Can I Do a Bachelors Again if I Have a Doctorate

If you lot've previously completed a caste and are considering going back to school, you take many educational options available to you lot. Pursuing an additional college degree is an important choice that tin aid you embark on a new career path or broaden your skills and noesis.

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As you're considering going back for a 2nd degree, or even a third degree, you may be wondering if you should cull a bachelor'south or master's degree programme. Let's explore the potential prerequisites and requirements also as the financial aid options available to you as you weigh the pros and cons of each blazon of program.

Second Available'southward Caste vs. Main'southward Degree: Choosing the Right Path

Earlier deciding on getting a second available'southward degree, speak with an academic counselor. They are in the best position to suggest you on your choices. You need to discuss your career goals with an academic counselor to receive advice on the academic and professional implications of each of your options.

When because going dorsum for a 2d degree, it's likely that your kickoff priority would be to choose an educational option that enables you to gain an additional qualification that has the biggest potential impact on your future career prospects. This is where the bookish implications of your options may come into play, with transferring credits from your offset degree enabling you lot to reduce the time information technology takes to get your second caste.

Earning a second bachelor's caste tin can be a great choice for students looking to go dorsum to schoolhouse to aggrandize their knowledge and skill set. Yet, earning your commencement master's caste may be a valuable alternative.

Situations Where a Second Available's Degree May Exist the Right Pick

Although each individual'due south case is different, getting a second available's degree may be a good option for those looking to pursue further post-secondary education. Consider the following example situations:

You're unhappy in the career that you lot've chosen and want to move into a completely different field. Pursuing a second bachelor'south degree can give you expertise in a new area and help you authorize for positions with specific undergraduate degree requirements.
You lot want to progress in your electric current manufacture and increase your prospects for career advancement. A second bachelor's degree that complements your first degree may make more sense than a narrower primary's plan if you lot are looking to augment your education.

Accept you been thinking nigh making the switch to a job that's more fulfilling? Cheque out the programs that are bachelor to y'all, and meet how they can help you discover your new career path.

When a Master'south Caste May Be the Right Option for You

You lot've learned why a second bachelor'due south caste may benefit your career advancement. At present, permit'southward talk almost why you lot may cull to pursue a primary's degree instead.

Yous work in a field that demands specialization. In a field like nursing or computer science, you may discover that to progress in your career, you demand specific, specialized skills. Master'southward degree programs help yous to focus on a specific specialization in your chosen industry.
You desire to enter a leadership position. Earning a primary's caste tin can aid yous develop the leadership and management skills required to move into a senior-level position.

Going Dorsum for a 2d Available'due south Degree

Have you been thinking about making the switch to a task that's more than fulfilling? A variety of available's degree programs are available to help you detect your new career path.

Receiving Financial Aid for a Second Bachelor'south Caste

Although the fiscal aid options available to students pursuing a second bachelor's degree are more limited, there is nonetheless opportunity for you to employ for assistance.

Federal Assist

Under the Stafford loan program, y'all may employ for a student loan for a second bachelor's degree. The lifetime loan limit, however, for undergraduate studies is capped at $57,500 for contained students and $31,000 for dependent students, so be certain to check how much of this loan limit you lot may have spent on your start available'south degree. Federal work-study programs may also be available. Students need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) to apply for funds towards a second degree.

By law, any federal grant cannot exist applied toward a second bachelor's caste. Unfortunately, this makes yous 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 educatee loan program are insufficient to pursue your second bachelor's education, you are notwithstanding eligible to use for private scholarships. Some employers may too offering tuition aid programs, and there may exist private loan or grant options.

Going Back for a 2d Master'due south Degree

If you're thinking about advancing your career or potentially earning a higher salary, and you've already earned a graduate caste, going back for a second master'due south caste might be the right decision for yous. Research from Inside Higher Education has shown that individuals with a main's degree earn around $twenty,000 more per yr than those with only a available's degree. A second master'south could brand yous all the more than valuable to employers.

Receiving Financial Aid for a Master's Degree

Students have a variety of fiscal help options to assist them when they're going back for a second master's degree. Some include:

Government Aid

Graduate students pursuing a second master'due south caste can apply for federal loans by filling out the FAFSA. The borrowing limit for graduate students is up to $20,500 a year in Stafford loans with a lifetime cap of $138,500.

Federal and state grants, too every bit government-funded work-study programs, are typically offered based on a student's financial need. Students tin can qualify for these grants and programs past filing the FAFSA. For work-written report programs, many university departments take specific jobs for graduate students: They can piece of work as teaching associates and teach undergraduate classes in their departments, or they tin can piece of work as research assistants and help professors in the department deport studies.

Some universities offer fellowships to students based on academic accomplishments or research studies; these fellowships are oft funded through regime allocations but may also be backed by individual organizations. Graduate students exercise not have to repay the money that is given to them in the grade of grants or fellowships.

Private Aid

If a graduate educatee still can't cover the cost of tuition after receiving federal aid, they can utilise for private assistance, including scholarships from companies and organizations.

For graduate schoolhouse, private organizations and universities oft provide students with grants and fellowships.

Getting a Second Degree: Prerequisites and Credits

Degree programs at universities beyond the U.Southward. accept different prerequisites and credit transfer policies. Y'all can talk over these details with an advisor at your college or university of choice. However, the following points on prerequisites are typically universal:

You need a bachelor'southward degree from an accredited university to exist eligible for a chief's programme. Some departments require you to take a degree in a related field, while others may be more flexible.
Some programs, such every bit those in nursing, want you to have a few years of experience in the field before you earn your master's degree.
Many institutions may require applicants to have the GRE and submit test scores with their applications.

Each establishment has dissimilar policies on what credits tin be transferred, and these policies may vary for full general educational activity credits vs. degree-specific courses. The following points regarding the transfer of credits are relevant for many institutions:

Transferring credits within the same country educational arrangement tin can be fairly elementary.
Many institutions impose a limit on the corporeality of time that has elapsed between the completion of the offset caste and enrollment for the 2d for credit transfer eligibility.
Some schools have formal interstate joint agreements that enable the transfer of credits.

Explore Your Options, and Go Dorsum for a 2nd Degree

The idea of going back for a second caste, or a tertiary degree, often prompts much discussion. It ultimately depends on your personal circumstances and the field of study you lot want to pursue for your side by side degree.

The undeniable fact is that, if you brand the right choice, an additional degree tin have a huge impact on your career prospects. Are you lot prepare to get back to school for a bachelor's, main'due south, or doctorate degree? Or are you ready 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 Improvement

Moving Frontwards in Your Career Takes Focus, Determination, and Teaching

Sources

Federal Student Aid, Graduate School Preparation Checklist

Inside Higher Pedagogy, "Earnings Gains from Chief's Degrees"

Investopedia, "A Double Undergrad Can Cost You Your MBA"

U.Due south. News & Globe Study, "Graduate Schoolhouse Stafford Loan FAQS"

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Source: https://online.maryville.edu/blog/going-back-to-school-second-bachelors-degree/