# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/41 "2015-11-09T17:01:36Z")
The gap between undergrad and grad school was me getting the experience necessary to move into management and then realizing I didn’t know anything about how to run a business just how to engineer so I went and fixed that deficiency. Of course I enjoyed my mba so much I’m working on talking my wife into letting me get my PhD in resource economics but she says that two jobs and aI new baby are already enough ito can’t add in school. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/42 "2015-11-09T17:12:56Z")
😕B.a - 22 ll.b. - 25 ll.b. - 26 ll.m. - 27 ETA: No matter how many times I’ve capitalised the degrees, they get posted in lower case? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/43 "2015-11-09T17:29:33Z")
BSc: 22 MSc: 32 ---
**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, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/44 "2015-11-09T17:30:43Z")
The 20 year gap between my BA and my MBHR was because hubby worked for an international company that kept shuffling us around to various countries every 2 years, making it really tough to start up a Master’s program in the pre-internet days. As soon as we rotated back Stateside for good, I enrolled. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/45 "2015-11-09T17:31:15Z")
BA – 22, exactly. MA – 24, exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/46 "2015-11-09T17:39:13Z")
BA, 23 and 2 months MA, 25 and 10 months MLS, 27 and 10 months ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/47 "2015-11-09T17:49:40Z")
BS: 22 years 5 months Masters: If everything goes to plan for the next few weeks, it’ll be the day after my 38th birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/48 "2015-11-09T18:15:39Z")
BA: 22yr 11mo MBA: 33yr 0mo ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/49 "2015-11-09T18:22:20Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > For those with less than 3 years between degrees, how come? I had determined that I wanted to work in market research by the end of my freshman year (undergrad). I learned that, to work in the field on the “client side” (as opposed to at a research supplier), a masters’ degree was usually required – and it so happened that the school that I was then attending (University of Wisconsin-Madison) offered a Master of Science specialization in market research (as opposed to an MBA). So, I applied to enter the Masters program during my senior year. I received my Bachelors in May, and began Masters work that September. It took 2 years to complete the program, and I was hired directly out of grad school by a marketer of personal care products. In retrospect, working for a couple of years after my undergrad program would likely have helped me a bit more well-rounded when I entered grad school, but my undergrad degree was in marketing; all of my classmates who were getting Bachelors in marketing were getting entry-level jobs as sales reps, which didn’t appeal to me in the slightest. OTOH, I had a graduate assistantship as a market researcher, and I believe that that experience did help open the door for my interviews. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/50 "2015-11-09T18:49:18Z")
BS - 21 y 7 mo MS - 26 y 1 mo I was in a PhD program when my adviser died on me, and I moved to another school after quickly getting the MS. That is why it took so long PhD - 29y 2 mo - though that was just because I missed the summer window - I was done 4 months before. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/51 "2015-11-09T20:51:55Z")
Due to a quirky alignment of graduation weekend and my birthday (as well as doing a 4 year bach+mast), my diplomas and graduations are dated as follows: S.M. 21 y (364 days) S.B. 22 y (0 days) Changed schools for graduate work: M.A. 22 y 11 m M.Phil. 26 y Ph.D. 27 y So technically I earned my bachelors after my first masters. The M.A. and M.Phil. were just formalities and not real stand-alone degrees as such. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/52 "2015-11-09T21:06:43Z")
BA: I was 22 MBA: 40 ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/53 "2015-11-09T21:50:52Z")
This is an odd question. MA programs vary enormously. Some are intended for mid-career professionals, others for recent grads. So the amount of time between degrees is pretty meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/54 "2015-11-09T22:09:19Z")
BS 23 3 months MBA 28 7 months ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/55 "2015-11-09T22:14:52Z")
College Technical Diploma: 22 years old. Associate of Science: 24 years old. Bachelor of Arts: 29 years old. Master of Science: 40 years old. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/56 "2015-11-09T22:36:45Z")
A.S. - 51 years, 4 months. B.S. - 57 years, 3 months. I was a bit behind the curve. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/57 "2015-11-09T22:40:23Z")
AB: 22 years, almost to the day PhD: 25 years, five months. No master’s, but it would have come at 23 years, five months had I bothered. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/58 "2015-11-09T22:53:24Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#): > > A.S. - 51 years, 4 months. > B.S. - 57 years, 3 months. > > I was a bit behind the curve. Meh, who says you had a time limit. I can think of a heck of a lot more interesting ways for one to spend their 20’s than sitting in class rooms. My field didn’t require anything beyond a HS diploma when I got into it in '82. When they started requiring associate degrees guys like me would have been grandfathered anyway. I only pursued degrees because my employer paid for almost all of it, then gave me an increase in salary for having the degrees. 🆒 Almost all the credits for my Masters came from life experience credit, getting credit from on the job in-service training at other institutions, and testing out on some things. I had to take very little class time stuff for it. If it weren’t for all that I probably wouldn’t have done any of it to tell you the truth. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/59 "2015-11-09T23:42:57Z")
S.B. 22 years 2 mo. S.M 24 years 2 mo. Ph.D. 26 years 9 mo. (or 11 mo. that one was December when I defended or Feb when degree was actually handed out.) ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069/60 "2015-11-10T01:33:07Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > AB: 21y 3m > MS: 22y 4m AB? Did you go to Stanford? AB 22y 11m MBA 34y, 2m [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-for-people-with-a-bachelors-degree-and-a-masters-degree/737069.md?page=4)