Thank you very much. Mike Eidson.
Answer Hi Mike,
How long a degree takes depends on what you're studying, where, your research topic, and your luck! A lot of what causes the time difference is the thesis. Do you research and write a thesis in your program, or is it more hands-on practicums and such?
I know in some of the medical grad programs I'm aware of, the focus is very much on learning all the already known details of the art and of the human boyd, and on learning HOW to actually practice in the field.
In history or engineering, however, the emphasis is on building or exploring totally new things. You may study already designed chemical processes or historical studies, but you also need to work on your own. Choosing a topic that's detailed enough and yet do-able is where the time factor comes in. A research topic may dry up, not pan out, and then you may have to start over, even after several months work on that "dead" topic. The specialist advising you may pass away, retire, or go on sabbatical. For example, my program took 1 year longer than I expected because one of my advisors took a year off to battle cancer -- sucessfully I'm glad to say! Because her field was so specialized, there was no one who could step into her shoes at our school. The time is probably more variable at the PhD level, since the dissertation is such a big part of it, and research is the greatest time variable.
It may also depend on what back-ground skills or courses you need to take! In our program, you need 3 languages in addition to English: Latin and two others. So if you have those coming in, you can finish much faster than if you don't. In a math/science program, they might require various programming skills to be aquired before finishing!
So you're very right in your guess. A lot plays a role in how long the program takes: how specialized it is, how many background skills, what the particular school requires, your luck in choosing a thesis if you need to do one at all, how individualized vs. standardized the program is... and so on! Hope that answers your question, and congratulations on nearly completing your course of study!
