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Do you really need a master's degree?

By Zhao Yanrong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-11 10:04

It's December again. In addition to the excitement about counting down to the holidays and parties, this month is also about long study hours for thousands of senior college students in China.

According to the Ministry of Education, the number of postgraduate applications has risen again this year. The ministry has even expanded the enrollment dates to allow for the additional applicants. However, I do not see the point of enrolling in postgraduate study straight after college.

Postgraduate programs are focused on specific fields and focused on advanced research and study. They also require practical knowledge you can only gain from the workplace. If your goal is to gain more skills, you should try harder to find a job. Employers want experience, not more qualifications. Otherwise, postgraduate study straight is a waste of time and money.

Job applicants with a master's degree often find that their competitors hold similar qualifications.

Ten years ago, graduates with bachelor degrees had no problem finding employment, but authorities increased the number of university places in 1999 and now there are millions of graduates without work.

It appears, postgraduate education will shadow this history of undergraduate education.

Meanwhile, the human resources staff faced with the choice between two applicants with masters degrees will usually choose the graduate from the more prestigious undergraduate school.

Friends working in HR departments said that they receive hundreds of resumes from job hunters with a master's degree every day. A bachelor's degree from a well-known university is more helpful than a master's degree sometimes, they said.

But the most common factor is that many graduates cannot find a job because the employees are looking for experience.

If you don't have working experience when you graduate, you will have the same problem even though you go on to earn a master's degree immediately.

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