Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Suspicious of someone's qualifications.

85 replies

YNK · 13/06/2024 18:16

A family member (not local to me) claims to have completed a masters in politics and economics (and later abandoned a PhD).
I did attend his degree ceremony many years ago.

He makes passive aggressive jokes and refuses to seriously engage in any meaningful way whenever a conversation touches on the subject.

I recently asked for some information only to be told "we didn't do the cold war".

Is it even possible to achieve a masters degree in this subject without covering the cold war?
I'm really trying to get my head around this and it's really bothering me.

This has really bugged me but I'm worried I'm I being a bitch for smelling a rat?

OP posts:
ShowerOfShites · 13/06/2024 18:29

He's probably got you sussed, that's why he doesn't want to engage.

It's really none of your business.

PeterPedant · 13/06/2024 18:29

The abandoned PhD may well be a sore point.

PhDs can be pretty traumatic even if you complete them.

TigerOnTour · 13/06/2024 18:28

The past is vast.

What did you actually ask him? Was it something really specific?

PeterPedant · 13/06/2024 18:28

Is it even possible to achieve a masters degree in this subject without covering the cold war?

Yes. Masters' degrees are usually pretty narrow in focus. You could look it up on the web site of the university, but the cold war doesn't sound like a politics & economics topic; more political history or a specialist module in an international affairs programme.

GasPanic · 13/06/2024 18:27

I mean politics and economics as subjects are huge.

You will normally get taught the basic theories and orthodoxy at degree level.

And then maybe a couple of case studies in detail.

For a PhD your research subject will be very narrow.

When I did history at school I did the Russian Revolution and the Atom Bomb.

I wouldn't be too pleased at someone going around claiming I didn't have a history qualification because I didn't do WW1 or the french Revolution.

I think you should probably get over your scepticism, and probably get the message that the reason he doesn't want to talk about it is because it was a long time ago and he has either lost interest or can't remember anything about it.

The abandoned PhD may well be a sore point.

Invisimamma · 13/06/2024 18:23

Of course it is, I have a MA in history and politics and my courses didn't specifically cover the cold war. Obviously I am aware of it in general, and broadly what happened but I did not cover it in any detail during my 4 year degree.
During my degree I could choose from lots of different periods of history and the cold war wasn't featured in any that I chose.

Octavia64 · 13/06/2024 18:22

Of course!

At each level you specialise more.

A degree in economics and or politics will be mostly about theories with some case studies, some history and a lot of maths.

The masters will then focus in on a particular area - eg economic development, political history, whatever

MissMoneyFairy · 13/06/2024 18:22

He got a degree that you attended, why do you keep on at him about it.

Spirallingdownwards · 13/06/2024 18:20

Yes if course it is possible. Masters usually cover specialist areas often selected by the person undertaking the masters.

MiriamMay · 13/06/2024 18:19

Why does it matter?