Here is the situation: I am a month in to my AWESOME new job (I love it here) and as part of my hire package, they are willing to pay for me to get my Masters. They will also sponsor my thesis that must be done as part of the Masters. Good stuff! They had asked for me to enroll for the January 2012 start date, but when I called to change my current enrollment start date from this September to the January class, I was told they were no longer offering the January class. I talked to my boss about this yesterday, and he said if it were him, he’d go for this fall.
I am flexible entry, meaning I don’t have an undergrad degree, but do have enough other education and work experience to possibly qualify. I really need to blow them away with what I submit.
So, I have six weeks to put together a Letter of Intent, a CV and decide on my thesis. I have never done any of these. It is suggested that my Letter of Intent include my thesis topic, but I don’t know how to decide, or even write this letter.
Can anyone provide me with information, advice, links on these types of documents? I’m starting to panic!
I’m a little confused by the fact that you’re doing this without an undergrad degree. I don’t know any schools that accept grad students before their final semester of undergrad, and those acceptances are contingent on completion of the Bachelor’s degree. From your description, I’d wonder if you’re being sent to a diploma mill rather than an actual graduate school. Check the school’s accreditation - it should be accredited by one of the six US regional organizations and not by a national one or by the Department of Education.
If it’s a nationally accredited school, you have to consider what you want out of the Master’s degree. If you’re just looking for a check in the box marked “graduate degree” on internal paperwork at your current company, it’s probably fine. If your company wants to claim that their personnel all have graduate degrees and is footing the bill, this will work (although I’d be a little leery of anything else the company told me in that situation). If you want to use it for anything outside this company, though, I’d think twice - credits probably won’t transfer from this school to other ones, the degree likely won’t be accepted by professional organizations or any licensing bodies as an academic credential, and reputable schools will be reluctant to accept your degree if you want to continue your education.
If you check out the school and are satisfied with the situation, you might get better-focused advice if you let us know what field you’re planning to enroll in. The process of earning an MS in the sciences is going to be very different from earning an MA in literature.
It’s an accredited University that caters to professionals, not a ‘diploma mill’: Royal Roads University in Victoria, B.C. I know many, many people that go here for their MBA’s and other programs.
I spoke with an advisor in January after I had originally decided to register for the B.Sc. in Environmental Management. She asked for my work history and education and this is what she replied:
And from there I chose to enroll in the MA in Environment and Management program.
Advice: Start with the c.v. A c.v. is a lot more detailed than a résumé, but still probably something you can base on what you already have. Once you’ve got that, your letter should flow from it. The letter is to introduce you and your goals, illustrated with highlights from the c.v. that show why you would be successful.
A master’s is a multilayered two-year project (more or less) with a steep learning curve. They will want to see evidence that you can accomplish something like that without outside motivators (like a manager or a salary) or threats (loss of job).