Should I Do My Undergrad Again
If you lot've previously completed a degree and are considering going back to schoolhouse, you have many educational options available to yous. Pursuing an additional college degree is an important option that tin help you commence on a new career path or broaden your skills and knowledge.
As yous're considering going back for a second degree, or even a third degree, you may exist wondering if you should cull a bachelor'southward or master's degree programme. Let's explore the potential prerequisites and requirements every bit well as the financial assist options available to yous equally you weigh the pros and cons of each type of program.
Second Available's Degree vs. Master's Degree: Choosing the Right Path
Before deciding on getting a 2d available'southward degree, speak with an academic counselor. They are in the best position to advise yous on your choices. You demand to hash out your career goals with an bookish counselor to receive communication on the bookish and professional implications of each of your options.
When because going dorsum for a 2nd degree, it's probable that your kickoff priority would be to choose an educational option that enables you to gain an additional qualification that has the biggest potential affect on your future career prospects. This is where the academic implications of your options may come into play, with transferring credits from your first caste enabling you to reduce the time it takes to get your 2d caste.
Earning a second bachelor'southward degree can be a great pick for students looking to go back to school to expand their noesis and skill set. However, earning your outset master's degree may be a valuable alternative.
Situations Where a 2nd Bachelor's Degree May Be the Right Choice
Although each individual'due south case is different, getting a second bachelor's degree may be a skillful option for those looking to pursue further post-secondary didactics. Consider the post-obit case situations:
- Y'all're unhappy in the career that you've chosen and want to motility into a completely different field. Pursuing a second bachelor's caste can give you expertise in a new area and help yous qualify for positions with specific undergraduate degree requirements.
- Y'all want to progress in your current manufacture and increase your prospects for career advancement. A second bachelor'southward degree that complements your get-go degree may make more sense than a narrower chief's program if yous are looking to augment your didactics.
Accept you lot been thinking about making the switch to a job that's more fulfilling? Cheque out the programs that are available to yous, and come across how they can help y'all find your new career path.
When a Chief's Caste May Be the Right Choice for You
You've learned why a second bachelor's degree may do good your career advancement. Now, let'southward talk about why you may choose to pursue a master's degree instead.
- You work in a field that demands specialization. In a field like nursing or information science, you may find that to progress in your career, you need specific, specialized skills. Master's degree programs assistance yous to focus on a specific specialization in your called industry.
- You want to enter a leadership position. Earning a master'south caste can help you develop the leadership and management skills required to move into a senior-level position.
Going Back for a Second Bachelor'south Caste
Have you been thinking about making the switch to a job that'southward more fulfilling? A diverseness of bachelor's degree programs are bachelor to aid y'all detect your new career path.
Receiving Financial Aid for a Second Bachelor's Caste
Although the fiscal aid options available to students pursuing a 2d bachelor's caste are more than limited, there is still opportunity for you to utilize for assistance.
Federal Aid
Under the Stafford loan program, you may employ for a student loan for a second bachelor'due south degree. The lifetime loan limit, nevertheless, for undergraduate studies is capped at $57,500 for independent students and $31,000 for dependent students, so exist sure to check how much of this loan limit you may take spent on your get-go bachelor's degree. Federal work-study programs may also be available. Students need to fill out the Gratis Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to employ for funds towards a second degree.
By law, whatsoever federal grant cannot be applied toward a second bachelor's degree. Unfortunately, this makes you ineligible for the Pell Grant, the Cal Grant, and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).
Individual Aid
If the available funds under the federal student loan program are insufficient to pursue your second bachelor's education, you are all the same eligible to use for private scholarships. Some employers may too offer tuition assistance programs, and there may exist individual loan or grant options.
Going Back for a Second Master's Caste
If y'all're thinking about advancing your career or potentially earning a higher bacon, and you've already earned a graduate degree, going back for a second main'south degree might be the right decision for you. Research from Inside Higher Education has shown that individuals with a main'south degree earn around $xx,000 more than per yr than those with only a bachelor'south degree. A 2nd master's could make y'all all the more valuable to employers.
Receiving Fiscal Help for a Master's Caste
Students have a diverseness of financial aid options to help them when they're going back for a 2nd primary's degree. Some include:
Government Aid
Graduate students pursuing a second master'southward caste can apply for federal loans by filling out the FAFSA. The borrowing limit for graduate students is upward to $twenty,500 a year in Stafford loans with a lifetime cap of $138,500.
Federal and state grants, equally well as government-funded piece of work-study programs, are typically offered based on a student'south fiscal need. Students tin can qualify for these grants and programs by filing the FAFSA. For work-study programs, many academy departments have specific jobs for graduate students: They can piece of work as pedagogy associates and teach undergraduate classes in their departments, or they tin work every bit research assistants and help professors in the department conduct studies.
Some universities offer fellowships to students based on bookish accomplishments or research studies; these fellowships are often funded through government allocations but may also be backed by individual organizations. Graduate students practice not have to repay the coin that is given to them in the form of grants or fellowships.
Private Assist
If a graduate pupil still can't comprehend the toll of tuition afterward receiving federal aid, they can utilise for individual assistance, including scholarships from companies and organizations.
For graduate school, private organizations and universities often provide students with grants and fellowships.
Getting a Second Degree: Prerequisites and Credits
Degree programs at universities across the U.S. take unlike prerequisites and credit transfer policies. You can hash out these details with an counselor at your higher or university of choice. All the same, the following points on prerequisites are typically universal:
- You lot demand a bachelor'southward caste from an accredited academy to exist eligible for a principal'due south program. Some departments crave you to have a caste in a related field, while others may be more flexible.
- Some programs, such equally those in nursing, desire you to have a few years of experience in the field earlier you lot earn your master's degree.
- Many institutions may crave applicants to have the GRE and submit test scores with their applications.
Each establishment has unlike policies on what credits tin can be transferred, and these policies may vary for full general education credits vs. degree-specific courses. The following points regarding the transfer of credits are relevant for many institutions:
- Transferring credits within the same state educational system can be fairly simple.
- Many institutions impose a limit on the amount of fourth dimension that has elapsed betwixt the completion of the first degree and enrollment for the 2nd for credit transfer eligibility.
- Some schools take formal interstate articulation agreements that enable the transfer of credits.
Explore Your Options, and Get Back for a Second Caste
The idea of going back for a second degree, or a third degree, frequently prompts much discussion. Information technology ultimately depends on your personal circumstances and the field of study y'all want to pursue for your adjacent degree.
The undeniable fact is that, if you make the right option, an additional degree can have a huge impact on your career prospects. Are you ready to go dorsum to school for a bachelor's, chief'south, or doctorate degree? Or are you set to explore your other options via an online certificate program? Consider talking with an advisor at Maryville University today.
Recommended Reading
Know Your Worth: How to Negotiate — or Renegotiate — Your Salary
How to Make a Career Comeback
Moving Forward in Your Career Takes Focus, Determination, and Education
Sources
Federal Student Aid, Graduate School Preparation Checklist
Inside Higher Education, "Earnings Gains from Master's Degrees"
Investopedia, "A Double Undergrad Can Cost Yous Your MBA"
U.S. News & Earth Report, "Graduate School Stafford Loan FAQS"
Source: https://online.maryville.edu/blog/going-back-to-school-second-bachelors-degree/
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