Here at Hofstra the MS option requires a research thesis, which means analysis of data the student him/herself has collected (lab or field). The MA option requires an essay, which is more of a literature review, although we encourage an original analysis.
There are a couple of ways to think about the differences between the two, but the way I think about it is that if you are looking for a career in which you will be doing original research, go for the MS. As an advisor I expect a thesis to have at least one publishable paper. If you are looking for a career in which you need to understand research but not necessarily do it yourself or have publications, go for the MA. Essays are rarely publishable. We are developing 5-year BA/MA and BS/MS programs in Urban Ecology where the differences will be less dramatic. The undergrads will be involved in research from the start, and won't split into separate tracts until pretty far along. Dr. Russell Burke Department of Biology Hofstra University Hempstead, NY 11549 516-463-5521 [email protected] The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to keep all the pieces. -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of malcolm McCallum Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2011 9:46 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] M.S vs. M.A. In many schools there is no difference. In others, MA takes a foreign language and MS takes stats. In others, MA is a non-thesis degree (sometimes a final book report) and MS is a thesis. Combine this with the MAT (masters arts teaching), Professional Masters, and the oodles of other masters program designations, the best thing to do is just read the school's program description and not worry about it! There is no real pattern here across the country, even though many people seem to think there is. Malcolm On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 7:13 PM, Priya Shukla <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello Ecologgers! > > I'm wrapping up my fourth-year in environmental sciences at UC Davis and > have been looking at graduate schools. I notice that different schools will > offer either an M.S. or an M.A. degree. While I've heard there isn't a true > difference between the two degree types, I've noticed that many government > positions require an M.S. degree. I was hoping some of you could provide me > with some insight on the difference between the two degrees -- if there even > is one at all. Also, all else equal, would you hire an individual with an > M.S. over an M.A.? > > Many thanks! > -- Priya > -- Malcolm L. McCallum Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan Nation 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
