Questions for those with graduate degrees

Questioninggeller · 6th November 2004, 04:16 PM

It is clear that there is a high level of education on this BB in many different interests.

In my own curiosity I was wonderingâ€¦

For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

balrog666 · 6th November 2004, 06:50 PM

For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

__________________

3 weeks (but I was ready). Numerical analysis of time delay differential equations (in a previous era). Too late = nothing, since I am retired from military aerospace analysis.

T'ai Chi · 6th November 2004, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Questioninggeller
For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

For my undergraduate degree in mathematics, I wrote a paper on the theory and application of logistic regression. It took me about 3 months for the writing.

For my graduate degree in statistics, writing an actual thesis paper was optional; basically only done if you decide to persue a Ph.D. I chose to look at the overall concordance correlation coefficient (useful in biological studies, for example, to see if an electronic digital cuff produces results like a mercury blood pressure cuff). It took me about 2 months to understand the theory, do a simulation, create materials for a presentation, and perpare myself to be grilled by my profs.

Feel free to check out the full thesis on logistic regression and a basic outline of my presentation on the overall concordance correlation coefficient at my webpage under "Writings".

I'm currently doing payment research for a major cellphone company, liking it, but desperately trying to persuade several major statistical and economic organizations to hire me. I've already applied, received "you're qualified" letters and scores. Now it is just a waiting game. Soon hopefully.

In any case, understanding quantitative topics helps in my current job because I work with numerical problems all day (although of a much simpler variety than what I learned to solve in school).

thatguywhojuggles · 8th November 2004, 07:59 AM

For my MA in Theatre Production I didn't actually write a thesis. What I did do was participate in various theatre projects as well as spend a year at a circus school in England. I guess in place of writing a thesis, I put together a portfolio and presented it.

Currently I am living in Portland, trying (so far with little success) to get a company called Imago Theatre to pay attention to me. To survive (and I barely do that,) I am working at a juggling supply store "Serious Juggling" selling juggling equipment.

Hooray for education!

Ribbitalu · 12th November 2004, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Questioninggeller
It is clear that there is a high level of education on this BB in many different interests.

In my own curiosity I was wonderingâ€¦

For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

To actually write the dissertation, it took me about 6 months. That was using Windows 95. But it took approximately 5 years to gather the data on male reproductive behavior (I'm serious -- but I worked with animals, not humans).

Currently, I am not using that education in a way that was expected of me (in other words, I am not a college professor). It was difficult, because I did follow the path that everyone else did. However, I am in academia as an administrator and I do teach on the subject as a hobby. And I do use my education and study of animal behavior in my work and personal relationships.

drkitten · 12th November 2004, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Questioninggeller

For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

The actual writing? About a year for the Ph.D. dissertation, but of course that was a culmination of several years of research. It was on psycholinguistics and artificial intelligence. I'm currently teaching at a small, flat-headed liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere (official motto : "that's all right, we've never heard of you, either") -- but I suppose as a card-carrying member of the professoriat, that makes me one of the lucky ones.

canadarocks · 15th November 2004, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Questioninggeller
For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

For my Master's Thesis in geology, I spent about 1 month writing up my 8 months of research and another 1 month rewriting it after my adviser critiqued the draft. I have been a practicing geologist (environmental consultant) for about 15 years.

Thumper · 21st November 2004, 01:10 PM

My dissertation is on ethnonational terrorism in Western Europe. I have the prospectus finished, but have yet to actually start writing the dissertation. I am, however, committed to being out of here in May.

Jorghnassen · 21st November 2004, 04:16 PM

My master's thesis took forever... my Ph.D shouldn't take so long. I was and am still working in survival analysis.

SpaceFluffer · 22nd November 2004, 09:49 AM

My PhD thesis is on the direct detection of Dark Matter in the CDMS experiment. I haven't written up yet, but based on other grad students in my collaboration I would expect it to take 2-3 months. I'd mostly be writing about the experiment in general and performing a complete analysis of the most recent dataset. Only about 1/4 is truly original research (signal analysis methods using wavelets and neural networks).

jj · 22nd November 2004, 11:17 AM

I wrote my master's Thesis in about 3 days. Of course, there was a 6-month period of work beforehand.

I am a lead researcher without a PhD, so I can't speak for that.

Camillus · 23rd November 2004, 02:07 AM

For my MSc I didn't have to write a single large project. Instead I had to produce three mini-projects related to the areas I was studying. Each one took about a year of learning and research and a month or less to write up.

