Wednesday 21 March 2012

Answers to common questions about Master's degree programs


            My name is Kayla Lindenback and I am a first year Master’s degree student at the University of Saskatchewan. GO HUSKIES! I am studying flax breeding and my supervisor is (Helen Booker) CDC Flax Breeder. I hail from Leduc, Alberta (Hi Dad!) and grew up in cities all my life. So how did I develop an interest in agriculture and crop sciences you ask? Well, during the second year of my genetics Bachelor’s degree at the University of Alberta I mistakenly applied for a job with Dow Agrosciences that had been posted as “Plant Genetics Assistant”, it turned out to be research field work but I fell in love with the job, atmosphere, people and let’s be honest... the pay cheques.
Over the holidays I went back home to spend Christmas with family and my boyfriend. My older sister and I are the first in our immediate family to get any university education, and I am the first to go past a Bachelor’s. Because of this, whenever I go home I am often fielding a barrage of questions. This is understandable because to be totally honest with you readers, even I didn’t know the difference between a Master’s degree and a PhD until two years ago! So I will use this blog to answer some common questions that I get asked:

What is the difference between a Bachelor’s Degree, a Master’s Degree and a PhD?
  • A Bachelor’s Degree is what you take right after high school when you go into university. After you have completed a Bachelor’s you can apply to go into a Master’s or PhD program.
  • An agricultural Master’s takes typically 2-3 years (depending on the student) and can be an intermediate step between a Bachelor’s and a PhD.
  • Some people skip the Masters and go right into a PhD, this saves time in the long run but the transition can be difficult. A PhD in agriculture takes approximately 4-6 (or 7 if you are slow) years to complete but it is the Holy Grail, once you get it life is gooooood. If you have survived past this point you are now a doctor of both your field and of being awesome.
What are you doing all day if you don’t have classes?
Research graduate degrees don’t involve many classes, I only have to take 3 courses to complete my Master’s and they are courses that my supervisor and I both decide are cool enough to take. The majority of my time is spent working in the field, labs, and greenhouses.

Why don’t you just work during the summer and stop complaining about being broke?
Since most of our time is spent working we don’t get the summer off. We till, seed, spray, and combine just like the rest of you folks. Which reminds me, I have some plants that need watering!

Ciao for now readers!

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Job Security


Hello! My name is Andrea De Roo and I am a third year student in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan.  I am currently majoring in agronomy and minoring in biotechnology, and I hope to do graduate studies after my degree.  

Outside of school I enjoy playing a variety of sports, training horses, and hanging out with my friends and family.  I grew up on a mixed cattle and grain farm near Moosomin, Saskatchewan which is what first sparked my interest in agriculture.  

My favorite part about studying agriculture is being able to apply my knowledge in my summer job.  I have worked for companies like Cargill and Monsanto, and loved helping farmers and working with those who are also passionate about the industry. The best thing about agriculture and working in the industry is job security! Everyone in the world needs to eat to survive and it’s scary to think the world population is continually growing and the world cannot keep up to the demand for food. As a grad from the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, you will never be without a job! In fact there are on average 40 job offers for every one undergraduate student when they graduate and the seed industry alone needs 600 grads every year. 

The University of Saskatchewan is a great choice to study agriculture. You can study anything from ag-business and politics to animal, plant or food science. Another great option is the renewable resource management program that is essential for the protection of arable land and keeping the land in production.  There are so many areas to study in agriculture and the job possibilities are endless!

Please note - the facts I have mentioned are from presentations I’ve heard over the past year working for the Canadian Seed Trade Association.