# Survey for people with a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069 "2015-11-09T03:04:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/21 "2015-11-09T12:11:52Z")
BA 22 MA 31 Why the gap? I made a career change into a field that would require a Masters to advance, and was at an opportune point in my life to do it. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/22 "2015-11-09T12:29:11Z")
BA at 21, MS at 23. (Political Science and Mathematics (statistics concentration), respectively.) ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/23 "2015-11-09T12:40:29Z")
BSME - 22 At 26 Got “downsized” by an arrogant preppie BMW-polishing “manager” 1 year older than I and came up with a plan to go back to school part time. MSBME - 29 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/24 "2015-11-09T13:15:40Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > For those with many years between undergraduate and graduate, why? I was earning a living (not a great one, but it paid the bills, mostly) after college. Then I decided to do something different with my life which required going back to school. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/25 "2015-11-09T13:55:04Z")
BS - 21 years 9 months MS - 23 years 9 months ---
**Author:** ![2ManyTacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/3da27b/32.png) [@2ManyTacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ManyTacos)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/26 "2015-11-09T13:58:27Z")
I can’t give exact dates because it’s still a work-in-progress, but the current trajectory is likely enough to pan out the following way: BA - 25; I was out of school for two years between high school & starting junior college, beginning at the former school when I was 20. Was there for three years before transferring to a CSU - which is where I am now - and that’s taking ~2.5 years to do. Will graduate next December, hopefully. MA - 28; if I go right away - which is the plan - I won’t begin the MA program until I’m 26, since all the programs I’m interested in only begin in the Fall semesters & I won’t even finish undergrad until next Winter. Consequently, there will be a ~6 month gap between end of undergrad and the start of my MA program, which’ll take about two years to do. PhD - 31; 3 years post MA. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/27 "2015-11-09T13:59:45Z")
B.Mus. (we don’t generally say B.M. for, uh, reasons): 22 years 9 months M.M. (that one’s not so much of a problem): 26 years 9 months Two year gap when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/28 "2015-11-09T14:04:22Z")
BA: 29 years MA: 32 years ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/29 "2015-11-09T14:07:17Z")
B.A. - 21 years, 6 months I started the M.A. the following semester, but didn’t finish it then. Got married. Moved out of town. Came back. Got a divorce. New bf urged me to finish, so I did at 27 years, 6 months. ETA: I’m curious as to the purpose of the question. What conclusions does the OP hope to draw? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/30 "2015-11-09T14:29:13Z")
21 and 24. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/31 "2015-11-09T14:40:54Z")
B.S. at 30, M.S. at 32. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/32 "2015-11-09T15:30:49Z")
BA and BS: 22 years 10 months MA: 23 years 10 months ---
**Author:** ![tsarina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@tsarina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsarina)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/33 "2015-11-09T15:38:43Z")
BS at 21 years, 1 month; MSPH at 24 years, 8 months. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/34 "2015-11-09T15:51:09Z")
BA at 21, MBA at 45. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/35 "2015-11-09T15:53:06Z")
BA: 21 years, 6 months MBA: 30 years, 6 months ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/36 "2015-11-09T15:55:09Z")
BA-LLB, 22 years 7 months. Bar-at-Law 23 years 10 months. Master of Laws: 27 years 3 months. Did the Bar Course right after LLB (in England this is a Graduate level year long academic and vocational course). The Masters was a research one done several years after I had already started practicing. I was practicing throughout the LLM. In a different country. Fun times. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/37 "2015-11-09T16:00:36Z")
BA: 24yrs, 6mos. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/38 "2015-11-09T16:04:09Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > BA-LLB, 22 years 7 months. > > Bar-at-Law 23 years 10 months. > > Master of Laws: 27 years 3 months. > > Did the Bar Course right after LLB (in England this is a Graduate level year long academic and vocational course). > > The Masters was a research one done several years after I had already started practicing. > > I was practicing throughout the LLM. In a different country. Fun times. Now that I think of it. \*My Dad did his masters, while a serving Army Officer - My mother did hers while a College Tutor, and pregnant, she gave her final while expecting me, a fact she has never let me forget. - My sister was also working throughout her LLM. - My maternal GrandDad. His Masters was his work on the British contribution to the Manhattan Project. My family is crazy.😃 ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/39 "2015-11-09T16:27:35Z")
BA: 20 years 0 months MBHR: 40 years 6 months ---
**Author:** ![KaleMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@KaleMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KaleMan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/40 "2015-11-09T16:33:31Z")
BA degree at 23. No Masters degree 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069.md?page=3)