MA in the same subject as my BA?? CONFUSION!!

[slipperandpjsmum]

I have just completed a BA in Social work. An opportunity has arisen for me to undertake the MA in Social work with the fees etc paid by employer. However, is there any point in having a BA and MA in the same subject? Wouldn't alot of the work be duplicated? I would like to go on the do the doctorate in social work. Has anyone else done this and which route did you take? I am feeling very confused!!

Don't know anything about social work but...

In general, this would depend on the content of the individual courses. Some MAs are aimed at people who already have the corresponding BA (or equivalent) while otherrs are aimed at people from a vairety of backgrounds. Find out more about the MA and then contact the admissions tutor for the doctorate course to find out what they prefer.

I thought the point of an MA and doctorate was to specialise in one particular area of your subject? Have you chatted to staff from the university departments offering the courses?

A lot of people in my field do MA in exact same subject as BA.

I've always assumed you've got to work your way up the ranks of qualifications. MA designed to be more challenging than BA, must be compeleted before PHD...?

Hi bosch, after a degree people can do an MA or they can go straight on to a PhD. An MA is usually a taught course lasting a year. A PhD involves you mainly in supervised research and usually lasts 3 years.

It used to be possible to do a PhD without a Masters. It is extremely rare now - not totally impossible in theory, but in practice I haven't come across a case of it for well over a decade (am uni lecturer in dept with a v large PhD programme).

But an MA in social work is a bit different from a purely academic MA, as it also provides a professional qualification, and is less geared towards providing the research training you would need if you want to go on to do a PhD. I agree that you need to talk through your options with someone in a relevant academic dept.