The How well Educated is DU Poll.

[usregimechange]

How much schoolin yhens gut? Keep this kicked I want a good sample size!

[BikeWriter]

1. Kick! :-) n/t

[imenja]

2. What fields do people have their PhDs in?

[GoBlue]

26. immunology/microbiology - nt

[giant_robot]

63. Cool!

I'm in an infectious diseases lab writing my doctoral thesis right now. Er, rather I'm slacking off and posting on DU when I should be writing my doctoral thesis.

[imenja]

28. Wow, sounds marketable

More so than history, but then what isn't.

[mike_c]

56. entomology

eom

[ProfessorPlum]

64. pharmaceutical chemistry and structural biology n/t

[varun]

70. Electrical Engineering

specialization in Digital Signal Processing / Audio Signals

[FuzzySlippers]

3. I don't know. What would a J.D. be?

[imenja]

4. should be a category for professional degrees

like lawyers and doctors. I suppose it's equivalent to a master's, since you can also get a PhD in law.

[depakid]

33. JD and MD's are more than masters

Physicians and Attorneys (at least in the "old" days) have to work much harder and learn much more than in any masters program (in America) than I can think of. I'm currently in an MPH (Masters of Public Health) program- which is one of the toughest masters there is- from what I can tell- and it's not nearly on the same level. Of course, today's students are not as bright either- in any of the programs- that I can assure you of, too.

Some of the docs in my program are- well, let's just put it this way- they have "specialized" rather than broad knowledge. It's truly shocking to me how little they know about law, for example- or even basic civics!

As far as being equivalent to a PhD- the only real difference I see is the thesis- and since there are no boards or bar exams for PhD candidates, the thesis is sort of a substitute there... and maybe a springboard into publishing for academia.

[Runcible Spoon]

36. beg to differ, good sir!

In my MA program, and I recognize this is not the norm, we need to complete both a thesis as well as take comprehensive exams in the 4 subfields of anthropology, as well as take 30 credits of core curriculum (which is actually the easiest part)...my sister is in her second year of law school, and I am finishing my MA after 3 years (got stuck a year more than expected bc. the comprehensives are only offered in January and I lost a very close friend right before)...law school seems like a lot of memorization and slogging through legalese, but the difficulty of the reading pales in comparison to a lot of the theoretical stuff I deal with....she has exams, I have 30 page term papers...so it's two different kinds of "hard"...

just for clarification, "thesis" refers usually to the project at teh MA level, and "dissertation" would be the culmination of work from a PhD...and YES there are examinations for PhD candidates! Certainly at my University and almost all I've ever heard of-you have to go through grueling oral examinations from your Phd committee. They don't (again, at my school, some schools may vary) hand our either MA's or PhD's like candy. Sorry if I sound defensive, just wanted to weigh in here, having known many MA, PhD, JD, and MD students.

[depakid]

37. Point taken

I meant dissertation... of course... though defending it isn't from what I've seen anything close to boards or a 3 day bar exam.

Not all masters degree programs are created equal- anthropology is a difficult subject. I commend you for taking that path. I enjoy that discipline very much. It also sounds like you're getting a fine education- if it comes to easy- it's probably not worth the money!

Speaking only of JD's there's a LOT of analysis that goes wih that memorization- although as I mentioned- law school isn't what it used to be- which I'm guessing may be why so many new advanced degrees have cropped up over the past 10 years or so.

[Runcible Spoon]

39. and I commend your choice as well!

comparing exams that are universally administered to all JD or MD candidates with teh wide variety of criteria used to examine PhD candidates is kinda apples and oranges...a 3 day bar exam, the boards, or dissertation defense...you can always retake the bar (and I think the boards as well?) yearly, as many times as you need to, whereas a failed defense can put you all the way back to day 1 with a dissertation, and I guarantee you, if you fail to defend your dissertation more than once or twice, you're probably not going to have the confidence to show your face and try again, not to mention loss of whatever funding you may have! FWIT, I'm jealous you'll actually be able to get a job when you're done with your MA...for me, it's PhD or waiting tables at Denny's!

[WoodrowFan]

40. indeed

I had to defend my MA thesis. For my doctorate I had to defend my dissertation plus take 5 exams, one oral on all four of my specializations in history that lasted 2 hours, plus four written exams that took 4-8 hours each, once for each area. The exams were not just basic "what happened" questions ("explain World War I") but had to be bibliographic essays explaining not only what happened but how historians' interpretation of the event(s) have evolved over the years. My bibliography for just my exam on US Diplomatic History has well over 1,200 books and articles on it and I had to have at least a basic familiarity with every one of them.

PLUS, we don't get multiple "do overs" like they do on bar exams. You were allowed to retake one of them, but that was it. After that if you flunk one, you're out, period. And "flunk" was defined as anything less than an A.

