> There’s already a 3-4 year advanced degree in the United States with an optional thesis component that companies in relevant industries can intervene in and direct if they so desire.

You're making this up as you go. No MS lasts 3-4 years, almost all MS theses are book reports/unpublished because the student is primarily attending classes, almost none are directed by industry (see points 1 and 2).

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dnautics an hour ago | parent [-]

sometimes an institution will give an ms as a consolation prize for time spent not being able to finish a phd [0]. in those cases they can be upwards of 5 years, but they certainly aren't industry driven

[0] often a leadership or personality failure of the PI

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lokar 42 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

My program had an exam after 2 years. You could fail completely, do well enough to leave with a MS, or fully pass and continue to a PhD.

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mathisfun123 an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Why do people do this kind of "well actually" thing? Yes you're correct but it has nothing to do with whether the degree itself is intended for that.

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smelendez 36 minutes ago | parent [-]

I mean, how common is a terminal master’s program in STEM fields?

I imagine there are departments where it’s more common to get a master’s by dropping out of the PhD program early than through any other path. Especially for people with a bachelor’s in the same field.

	▲	mathisfun123 11 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		> mean, how common is a terminal master’s program in STEM fields? Lololol extremely. They're cash cows because of foreign students paying full price and not getting tuition waivers. > Especially for people with a bachelor’s in the same field. Lol bruh an enormous number of schools have 4+1 programs to enable students getting terminal MS even easier.