Would getting my Masters Degree at the same University as my Bachelors Degree look bad on my resume?

5 Responses to Would getting my Masters Degree at the same University as my Bachelors Degree look bad on my resume?

1. Cochise

   April 5, 2011 at 9:53 pm

   Hi Raven

   It depends. If your Masters, and even more so your doctorate, are in a specialized field, you ought to consider going to where the specialists are in the field who are doing ground-breaking work.

   Going to different places just to show diversity on your resume is not at all beneficial.
2. creativlyclngd

   April 5, 2011 at 9:57 pm

   If you are looking for a career in academia, it helps to have your PHD and bachelors from different universities; unless, of course. your undergrad institution has a top program in your field. But many people have their bachelors and masters degree from the same institution. In fact, 5 year BA/MA programs are growing in popularity.
3. Daniel John

   April 5, 2011 at 10:08 pm

   I think it’s fine. I know people who did it that way, and those like me who earned them at two different universities. There’s no real difference. Academic rigor is academic rigor. Your Thesis and GPA will matter more than which university(ies) you study at.
4. resumellow

   April 5, 2011 at 10:38 pm

   The most important thing is to evaluate the quality of the Master’s program you’re considering. For example, if you’ll be attending Columbia law school, the law degree from Columbia will be impressive enough when you’re presenting the credential on your resume regardless of where your undergraduate degree came from.

   However, if your law degree will come from Po-Dunk University of the Sticks, it won’t be as impressive as the degree from Columbia (unless Po-Dunk U. has a great Law program).

   So, in short, some diversity may be nice, but if your current college has a killer Master’s program, don’t sweat the fact that both your degrees will come from there. No problem at all.
5. Mark

   April 5, 2011 at 11:16 pm

   If it is a reasonably good school then no it won’t look bad. However, the real question is whether or not going to a different school would give you any type of advantage. Here are a couple thoughts.

   1. Going to two schools gives you a greater diversity in your network of professors and students that you know. This might increase your chances of getting a job.

   2. Two schools would show that you made it through the admissions process of two separate institutions so you are probably a safer risk in the job market. In other words it is unlikely that admission both times was a complete fluke. At a single university there is a higher probability that you got in because your uncle is on the board or something.

   3. Every school does things a bit differently. Two schools show that you can successfully handle different environments which demonstrates a certain tolerance for change.

   4. People like to hire people that they feel connected with. Going to two schools increases the chance that the person hiring you will have attended or sent their kids to one of your universities.

   Now none of those things are really deal breakers. As another person commented, a lot depends on the quality of the program. Getting an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a masters degree from University of Phoenix wouldn’t look as good as getting both degrees from Harvard. Getting two degrees from KSU probably isn’t going to hurt. Still, an undergraduate degree from KSU followed up with a masters degree from Yale would probably make you stand out a bit more.

   Those are just some thoughts. A lot will depend on the specific situation. I wouldn’t be too concerned about it if you are happy where you are and your current school has a reasonable reputation.