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November 20

USA: Does having 2 bachelor's degree look bad, but not having 2 master's degree?

It's a weasel question. Every once in a while I look at the profiles of top company executives. Been looking at profiles of a real estate companies, lot have a BS in a science major, but a Master's in a non-science major. Every once in a while, I come across profiles with 2 MBAs (different majors in MBAs). For example, 1 MBA could be marketing/finance and another be information systems. But you never see people with 2 bachelor's degree? 67.165.185.178 (talk) 04:56, 20 November 2022 (UTC).[reply]

Some people switch educational tracks after obtaining a Bachelor's degree, aiming to go for a Master's that promises better career opportunities than the one on their old track. If they then only go for (or drop out after) a second Bachelor's, typically one in a "soft" field, they may be seen as less desirable recruits by headhunters for these companies, creating a selection bias. --Lambiam 09:54, 20 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Any kind of degree tells a potential employer that you're willing to put in the effort. And if you're concerned that a second Bachelor's is going to hurt your chances, then you could leave it off your resume. But ultimately it will come down to what the employer is looking for. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:43, 20 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately our article Master's degree is focussed primarily on the UK, with a little about Europe, Brazil and Eurasia, but almost nothing on USA practice, historical or current.

In the UK, a "Masters degree" meant different things at different times in different educational establishments and even different subjects. In some cases it it was actually the first degree awarded, in others it required an additional year or two of study in the relevant field, in yet others it required merely a modest payment after being awarded one's Batchelor's, to get an additional fancy scroll and set of letters: see for example Master's degree#20th century. The requirements have, quite recently (i.e. long after I was at university) been made more standardised and rigorous. This of course does not address the OP's question. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.217.47.60 (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 17:12, 20 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

We're not talking about soup! 2A00:23A8:4C31:5901:F519:1280:4B80:AFE3 (talk) 18:04, 20 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Heh, heh! My bad! But have you never heard of 'alphabet soup'? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.217.47.60 (talk) 00:15, 21 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure I've ever heard of anyone going back for a second four-year undergraduate course of study to get a second Bachelor's. At the least it's very uncommon, at least in the United States.

What is somewhat more common is getting two Bachelor's degrees at the same time, a dual degree (but this is more ambitious than the more common double major). I have never heard of any employer counting people down for having dual Bachelor's degrees; it takes a level of ambition and commitment that I would expect to be attractive. --Trovatore (talk) 18:20, 20 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I know it's not as unheard of as you're suggesting, since I have done it myself. UK-based (where bachelor degrees are generally 3 year). I got a BSc in physics when I was in my early twenties, and then a BA in music in later life. So I do have 2 bachelor degrees.--Phil Holmes (talk) 08:21, 21 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

From personal experience, a second BSc in a related field only requires about an extra year's worth of study. Clarityfiend (talk) 13:22, 21 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I work with several people with multiple bachelors degrees. Literally no one I have ever met has ever said that these were bad people because they did so. --Jayron 32 13:26, 21 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Second degree, okay, but the third degree is a big faux pas. Clarityfiend (talk) 14:13, 23 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

That could be part of the interview process. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:26, 23 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

But "I'm guilty, guilty, guilty—Of Love in the First Degree" PS Never made it to Brit Award for British Single: they were swindled. MinorProphet (talk) 18:42, 23 November 2022 (UTC) [reply]