MKin or MSc: Which Program is Right for YOU?
An Interview with Zachary McClean
Dear future kinesiology graduate,
Whether or not to take a course-based or a research-based (thesis-based) masters program is a pretty common question people have coming out of undergrad. Is one easier than the other? Will one give you a better chance of getting a job? Maybe you didn’t even know that a course-based masters program was an option.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and interview my MKin classmate, good pal, and huge sport science nerd Zachary McClean. Zach completed both his MKin and his MSc at the University of Calgary, which gives him a unique perspective that not many have. My hope is that this interview will help those coming out of undergrad to make a more informed decision on which masters program is right for them. Enjoy!
Connect with Zach via LinkedIn
Tell us a little bit about the beginning of your experience in kinesiology.
Zach: I grew up playing lots of different sports and was always interested in health, wellness, and performance. I went to the University of Lethbridge for my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. When I wrapped that up, I wasn’t sure what to do. I thought I might do something like athletic therapy or physiotherapy for a little bit. Overall, I don’t think that it really mattered whether I wanted to do athletic therapy or physiotherapy; I always knew that I wanted to work in a high performance professional sports environment. So, when I finished my undergrad I applied for physio… didn’t get in, so I was sort of just waiting around figuring out what to do with my life.
Long story short, I ended up taking the MKin, then starting an MSc, and now I’m doing my PhD. Once I’m done with my PhD, I’ll probably just restart with a different undergrad (just kidding).
What specific area/topic in sport most interests you?
Zach: Using physiological principles to optimize performance outcomes. For example, injury prevention and training quantification.
Why did you decide to apply for a grad program at the University of Calgary?
Zach: When I left Lethbridge, I lived in Edmonton for a year. I knew I wanted to go back to school and do a masters (or something like that), but I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do. The MKin program at U of C was suggested to me by a friend. I was also considering a program in Edmonton that was more coaching based, but I was more interested in physiology, so I chose the MKin.
Why did you decide to start an MSc when you were already on track to finish your MKin degree?
Zach: I want to work in professional high performance sport. During the MKin, I looked into how successful I would be in achieving a job in that environment after graduating and I thought that, although it was possible, the likelihood was small without advancing my education more. It also came down to the fact that I wanted to do a PhD. I obviously would have rather just started my PhD straight after the MKin, but you can’t. The MSc is a necessary prerequisite. I ended up doing all the coursework required for my MSc during my MKin, but didn’t overlap them much otherwise.
MKin
What made you decide (initially) to take a course-based masters program instead of a research-based masters?
Zach: Honestly, at the time it wasn’t a very deeply thought-out decision. I just knew that the MKin was an option and the application process was pretty straight-forward. I also knew that the University of Calgary was a place that I’d like to end up. At the time, I didn’t have any connections at U of C and didn’t know anything about contacting a potential supervisor for an MSc.
What was your experience of the MKin program?
Zach: The Mkin was entirely course-based, so it was really similar to an undergrad degree schedule where you go to class (and then to the next class and the next class) and you do assignments related to those classes. It pretty much felt like advanced undergrad. I didn’t find the workload too challenging. Of course, there were times when the workload was higher, but that was more in the first semester. I don’t know if I just got better at working or what, but I found the rest of the program pretty minimal workload-wise.
What part of the MKin program did you find the most valuable?
Zach: I thought it was good that you got to learn a lot of different areas of physiology. I enjoyed being challenged in those areas and learning basic, fundamental concepts more deeply. With the MKin, there was more of a social component. Going to the same classes with the same group of people was nice. In the MKin, you spend every single day together doing the same stuff. In the MSc, it’s different. You have people that you work with in the same lab, but everyone has their own thing going on and just because you work in the same lab doesn’t mean you have the same interests. It’s not bad – just different.
Practicums are a key component of the MKin program. Do you have any advice for someone looking to start their first practicum/internship/co-op?
Zach: If I were to do it again I wouldn’t change the process for choosing a practicum, but I would start the process way earlier than I did. Like months in advance… maybe even a year. Then it gives you more time to contact different organizations and get a better understanding of if there’s going to be a good “give and take.” So – are you contributing something to the organization and is the organization also contributing something back (to your experience, learning goals, or whatever it is)? Everyone has different expectations for a practicum, so I think that by taking enough time to investigate that and look at a number of different options, you’ll be more likely to find a good fit for you specifically.
What were your biggest take-aways from the MKin?
Zach: Broadly, I learned a lot of interesting practical things in the MKin. People who take the MKin are very competent in exercise testing, for example. For me, the MKin was a nice adjustment from undergrad and I think it sets you up well to create a strong work ethic.
MSc
Tell us a little bit about what you did for your MSc.
Zach: I was supervised by Dr. Jalal Aboodarda. We (simplistically) investigated neuromuscular fatigue during high intensity interval training and also looked at the effects of blood flow restriction on that type of training.
What was the workload like in your MSc?
Zach: The course workload is just as much (or more) than any one class in the MKin. There’s high academic expectations at the University of Calgary, which is great because it’s a well respected institute for sport science. I ran quite a few different studies and was involved in all parts of the [research] process. There were a lot of different side projects and writing involved in my MSc. You have to learn a lot of different things and implement them into your final thesis, but also any publications you’re working on outside of your thesis. Your thesis is the only technical requirement of an MSc… but in general the more publications you have, the easier it is to get funding. It’s nice to have more side projects so that you can have your name on more publications.
What did you enjoy about the MSc? What did you find most valuable?
Zach: It sets you up well from an academic standpoint and [contributes to] fundamental skills like writing. I learned a lot about the environment that research is conducted in and how to excel in the academic world… the true academic world, not just classes at a university.
Do you think that the MSc sets you up well for a job in the “real world” (outside of academics)?
Zach: Yeah, I think there’s a bit of a misconception sometimes about the MKin vs. the MSc. It might just be my own misconception though. I think that a lot of people think that the MKin is great for getting a job in the real world and that an MSc puts you at a disadvantage for practical skills and getting a job after school. I would say that’s definitely not the case. In terms of getting a job in the real world, I don’t think it’s more advantageous to do one over the other even though the MSc is research-based and the MKin is course-based/practical-based. Most people won’t do a PhD after their MSc so they’ll be applying for the same jobs as MKin students after graduating. For example: If you want to be an exercise physiologist, you can do that out of an MSc too. You probably just have different strengths. For example, someone with an MKin might have a better understanding of exercise testing, but someone with an MSc might have a better understanding of stats and research. At the end of the day, everyone just needs to figure out what they need to be successful in their specific job.
I don’t really know anything about having a job (haha)... but I think most employers who want you to have a masters degree wouldn’t care if it was an MKin or an MSc.
What was the process of writing your thesis like?
Zach: The first step is finding a professor who wants to collaborate with you and have you as a student. After that, it’s a little bit of a longer process to figure out the specific details of what you want to research. Just because you find a topic doesn’t mean it won’t change and develop and be differently utilized over time.
Whether or not you choose your topic or your supervisor assigns it to you is pretty dependent on the situation. For example, your supervisor might have some projects that they’re planning on researching already and they might give you one of those topics.
After figuring out the details of what you want to research, you design the study and go through ethics. Once you’ve gotten to that point, you can start your actual research. Data collection, especially in exercise physiology, takes a while. For me, data collection took me some long days over the course of 6 or 7 months.
After that, you analyze the data and run statistics. Then, it's more writing-based – whether that’s just writing your thesis or helping to write other papers from side projects you were part of to submit for publication. My thesis was something like 90-100 pages.
Once you’ve completed your thesis, you send it to your committee, which is a group of 3-5 profs that work with you throughout your masters. They take a few weeks to read it and during that time you study everything (all topics) related to your thesis to prepare for your defence.
Your defence is essentially an oral examination about what you know about the topics within your field. The defence is sort of like the “peak” of your masters. The process leading up to it is obviously stressful, but passing feels like a celebration of everything you’ve done and completed in your degree. At the end of the day, the profs asking you questions during your defence want you to do well.
Then you hopefully pass and get your degree!
MKin vs. MSc
What was the biggest difference between the two programs?
Zach: I think that’s pretty obvious. One is about research and one is not about research (it’s course-based). They both have their own strengths… I definitely don’t think you need to do both. If I knew that I wanted to do a PhD [earlier], I wouldn’t have done the MKin.
Did you find the workload higher in the MKin or MSc?
Zach: My MSc had a higher workload for sure
Were there any skills that the MSc gave you that the MKin didn’t really touch on?
Zach: Yeah for sure. Mostly research-related skills like stats. [Academic] writing skills is a big one, too.
What should someone consider when choosing between a course-based or research-based masters program?
Zach: You just need to choose the program that fits your goals best… neither option is better or worse than the other. If your goal is to get a masters degree and then get a job (and that’s it), then both options are good. If you want a more strict timeline, then the MKin is nice. The MSc can be a little more variable (there’s no strict grad date). If you think there’s a chance you want to do a PhD (even a small chance) or continue into research a little bit further then I would recommend the MSc.
Do you think there’s a certain type of person who would be more successful in one program vs. the other?
Zach: Yeah, I think people who really like structure would prefer the MKin. The MSc takes a different type of personality… you have to be very self-motivated and self-driven to find your own path during your degree. If you’re not that kind of person, then the MSc might be a bit challenging for you.
Beyond a Masters
What has your PhD experience been like so far?
Zach: I just started my PhD, so I’m still figuring that out. I’m supervised by Dr. Matt Jordan at the University of Calgary. We’re doing some innovative sport science-related projects with the Dinos [University] teams where we’re looking at neuromuscular assessments (totally different methods from what I did in my MSc projects) and training load in relation to injury prevention and the return-to-sport process through a biopsychosocial lens. Since it just recently started, I’m still in the process of applying for different grants and funding opportunities. I’m also currently working on writing a review article to submit for publication.
My PhD feels totally different from my MSc. It feels more like I’m working on applied science. The structure does feel like a longer masters degree in general though. There’s a lot more to get done for a PhD, but you have more time to do it.
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice in undergrad, what would that be?
Zach: I’d say to go with the flow and don’t rush yourself. Sometimes there’s little detours and side events in life, which I think are all important for developing a holistic, well-rounded perspective. There are many roads that take you to where you need to be. I would have never anticipated doing a PhD when I was in the first year of undergrad.
In Conclusion…
I learned a lot from my conversation with Zach.
I’ll admit that, like Zach, I believed the common misconception that an MKin degree would set me up better for getting a job in the “real world” (outside of academics) compared to an MSc. I don’t necessarily believe that’s the case anymore – at least not for everyone. Setting yourself up for success post-grad school is no different from setting yourself up for success post-undergrad. There are so many more factors that come into play outside of which degree you take: Making meaningful connections, gaining hands-on experience in multiple different areas, and building fundamental soft skills – to name a few.
During my post-undergrad gap year, I had to decide which masters program I wanted to take. For me, this was a no brainer and I’m happy with my decision to take the MKin program. Do I think I would have found success by taking an MSc? Absolutely. Would that success have looked different? Probably.
All in all, I’d have to say that my biggest take-away from my interview with Zach was this:
When trying to decide whether to take an MKin or an MSc, it really just comes down to where you think you’ll find the most success as an individual. Where do you want to be after graduating? Can an MKin get you there? Can an MSc? What does your gut tell you? Both programs have their pros and cons and one isn’t necessarily better than the other in terms of the skills and experiences you’ll gain during the program or in terms of getting a job post-grad. Maybe don’t take both though.
If you have any questions or want to learn more about which masters degree is right for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or one of the other Mentors at any time!
Sincerely,
Your Kines Mentor
