Vanessa
In working toward the field of prothetics do I need a master degree before a docorate
To understand how much schooling I will need and how I should prepare for applying to graduate school. #graduate-school #masters #doctorate #prosthetics #healthcare #biomedical-engineering #engineer
2 answers
Sheila Jordan
Sheila’s Answer
Hello Vanessa:
It's awesome that you are thinking ahead on the type of schooling you will need for this profession.
Prosthetists require significant formal education. Orthotists and Prosthetists need a master’s degree, certification, and must complete a residency before they can be certified.
A Master's degree take 1 - 2 years. A Bachelor's degree is a prerequisite
A Doctoral degree take 2+ years. A Master's degree (sometimes bachelor's degree is acceptable)
It's a great profession where you could help someone who can't walk - walk by making prosthetic legs. The joy they would feel to be able to walk, run, jump, or dance. I wish you much success on your journey.
~ Sheila
Sheila recommends the following next steps:
Breanna Hardee
Breanna’s Answer
To be completely honest you don't need a master's degree to get a doctorate/PhD degree in most engineering fields. You can choose to get your masters before pursuing your doctoral/PhD work but a lot of times it is not necessary. The best thing I would recommend doing is talking to local engineers who work in prosthetics, or reaching out to some via LinkedIn. Most professionals are willing to have a chat via in-person/over the phone/video chat or even just email and answer questions you may have.
When looking into advanced degrees another thing to consider is if you want to do more research based work or hands-on mechanical/electrical work. If you want to do more research based career opportunities I would try the doctoral/PhD route. If you are interested in the more hands-on and after Research/Development phase of a prosthetic I would say you could stick with a Masters degree in an engineering/technical field.
Hope this helps!
Breanna