Project one was a content analysis of media representations of science through the use of analogies with science fiction (Frankenfoods, Star Trek analogies, that sort of thing).

Project two looked at how and whether the media influenced people's beliefs about the success and failure of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Project three was about the molecular actions of phosphodiesterase inhibitors (Viagra and its ilk).

At the end of it I came out with an MSc in Science with a specialism in Public Understanding of Science. I do use it in my current job and am at the moment wondering whether to pursue a PhD. Unfortunately it's very difficult to do meaningful sociological research in the area I work in (resuscitation) because of the sensitivities around the subject and the fear it engenders in doctors.

fishbob · 26th November 2004, 11:54 AM

How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on?

MS Geology - Three years of data collection, 6 months to write.
Paleontology of fusulinids and biostratigraphy using fusulinids, with a little paleoecology and some strontium isotope age dating thrown in.

These days, I do environmental clean up projects. The thesis work was handy background for data collection and organization, and report preparation, but not very relevant otherwise.

John Bentley · 2nd December 2004, 06:25 PM

I'm a little late getting in on this but...
It took me 3 months to write my thesis, but a year to gather all the data. My research was on an artificial knee ligament in dogs and the best way to place it in the joint so that it would experience the least amount of wear.
I am still a veterinary surgeon, and have been for the last 15 years.

bug_girl · 2nd December 2004, 07:57 PM

wow, I don't think I can actually remember. I do think my MS took longer, maybe 8 months of off and on work. The Phd took about 6 months or so, but I had been working on it as I went along in the program.

I was a faculty member for quite a while, but then I burned out, went to a dot.com, got laid off, and then went back to academia in the student services side, not the faculty side.

I am so happy I have my degree, and even if i never use it again, it will have been time well spent, and some of the best years of my life.

T'ai Chi · 2nd December 2004, 10:06 PM

Update on my "what are you doing with that education" part.

Quote:

I'm currently doing payment research for a major cellphone company, liking it, but desperately trying to persuade several major statistical and economic organizations to hire me. I've already applied, received "you're qualified" letters and scores. Now it is just a waiting game. Soon hopefully. In any case, understanding quantitative topics helps in my current job because I work with numerical problems all day (although of a much simpler variety than what I learned to solve in school).

I have interviews next week with a major statistical organization. They're flying me out, paying for it all.

Persistence (and patience) pays off. I applied there almost 2 years ago.

T'ai Chi · 21st December 2004, 09:58 AM

Update on "What are you currently doing with that education?"

Woo hoo! Got a job that allows me to use the bulk of what I learned in school.

It's a different job than the one I was flown out for a few weeks ago, a local one that I applied to a few months ago! So happy I don't have to move!

The one I flew out for won't get back to me officially for a couple months. Unofficially, I've been told they are interested. We'll see what offer they have since the pay for that one is like 3 times as much.

Hmm, Pay vs. Geography, which one wins?

pgwenthold · 5th January 2005, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Questioninggeller
For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

Writing? For my PhD thesis, I started writing on 9/1 and defended right before Thanksgiving, I believe, with a 2 week lag between submitting and defending. 8 weeks of writing, or so. After 4 years of research (this is in a scientific field).

Our usual guideline is to write 3 pages a day. That means three pages of first drafting and revisions to the final version (usually not the same three pages - if you can do revisions on a 30 page chapter in one day, that's 10 days of revision work completed). Three pages a day for three months is a 300 page thesis.

Title: Flowing Afterglow Studies of Biradicals and Biradical Negative Ions

Currently? Running the lab where I did my graduate work (academic position)

pgwenthold · 5th January 2005, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jzs
Hmm, Pay vs. Geography, which one wins?

Depends. Is the pay enough? If you need $40K a year, then as long as both positions give you more than that, take geography, unless they are drastically different (e.g. one is $50 and the other is $80).

However, if they are both "enough," and one isn't more than 50% more than they other, for example, then don't make it an issue of money and let the other factors decide.

Colloden · 1st February 2005, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Questioninggeller
It is clear that there is a high level of education on this BB in many different interests.

In my own curiosity I was wonderingâ€¦

For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

It took me about six weeks to write my MSc thesis, although I did the outlines of the first two chapters just after starting it in a fit of un-student like action. I used Office 95 or the such-like.
Iâ€™m doing very little with it at the moment â€“ not much call for Physics in telecoms software.

