The Nature of Taught Master (Mphil is the label of research in lower level)

The programmes of master of philosophy in different disciplines always attract Hong Kong students as the elevating path prior to the same level programme, named taught master, seeking their career for a promising qualification. They think the nature of "research" is a subject of not complying rules, which, in their understanding, is superior to the programmes of course studying alike the modes they received in the past learning experiences as in the undergraduate level as well as secondary school education. They consider the free-riding academic research personified their mature characteristic as an adult learner and reject to further receive knowledge only from lecturers' inculcating. Learning on your own will and generating new knowledge seems to be much dominative than only following the traces of old versions. It constitutes the covert comparison of the two master programmes in the same level. However, misunderstanding with the nature of research education existed.

Such recognition is very strange over the master nature of knowledge seeking method. From my understanding, taught master degree is the qualification for solid and specialised acquaintance which emphasizes more than research skills, while master of philosophy is the very basic research degree for novice or even the postgraduate students with lower standard academic recognition. There is duplicated nature between programme of master of philosophy and doctorate degree which is the ultimate pursuit of research, yet the students of the former one bear the lower requirements to be conferred of their approved research works in master level, which is the label of inferior research work. What is the point to be proud of in such level's article writing? Brilliant students will get straight the path of doctorate. Why so stupid to learn research methodology twice? Or, learning knowledge in master depth is much valuable than to learn something that you probably digging at lower requirement of the same research nature in comparing with doctorate education.

In foreign countries, studying taught master is prevailing mode of higher education study as the foothold stepping upwards to the infinite knowledge exploration. Solid investigation of course work strengthens our experience under the substantial base of past learning and such strengthening is the valuable process to acquire our academic aspiration.