Mastering the Master's

In "Middle-aged scientists are most potent," K. Brad Wray writes that "young scientists still play a crucial role in science. Unless we have a sufficient number of young scientists today we will find ourselves with a shortage of middle-aged scientists in the future."¹ I'd like to emphasize the importance of how young scientists pave their way to success.

In the classic system, students must obtain three degrees to be recognized as skillful scientists: a bachelor's, a master's, and a PhD. Although the bachelor's and PhD levels have received the most attention in both financial and practical terms, the master's level, in which the "most potent" scientists are trained, has been neglected. In fact, it is during the master's level of training that the bricks of a scientist's character are laid down. Unfortunately, the entrance to this level is the most difficult step in a young scientist's life because of...