Edited to add > Should that be MSc dissertation? - it was so long ago....

T'ai Chi · 1st February 2005, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pgwenthold
Depends. Is the pay enough? If you need $40K a year, then as long as both positions give you more than that, take geography, unless they are drastically different (e.g. one is $50 and the other is $80).

However, if they are both "enough," and one isn't more than 50% more than they other, for example, then don't make it an issue of money and let the other factors decide.

The one I accepted pays 3 times more than my current job, and is actually exactly in line with my field of interest.

6th November 2004, 04:16 PM	#1
Questioninggeller Illuminator Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,030	Questions for those with graduate degrees It is clear that there is a high level of education on this BB in many different interests. In my own curiosity I was wonderingâ€¦ For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education?

6th November 2004, 06:50 PM	#2
balrog666 Eigenmode: Cynic Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2,527	For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education? __________________ 3 weeks (but I was ready). Numerical analysis of time delay differential equations (in a previous era). Too late = nothing, since I am retired from military aerospace analysis.
	__________________ A person who won't think has no advantage over one who can't think. - (paraphrased) Mark Twain Diversity--When all colors and creeds believe exactly as liberals want them to. Or Else! -Coyote

6th November 2004, 08:06 PM	#3
T'ai Chi Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 11,235	Re: Questions for those with graduate degrees Quote: Originally posted by Questioninggeller For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education? For my undergraduate degree in mathematics, I wrote a paper on the theory and application of logistic regression. It took me about 3 months for the writing. For my graduate degree in statistics, writing an actual thesis paper was optional; basically only done if you decide to persue a Ph.D. I chose to look at the overall concordance correlation coefficient (useful in biological studies, for example, to see if an electronic digital cuff produces results like a mercury blood pressure cuff). It took me about 2 months to understand the theory, do a simulation, create materials for a presentation, and perpare myself to be grilled by my profs. Feel free to check out the full thesis on logistic regression and a basic outline of my presentation on the overall concordance correlation coefficient at my webpage under "Writings". I'm currently doing payment research for a major cellphone company, liking it, but desperately trying to persuade several major statistical and economic organizations to hire me. I've already applied, received "you're qualified" letters and scores. Now it is just a waiting game. Soon hopefully. In any case, understanding quantitative topics helps in my current job because I work with numerical problems all day (although of a much simpler variety than what I learned to solve in school).

8th November 2004, 07:59 AM	#4
thatguywhojuggles Resident Juggler Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 1,338	For my MA in Theatre Production I didn't actually write a thesis. What I did do was participate in various theatre projects as well as spend a year at a circus school in England. I guess in place of writing a thesis, I put together a portfolio and presented it. Currently I am living in Portland, trying (so far with little success) to get a company called Imago Theatre to pay attention to me. To survive (and I barely do that,) I am working at a juggling supply store "Serious Juggling" selling juggling equipment. Hooray for education!
	__________________ \/\/ALTER Juggler-Artist-Atheist My Portfolio/ResumÃ© "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful." -- Seneca the Younger (4? B.C. - 65 A.D.) "A lie goes half way around the world before the truth has a chance to get his pants on." - Winston Churchill.

12th November 2004, 10:31 AM	#5
Ribbitalu Critical Thinker Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: The Garden State Posts: 273	Re: Questions for those with graduate degrees Quote: Originally posted by Questioninggeller It is clear that there is a high level of education on this BB in many different interests. In my own curiosity I was wonderingâ€¦ For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education? To actually write the dissertation, it took me about 6 months. That was using Windows 95. But it took approximately 5 years to gather the data on male reproductive behavior (I'm serious -- but I worked with animals, not humans). Currently, I am not using that education in a way that was expected of me (in other words, I am not a college professor). It was difficult, because I did follow the path that everyone else did. However, I am in academia as an administrator and I do teach on the subject as a hobby. And I do use my education and study of animal behavior in my work and personal relationships.

12th November 2004, 12:55 PM	#6
drkitten Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Wits' End Posts: 21,647	Re: Questions for those with graduate degrees Quote: Originally posted by Questioninggeller For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education? The actual writing? About a year for the Ph.D. dissertation, but of course that was a culmination of several years of research. It was on psycholinguistics and artificial intelligence. I'm currently teaching at a small, flat-headed liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere (official motto : "that's all right, we've never heard of you, either") -- but I suppose as a card-carrying member of the professoriat, that makes me one of the lucky ones.