[drhilarius]

5. A doctorate. Doctor of Jurisprudence. nt

[imenja]

6. Is that the three year law degree?

Don't the law school professor's have a higher degree--the equivalent of a PhD in the arts and sciences? Just curious.

[drhilarius]

8. Yes, the J.S.D or S.J.D, but I was being literal. nt.

[FuzzySlippers]

18. Actually, the degree one takes for an additional year of work

is called the LL.M, Master of Laws.

[Swamp Rat]

9. Yes

A JD is not as advanced as a Ph.D.

[FuzzySlippers]

14. Actually, most law professors just have the J.D.

[depakid]

32. Law profs still have JD's- not necessarily LLM's or JSD's

It used to be that LLM's were typically only granted for a few very specialized fields of study- like taxation.

Nowadays, LLM's are granted for a wider range of specialty subjects.

JSD type degrees (Juris Science Doctor) are fairly new and are basically for research, writing and public policy. Students today who want to teach law would probably want to go down this path- although I'd hazard a guess that most of the older faculty members don't have one and won't bother.

[usregimechange]

11. Same as a BA or BS... nt

[FuzzySlippers]

13. Well of course it's not the same as a B.A. or B.S.

It's three years beyond that.

[Swamp Rat]

7. Your population sample may be tainted by freeps, thus bringing down

the average... sorry, I am boning up for an advanced statistics course. :D

Some of us have multiple graduate degrees too. ;)

[magellan]

10. Sorry to "bring down the average"

...but some of us really didn't go to college.

I never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Mark Twain

[usregimechange]

12. Yes, can get a cheaper one at the public library but...

I really do reccomend the college experience.

[magellan]

16. Thanks

I'll take your "reccomendation" (sic) under advisement.

[imenja]

17. but college isn't a requirement to be an educated person

I've known a few people without college degrees who are very well read. I've also known a few people with PhDs who don't seem bright at all.
Education has great value, but much of it today is about job training rather than a liberal education.

[ever_green]

27. good point!

I have a B.S. I agree though that one can educate oneself adequately on their own. Schools can condition people. We aren't taught to think critically.

[imenja]

29. Some of us teach critical thinking

Or at least try to teach it.

[Liberaltarian]

60. i dropped out of college-

when it became apparent that it was more about "making grades" than any actual "higher learning". i've never been big on game-playing and workplace politics, and never had any desire to join the corporate 'rat race'...so i went into the building trades instead, and found it an INFINITELY more satisfying way to go.

[Swamp Rat]

15. You're a better man than I Gunga Din!

A collage education doesn't make one smart, but it can help if you start out a little slower than others, like me. :)

[magellan]

22. Well it sounds like you've got the pedal to the metal now

Although I should point out I'm not a man, Gunga Din. ;)

Advanced statistics? Are you one of the DUers who's been number-crunching the election results? Either way, my hat's off to you. Numbers and I share a lifelong mutual hatred. (And yet somehow, even without higher education, I find myself in the unlikely position of being a computer guru and database wizard. Go figure.)

[Swamp Rat]

23. Actually, I'm more like you.

though I'm a worthless computer guru since I use a Mac - not too hard to figure out. I was never really good at math because I hated it, but I was very good at writing fugues (polyphonic music like J.S. Bach, et al).

No election number-crunching, but I'm interested in Malthus and population growth. I'm more into qualitative methodology than the quantitative stuff.

PS. UNIX rules! :D

[magellan]

67. No way, VM rules!!

Too funny, I haven't heard a VM/UNIX/MVS debate since the early 90s. Mind you I was only a secretary in a systems department, but I learned enough to bring the online systems down. Once. Unintentionally. lol

We do seem alike re math. I'm artistic too and have a knack for abstract logic problems. That and the trusty sledgehammer get me by. I'd be using a Mac except I don't know what I'd do without an OS to repair and/or reinstall at least once a year.

Of course, with our liberal roots, we really should both be using LINUX!

[0rganism]

21. "Learning" is something you do yourself, "Education" is done to you

At least, that's how I interpret the difference. Fortunately for about 70% of DU, the two are not mutually exclusive.

[Swamp Rat]

24. HAHA! You won't find Boolean logic at Freeperville!

Tho sum may have collage degries. :D

[Xipe Totec]

49. De Morgan Rules! n/t

[depakid]

35. That's hilarious

and that's exactly how it is!

In law school or med school- they brand you. That way of thinking is burned into your brain- and you are forever changed! :o

Once a lawyer always a lawyer, they say- and I'm here to tell ya- it's true.

