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Graduate Degrees

Old 05-12-2018, 01:15 PM
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I’m about to finish my undergraduate degree in Business and Management and am looking to start a Master’s program very shortly after and I can’t decide what route to take. I am stuck between choosing a finance degree from somewhere like Webster university or Georgetown online if I can get accepted, or a Master’s in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle. If I can’t get accepted in a good school (My GPA is a 3.6 currently but I am graduating from a small school) for the finance degree would it be better to go to Embry-Riddle since they are a well known school? This is for a backup degree in case I lose my medical or get furloughed by an airline once I leave the Army. I have 5 years left on my ADSO.
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Old 05-12-2018, 02:14 PM
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I think I would go with something outside the aviation field. A downturn in aviation that causes you to get furloughed may also make other aviation related jobs hard to come by.
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Old 05-12-2018, 02:50 PM
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Originally Posted by RckyMtHigh View Post
I think I would go with something outside the aviation field. A downturn in aviation that causes you to get furloughed may also make other aviation related jobs hard to come by.
That’s pretty much what I thought, I was just asking around as a sanity check before I pulled the trigger.
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Old 05-12-2018, 08:15 PM
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I’m also curious, would airlines look more favorably at an aviation related masters degree like the one offered at Embry Riddle or is a Finace degree good enough to check the masters degree box.

I’m asking because Embry Riddle has these random master degrees on human factors and leadership. Human factors and Leadership seem like key words on a resume that perhaps could push it over the edge, but I’m not sure. Wonder if anyone has any input on this.
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Old 05-12-2018, 09:02 PM
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Originally Posted by ArmyFW View Post
I’m about to finish my undergraduate degree in Business and Management and am looking to start a Master’s program very shortly after and I can’t decide what route to take. I am stuck between choosing a finance degree from somewhere like Webster university or Georgetown online if I can get accepted, or a Master’s in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle. If I can’t get accepted in a good school (My GPA is a 3.6 currently but I am graduating from a small school) for the finance degree would it be better to go to Embry-Riddle since they are a well known school? This is for a backup degree in case I lose my medical or get furloughed by an airline once I leave the Army. I have 5 years left on my ADSO.
There are a lot of really good online master's degrees available. If you are using TA or Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill), and thus price isn't an issue, recommend you go for a non-aviation degree from a top 10 school. Consider the Harvard Extension School (HES). HES is VERY military friendly. Classes are almost 100% online and you can get a Master's of Liberal Arts in a host of fields including management. HES is just Harvard's name for their continuing education school. You still graduate from Harvard, get to join the Harvard Alumni Association, and your degree says Harvard University. It's kind of a unique program because your previous grades and test scores don't matter; you take 3 classes for your chosen program and as long as you get B's or better, you're admitted to your program for the remaining 8-9 classes. Did I mention you get a degree from Harvard? I went with this option using Ch 33 when I was mid-career in zone for O-5. Best decision I ever made. There is an on-campus requirement for a few classes but you can arrange it so that you only have to go on campus a few weekends total and that counts for the residency requirement.

If Harvard isn't for you, recommend you consider an online master's (like an MBA) from a high ranked brick and mortar school. You'll be tempted to go with University of Phoenix or one of the other for-profit schools, but do an online degree with a traditional brick and mortar school. I just retired and I've got a few old squad bros who are also hitting the streets and have been finding out the hard way that the online for-profit schools may check the box for a master's degree in the military but they aren't viewed as favorably by a lot of civilian employers. Food for thought in case you ever need to use the degree outside of aviation.
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Old 05-13-2018, 04:29 AM
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The Masters itself carries much more weight than the field of study.

All else being equal, get something useful if you ever need a real job.

X2 on brand name brick and mortar, if practicable.
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Old 05-13-2018, 06:03 AM
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Originally Posted by kbay hombre View Post
There are a lot of really good online master's degrees available. If you are using TA or Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill), and thus price isn't an issue, recommend you go for a non-aviation degree from a top 10 school. Consider the Harvard Extension School (HES). HES is VERY military friendly. Classes are almost 100% online and you can get a Master's of Liberal Arts in a host of fields including management. HES is just Harvard's name for their continuing education school. You still graduate from Harvard, get to join the Harvard Alumni Association, and your degree says Harvard University. It's kind of a unique program because your previous grades and test scores don't matter; you take 3 classes for your chosen program and as long as you get B's or better, you're admitted to your program for the remaining 8-9 classes. Did I mention you get a degree from Harvard? I went with this option using Ch 33 when I was mid-career in zone for O-5. Best decision I ever made. There is an on-campus requirement for a few classes but you can arrange it so that you only have to go on campus a few weekends total and that counts for the residency requirement.