15th November 2004, 05:13 PM	#7
canadarocks Thinker Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: North Wales, PA Posts: 155	Quote: Originally posted by Questioninggeller For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education? For my Master's Thesis in geology, I spent about 1 month writing up my 8 months of research and another 1 month rewriting it after my adviser critiqued the draft. I have been a practicing geologist (environmental consultant) for about 15 years.

21st November 2004, 01:10 PM	#8
Thumper Thinker Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 234	My dissertation is on ethnonational terrorism in Western Europe. I have the prospectus finished, but have yet to actually start writing the dissertation. I am, however, committed to being out of here in May.
Thumper Thinker Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 234	__________________ Two cents from Tennessee.

21st November 2004, 04:16 PM	#9
Jorghnassen Illuminator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The realm of ideas Posts: 3,881	My master's thesis took forever... my Ph.D shouldn't take so long. I was and am still working in survival analysis.

22nd November 2004, 09:49 AM	#10
SpaceFluffer Muse Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 595	My PhD thesis is on the direct detection of Dark Matter in the CDMS experiment. I haven't written up yet, but based on other grad students in my collaboration I would expect it to take 2-3 months. I'd mostly be writing about the experiment in general and performing a complete analysis of the most recent dataset. Only about 1/4 is truly original research (signal analysis methods using wavelets and neural networks).
SpaceFluffer Muse Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 595

22nd November 2004, 11:17 AM	#11
jj grumpy old skeptic Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Deep in the rain Posts: 18,503	I wrote my master's Thesis in about 3 days. Of course, there was a 6-month period of work beforehand. I am a lead researcher without a PhD, so I can't speak for that.
	__________________ The Power to Quit

23rd November 2004, 02:07 AM	#12
Camillus Critical Thinker Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 298	For my MSc I didn't have to write a single large project. Instead I had to produce three mini-projects related to the areas I was studying. Each one took about a year of learning and research and a month or less to write up. Project one was a content analysis of media representations of science through the use of analogies with science fiction (Frankenfoods, Star Trek analogies, that sort of thing). Project two looked at how and whether the media influenced people's beliefs about the success and failure of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Project three was about the molecular actions of phosphodiesterase inhibitors (Viagra and its ilk). At the end of it I came out with an MSc in Science with a specialism in Public Understanding of Science. I do use it in my current job and am at the moment wondering whether to pursue a PhD. Unfortunately it's very difficult to do meaningful sociological research in the area I work in (resuscitation) because of the sensitivities around the subject and the fear it engenders in doctors.
Camillus Critical Thinker Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 298	__________________ Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem

26th November 2004, 11:54 AM	#13
fishbob Seasonally Disaffected Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chilly Undieville Posts: 5,666	How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? MS Geology - Three years of data collection, 6 months to write. Paleontology of fusulinids and biostratigraphy using fusulinids, with a little paleoecology and some strontium isotope age dating thrown in. These days, I do environmental clean up projects. The thesis work was handy background for data collection and organization, and report preparation, but not very relevant otherwise.
	__________________ When you believe in things you don't understand, then you suffer . . . " - Stevie Wonder "Stupidity - a callow indifference to facts or data" - Stuart Firestein -neuroscientist. I hate bigots.

2nd December 2004, 06:25 PM	#14
John Bentley Critical Thinker Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 454	I'm a little late getting in on this but... It took me 3 months to write my thesis, but a year to gather all the data. My research was on an artificial knee ligament in dogs and the best way to place it in the joint so that it would experience the least amount of wear. I am still a veterinary surgeon, and have been for the last 15 years.

2nd December 2004, 07:57 PM	#15
bug_girl übernerd Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Very Low Earth orbit Posts: 3,013	wow, I don't think I can actually remember. I do think my MS took longer, maybe 8 months of off and on work. The Phd took about 6 months or so, but I had been working on it as I went along in the program. I was a faculty member for quite a while, but then I burned out, went to a dot.com, got laid off, and then went back to academia in the student services side, not the faculty side. I am so happy I have my degree, and even if i never use it again, it will have been time well spent, and some of the best years of my life.
	__________________ The Bug Blog

2nd December 2004, 10:06 PM	#16
T'ai Chi Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 11,235	Re: Re: Questions for those with graduate degrees Update on my "what are you doing with that education" part. Quote: I'm currently doing payment research for a major cellphone company, liking it, but desperately trying to persuade several major statistical and economic organizations to hire me. I've already applied, received "you're qualified" letters and scores. Now it is just a waiting game. Soon hopefully. In any case, understanding quantitative topics helps in my current job because I work with numerical problems all day (although of a much simpler variety than what I learned to solve in school). I have interviews next week with a major statistical organization. They're flying me out, paying for it all. Persistence (and patience) pays off. I applied there almost 2 years ago.

