I would like to add a comment to M. Grober's comments on the merits of
completing a Masters degree before undertaking a Ph.D.

> If you want an academic position, you
> are much better off going straight from your Bachelors into a PhD program.
> Most 'major' PhD granting institutions treat master's students like second
> class citizens or use the degree to terminate PhD students who don't 'work
> out'.  The only situation where I think the MS is critical, is for a
> student who (by virtue of a spotty academic record) can't gain access to a
> top lab/program.  In this case I would recommend going to a non-PhD
> granting school (e.g., any school in the Cal. State school - not to be
> confused with the UC system) to get a masters that will be a stepping stone
> to a top position.

While this may be the case at US universities, in Canada, many (and
perhaps, most) students complete Masters degrees before they enrol in a
PhD program, regardless of their academic record. Masters degrees are seen
to have value and often result in a number of publications. In some cases,
work completed during a Masters degree is mistaken for Doctoral quality
work by those who assume that Masters students are students who didn't
'work out' or couldn't get into 'a top lab/program'.

Just sign me 'a Canadian who wanted to set the record straight'

Tamara Grand


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Tamara C. Grand

Behavioural Ecology Research Group
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C.   Canada
E-mail: [log in to unmask]