From what I can tell- the same thing holds true with engineers... although not necessarily in a positive way... :evilgrin:

[eleonora]

19. I'm graduating with a BA and it's been challenging

I was a Freshman ten years ago and then dropped out. Just recently got back and finishing this December. FINALLY!!! I'll be the first in my family with a college degree. It may not be much (as it is fairly common) but to me it was a great challenge.

I wan to pursue a master in a few years -crosses fingers-

[imenja]

20. Congratulations!

It is a great accomplishment of which you should rightly be very proud.

[Swamp Rat]

25. Yaay!

:toast:

[American Tragedy]

30. Still working on my political psychology B.A.

I'm taking longer than usual due to personal/family problems and just getting occupied with other things, but dammit I will finish this.

Also, I would like to note that attending college does not necessarily constitute an education.

My mom and my grandparents never went to college, but are articulate and conscious of the world around them, devouring multiple newspapers every day. They are all exceptionally well-read, and excellent writers and artists, as vividly demonstrated in their shelves of diverse literature and portfolios loaded with paintings and manuscripts. Indeed, my intellectual role models as a child did not have a single degree between them.

[Razorback_Democrat]

53. Political Psychology sounds very interesting

is that a program at George Washington?

I've thought about trying to get my PhD in something like that but I really don't want the PhD in Psychology and Political Science, but a program of political psychology.

[McKenzie]

31. erk...edukayshun!

noticed some comments about self-education and I couldn't agree more. I know a lot of people who have tertiary level quals (probably what you people would call college education) who are clever but not intelligent. Equally, I know many people who never progressed beyond secondary education but they have intelligence born out of innate wisdom and understanding. How do I articulate this properly? hmmm...clever people are good at mechanistic learn-regurgitate thingies...intelligent people have analytical/cognitive/lateral capacity that doesn't necessarily need two degrees and a masters to prove it. That's probably a poor way to put it.

And no, I'm not knocking edukayshun...I have a BSc Hons, two postgrad dips and I'm a member of two UK institutions, one of which is incorporated by royal charter.

EDIT: wurd left outt

[Xipe Totec]

50. Read Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

I think that's what you are describing.


Componential (puzzle solving),
Experiential (creative),
Contextual (street smarts).

A brief summary appeared on Psychology Today, August 1986.

College preferentially selects people with componential intelligence, but graduate school requires Experiential intelligence. This creates a problem because many people who would do great in graduate school get weeded out in college.

But, to be really successful in life, what you need is contextual intelligence which has nothing to do with the other two.

[McKenzie]

68. now that is damned interesting

I'm going to find out more about these concepts coz they interest me a lot.

Thanks for the leads - they'll put flesh on the bones of my basic ideas - appreciated.

[ulysses]

34. bachelors

I'll start my master's in special ed in a year or so.

[Menshevik]

38. working on an MSc right now

[Killarney]

41. Masters here.

[Danmel]

42. Not nearly enough

I have a graduate degree, but one can never be too educated.

[Dzimbowicz]

43. Ph.D. in History

[sir_captain]

45. Excellent!

I did my BA in History, and I'm working towards my MD now, but it's still a fantasy of mine to go back for a MA or PhD in History at some point... I'm jealous!

[Dzimbowicz]

59. However, with an MD

you will be gamefully employed in your chosen profession.

[WoodrowFan]

46. what's your speciality?? (NT)

[Dzimbowicz]

52. Europe 1789 - present

In summary: how political, economic, society (i.e. national identity) and military conflict are all interrelated.

My dissertation was on the Polish underground resistance movement during Nazi occupation.

[Historic NY]

44. MPA............

Public Administration & Human Resource Management

[ProfessorGAC]

47. Multiple Masters

Three of them.
The Professor

[liberalgenes]

48. Ph.D. in clinical psychology

[SheepyMcSheepster]

51. never finished college but got some IT certifications.

[Razorback_Democrat]

54. MSW here- n/t

[SmartBomb]

55. High School Drop Out

Luckily, a hungry mind never stops eating.

[mike_c]

57. you're absolutely right....

I never finished high school either. Now I have a PhD. It still tickles me to write "none" on the occasional form that asks where I got my high school diploma.

[Guarionex]

58. Masters' Degree - Doctoral Candidate

I got a Master's In PolSci...doing a doctorate in the field.

[Hamlette]

61. kick n/t

[lawladyprof]

62. J.D. + masters + doctorate--eom

[usregimechange]

65. Masters in Social Work in 5 more months! Can't wait! nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

66. Congrats!

-----------------------------------
Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/

[ernstbass]

69. Good for you

from one MSW to an "almost MSW". Social Work is a great field - I work in a psych hospital - both inpt and outpts.

[vet_against_Bush]

71. I am a bit afraid of the "real world" in the field. Welcome to DU!

:toast: