Advanced education

[ResslynHalvik]

Has anyone already got a well-founded set of rules for advanced education (post grad programmes) beyond the limited stuff in JTAS 10?

If not I'll go and run something up and share it here.

 

[Limpin Legin]

No, not me, although personally I was surprised to see the skills capped at 0 or 1. Given that these are post grad schools, I'd expect the skill offerings to be uncapped and available at any level.

Go ahead, if you want to share.

 

[Sigtrygg]

That struck me as odd too, since in CT a 4 year sabatical at a university/college earned you a level 2 skill of your choice. All that was missing was the Edu improvement that should go with it - you could also argue that you should get a roll on the "Other" mustering out table.

With that in mind if a character goes to college:

raise Edu to be equal to Int or +1 whichever is higher
choose a technical skill that would be trained at college to level 2
roll on the mustering out table for Other.

 

[FreeTrav]

That struck me as odd too, since in CT a 4 year sabatical at a university/college earned you a level 2 skill of your choice. All that was missing was the Edu improvement that should go with it - you could also argue that you should get a roll on the "Other" mustering out table.

With that in mind if a character goes to college:

raise Edu to be equal to Int or +1 whichever is higher
choose a technical skill that would be trained at college to level 2
roll on the mustering out table for Other.

Given what I see in university curricula, even at the postgraduate level, I wouldn't limit the chosen skill to "technical" skills - if the player wants his character to be an expert in Cultural Appropriation, I say "go for it" - I know plenty of people who have piled useless subjects higher and deeper, and are proud of the fact. Even if they haven't been able to find a "suitable" job and are still living in mommy's basement.

 

[Condottiere]

I would suppose it would be how far you can study your way up, without practical experience.

Since maximum is skill level five, and you can be a medical doctor at two, you could cap it at two.

That would be a Masters.

If you have an outstanding doctorate thesis, maybe three.

 

[agentwigggles]

When Matt has been asked about this, his answer has been the Scholar career. That represents doctoral and post doc work.

 

[Limpin Legin]

True. It does. however the JTAS volume 10 article is a pre career option not currently found in the rulebooks.

 

[CordwainerFish]

Given what I see in university curricula, even at the postgraduate level, I wouldn't limit the chosen skill to "technical" skills - if the player wants his character to be an expert in Cultural Appropriation, I say "go for it" - I know plenty of people who have piled useless subjects higher and deeper, and are proud of the fact. Even if they haven't been able to find a "suitable" job and are still living in mommy's basement.

When I was in gradual school, there was nothing offered by the department during summer semester that helped for my program, so I took 1xx and 2xx classes in other departments just to keep my brain turning over. And I'm a better person for it.

 

[rinku]

Yeah, I'm pretty comfortable with Scholar Career to get your PhD and so forth.

But likewise, in any career, the skills you pick up could have been obtained through study leave or integrated education that happen to bestow formal credentials. Things are generally left unspecified so that you can write your own story a bit. Some Skill-2 characters are average doctors, others are talented dropouts with experience.

Also, don't assume the way things are done in the Far Future are always going to be the same as in the 21st century. Solomani academic traditions dating from medieval times may not completely apply in the Solomani/Vilani fusion Third Imperium. (YTU may vary, of course)

 

[CordwainerFish]

Also, don't assume the way things are done in the Far Future are always going to be the same as in the 21st century.

Should be on page 1 of the CRB, in very large print.

 

[rinku]

In my real life I finished off my degree through study leave while in my first term of Bureaucrat. Was I already Computer-1? Hard to say. To continue the Traveller equivalency, I might just have gotten some EDU from attending University that qualified me to roll on the Advanced Education table later.

Also... I'd suggest that failure to enlist might sometimes represent dropping out early rather than outright failure. Even in the military and careers with contracts, there's usually washout clauses - plenty of folks fail basic training and are let go early. It could help explain an unusual event or skill pickup in the term following an enlistment failure.

 

[swordtart]

You could just take the pre-career option more than once, but it is probably more time efficient to just take multiple 8 week study periods. A university term is around that time. You can fit 3 university terms per academic year. That is a total of 12 Education rolls (possibly with a boon for being tutored) in the normal 4 year period which is quite a few levels.

 

[Limpin Legin]

A term in Traveller is 4 years, not 8 weeks.

See the flow diagram on pgs 14-15 CRB, it shows Pre-Career box with list of things to complete and an external arrow pointing to "Start New Term."

One of the things on the Pre-Career list is "roll for graduation". You wont graduate within 8 weeks of starting a College/University course.

 

[Whitehart]

A term in Traveller is 4 years, not 8 weeks.

Terms for Vegans are 16 years; but I don't see how it's possible they would be in University for 16 years...

 

[rinku]

That's because you're not a Vegan.

I assume.

But yes. Just because they have 16 year terms doesn't mean it takes them 4 times as long to gain formal certification. Given their cultural emphasis on education, they might, on average, only require half the time to finish a degree as an Imperial. Which is not the same as gaining a skill rank; we all know beings with great academic credentials that somehow aren't very good at actually applying what they learned outside of exams and assignments. And likewise, talented beings with great skills that they apply well, but who weren't able to pass their tests in school.

This came up in another thread, but it really isn't clear exactly how Vegans do higher education, only that they value it. My guess is that it's pretty much integrated into their whole prior career generation, and effectively almost ALL Vegans study at a higher education level throughout their careers. But that's only my opinion.

 

[Condottiere]

You could attend college, and increase your Carouse skill, or acquire it.

Let an artificial intelligence programme write your papers.

 

[rinku]

Pre-education event result #5.

Events #3, #9 and #12 might also apply.

If you get caught, maybe event #4...

 

[swordtart]

A term in Traveller is 4 years, not 8 weeks.

See the flow diagram on pgs 14-15 CRB, it shows Pre-Career box with list of things to complete and an external arrow pointing to "Start New Term."

One of the things on the Pre-Career list is "roll for graduation". You wont graduate within 8 weeks of starting a College/University course.

I said university terms and academic years to avoid confusion with Career Terms, but perhaps I should have been more explicit and said real world academic terms. I presumed people would be familiar with 8-10 week terms in educational institutions but maybe that is only a UK thing.

Apologies for any confusion this may have cause (and Anger in the case of Saladman, for some reason).

My point remains valid. You can fit in at least 12 x 8 week study periods into the normal 4 year career term (with extensive breaks to do other studenty things and maybe even have adventures). I would probably take your 1 pre-career term at university and start adventuring, taking 8 week breaks between adventures to learn new skills. Post-grads in spaaaaaace.

 

[Limpin Legin]

My point remains valid. You can fit in at least 12 x 8 week study periods into the normal 4 year career term (with extensive breaks to do other studenty things and maybe even have adventures).

Not according to the CRB section I drew attention to. IYTU you can do what you like, and, if you want to give out (up to) 12 x EDU+1, for Graduation Benefits, then good for you.

 

[boggo2300]

I said university terms and academic years to avoid confusion with Career Terms, but perhaps I should have been more explicit and said real world academic terms. I presumed people would be familiar with 8-10 week terms in educational institutions but maybe that is only a UK thing.

Apologies for any confusion this may have cause (and Anger in the case of Saladman, for some reason).

My point remains valid. You can fit in at least 12 x 8 week study periods into the normal 4 year career term (with extensive breaks to do other studenty things and maybe even have adventures). I would probably take your 1 pre-career term at university and start adventuring, taking 8 week breaks between adventures to learn new skills. Post-grads in spaaaaaace.

Using semester rather than term would probably have caused less confusion