If Harvard isn't for you, recommend you consider an online master's (like an MBA) from a high ranked brick and mortar school. You'll be tempted to go with University of Phoenix or one of the other for-profit schools, but do an online degree with a traditional brick and mortar school. I just retired and I've got a few old squad bros who are also hitting the streets and have been finding out the hard way that the online for-profit schools may check the box for a master's degree in the military but they aren't viewed as favorably by a lot of civilian employers. Food for thought in case you ever need to use the degree outside of aviation.

I just visited the website and I said that a total of 3 classes had to be taken on campus for the Harvard Extension School. How were you able to line that up while still on active duty?
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Old 05-13-2018, 09:08 AM
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Take this from a part-time guard/full time airline guy without a masters FWIW...which isn't much.

Back when I was still full-time in the Guard, I heavily researched getting a masters, but didn't really have any TA from the military (used all my GI bill when I was enlisted). I look around at local schools, online schools and the big name schools. After taking with lots of grads of everywhere from Phoenix online, to Booth and Wharton, I came to the following conclusions;

- Most Masters have a relatively short shelf life without experience.
- Online degree mills won't get you much except promoted in the military. If that's all I wanted, I'd go for the path of least resistance and do what interested me.
- Many programs (like Booth/Wharton) more than anything, are about the name and connections. These names and connections will likely land you high paying gigs...but you'll work for it!
- There are LOTS of successful people/business owners out there without a masters (or Bachelors). Of course for some jobs, just having the paper is the price of admission.
- If the military wanted me to get a masters to promote, they should send me to a "brick n' mortar" school...and pay for it.
- If I were to get a masters on my own, I'd pursue one of the top 10 business schools.


Edit: The Harvard program above seems like a good option!
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Old 05-13-2018, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by ArmyFW View Post
... looking to start a Master’s program very shortly after and I can’t decide what route to take. ....This is for a backup degree in case I lose my medical or get furloughed by an airline once I leave the Army. I have 5 years left on my ADSO.
Good planning.
My observations from watching fellow Military aviators get a Masters, vast majority ended up pursuing airline/flying careers. Masters appeared to have little impact on being hired relative to peers w/o a Masters degree.
Some airlines like the cache of bragging that X% of their new hires have a 'masters or higher degree". Bragging rights only. No change in job responsibility or duties. Your a pilot.
If angling for management at an airline/corporate flying, may provide benefit if degree and experience are aligned.

Future retirements suggests masters not required for pure flying jobs in 121 world. If looking corporate, perhaps a unique fit for a corporate pilot but this is a niche like 121 management. Mostly, you will be a corporate pilot with a possible collateral job that would prefer real world experience (Aviation Safety Officer, Military Accident Investigation, etc) with masters not necessary.
Based on this, if desire corporate or 121 flying job as entry to management, then get aviation business centric degree that would match that personal goal. (Aviation management etc)
You stated that want as a furlough backup, chances are many of us go find another flying job. Speaks to our masochistic side
In that case, masters not needed. If lose a medical, Would obtain a masters in a field that truly interests you so you could market that degree if truly leaving aviation or decide to stay in a segment of aviation that truly interests you.
Good journeys.
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Old 05-13-2018, 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by ArmyFW View Post
I just visited the website and I said that a total of 3 classes had to be taken on campus for the Harvard Extension School. How were you able to line that up while still on active duty?
Yeah, these are that "residency" requirement I mentioned in my first post. Because it's still Harvard (even if it's their extension/continuing ed school), they want you to get the "Cambridge experience" by taking at least a few classes on campus. Harvard did this because of the advent of the online "diploma mill" schools that require zero time in person or on a brick and mortar campus; Harvard wants you to have some connection to the real life school.

There are ways around this and loopholes that you can take. Basically, there are a number of courses where you attend most of it online and then a few weekends or a week on campus. There are also classes you can take during January term that are on campus but it's only a few weeks total; same with summer classes, where the summer is divided up into multiple terms and each term is only 3ish weeks long. I've seen guys do everything from take leave to get all three classes done in a 3-week summer term, to guys like me who took the classes where the majority is online and there are a few weekends in Cambridge.

I personally did the master's in management at Harvard Extension School. The finance, software engineering and info management master's degrees are also highly recommended in case you ever want a non-flying job in the real (civilian) world, as all of these are very marketable (did I mention your degree says Harvard University?). I did it while on a shore tour in Norfolk and it took me about 3 years to do part time, including flying up to Boston a few weekends for two semesters to get the "residency" requirement done. A lot of Navy guys in Norfolk and Newport do HES using tuition assistance (TA). It's very affordable for an ivy league master's degree and if you have the time you can do it in 2 years.

To echo what someone else said, do NOT do a program through an online for profit school. It'll suffice for your military career but you won't be as competitive in the civilian world. If you are going to do a masters at all, and you want to do it online, do it through a reputable brick and mortar school (anything from ivy league to a state university). It makes a huge difference with civilian HR/job recruiters if you ever do need to use it in the non-aviation world.
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