21st December 2004, 09:58 AM	#17
T'ai Chi Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 11,235	Update on "What are you currently doing with that education?" Woo hoo! Got a job that allows me to use the bulk of what I learned in school. It's a different job than the one I was flown out for a few weeks ago, a local one that I applied to a few months ago! So happy I don't have to move! The one I flew out for won't get back to me officially for a couple months. Unofficially, I've been told they are interested. We'll see what offer they have since the pay for that one is like 3 times as much. Hmm, Pay vs. Geography, which one wins?

5th January 2005, 10:00 AM	#18
pgwenthold Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 12,067	Re: Questions for those with graduate degrees Quote: Originally posted by Questioninggeller For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education? Writing? For my PhD thesis, I started writing on 9/1 and defended right before Thanksgiving, I believe, with a 2 week lag between submitting and defending. 8 weeks of writing, or so. After 4 years of research (this is in a scientific field). Our usual guideline is to write 3 pages a day. That means three pages of first drafting and revisions to the final version (usually not the same three pages - if you can do revisions on a 30 page chapter in one day, that's 10 days of revision work completed). Three pages a day for three months is a 300 page thesis. Title: Flowing Afterglow Studies of Biradicals and Biradical Negative Ions Currently? Running the lab where I did my graduate work (academic position)
	__________________ "Baseball is a philosophy. The primordial ooze that once ruled our world has been captured in perpetual motion. Baseball is the moment. Its ever changing patterns are hypnotizing yet invigorating. Baseball is an art form. Classic and at the same time...progressive. Baseball is pre-historic and post-modern. Baseball is here to stay." (Stolen from the side of a lava lamp box, and modified slightly)

5th January 2005, 10:05 AM	#19
pgwenthold Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 12,067	Quote: Originally posted by jzs Hmm, Pay vs. Geography, which one wins? Depends. Is the pay enough? If you need $40K a year, then as long as both positions give you more than that, take geography, unless they are drastically different (e.g. one is $50 and the other is $80). However, if they are both "enough," and one isn't more than 50% more than they other, for example, then don't make it an issue of money and let the other factors decide.
	__________________ "Baseball is a philosophy. The primordial ooze that once ruled our world has been captured in perpetual motion. Baseball is the moment. Its ever changing patterns are hypnotizing yet invigorating. Baseball is an art form. Classic and at the same time...progressive. Baseball is pre-historic and post-modern. Baseball is here to stay." (Stolen from the side of a lava lamp box, and modified slightly)

1st February 2005, 01:23 PM	#20
Colloden You love me Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Hiding in your underwear drawer Posts: 1,505	Re: Questions for those with graduate degrees Quote: Originally posted by Questioninggeller It is clear that there is a high level of education on this BB in many different interests. In my own curiosity I was wonderingâ€¦ For those who have a graduate degree: How long did it take you to write your thesis/dissertation? What did you write it on? What are you currently doing with that education? It took me about six weeks to write my MSc thesis, although I did the outlines of the first two chapters just after starting it in a fit of un-student like action. I used Office 95 or the such-like. Iâ€™m doing very little with it at the moment â€“ not much call for Physics in telecoms software. Edited to add > Should that be MSc dissertation? - it was so long ago....
	__________________ Sou, Sou, where for art thou Sou ? Name sounds like the secret lair of the "Colon man." - caniswalensis "AUUUUUUUUUHHH" -Wilhelm

1st February 2005, 08:27 PM	#21
T'ai Chi Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 11,235	Quote: Originally posted by pgwenthold Depends. Is the pay enough? If you need $40K a year, then as long as both positions give you more than that, take geography, unless they are drastically different (e.g. one is $50 and the other is $80). However, if they are both "enough," and one isn't more than 50% more than they other, for example, then don't make it an issue of money and let the other factors decide. The one I accepted pays 3 times more than my current job, and is actually exactly in line with my field of interest.