Part three of five of my Master of Environmental Science Series.
There are two types of master’s degrees: course-based (or professional) and thesis-based. A course-based master’s is often one to two years in length, focusing on preparing students for a career. A thesis-based master’s focuses on conducting original research on an area of study.
The Master of Environmental science degree is a one-year program with eight months of course work and four months of an internship. I’ll be honest. Before finding this master’s program, I almost pursued a thesis-based one. I conducted various research projects during my undergraduate degrees. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of designing and executing projects. I was also “good” at conducting research. Pursuing a thesis-based master’s degree seemed like a logical choice after undergrad. That is the case for many students in the science field, especially after completing an undergraduate honours thesis.
I conversed with my undergraduate honours thesis one day about the thought of pursuing a thesis-based master’s degree. He asked me why. I didn’t have a good answer besides that I liked conducting research. I am grateful for his mentorship because he highlighted that graduate school is never the end goal. It’s a stepping stone towards an end goal. That resonated with me because I thought that grad school was an excellent next step, but where would I go afterwards?
I am thankful that I decided to seek an internship after my undergrad rather than jumping headfirst into a graduate program. The internship opened my eyes to what I desired for a career and what skills I needed to get that career. I realized that I lacked technical skills that I could not gain from a thesis-based master’s.
I am thankful to have found a course-based master’s program that prioritized gaining skills that would help me succeed as an environmental scientist. Some of those skills included learning about environmental policies and GIS. Check out my next post to learn about the courses I took during the program!
Cheers,
Christine
Christine Song 