So I have come into a pretty stressful issue and wanted you all's take on it.
I will finish my Undergrad this year, and have a few offers sitting on the table. As for right now, my undergrad institution admitted me into their MA program in Sociology along with an assistantship in a new research center that recently opened. It's a really great opportunity and offers me funding through my time in my MA. Although, one of the PhD programs (and one of my top choices) admitted me into their MS program, and assuming I complete my MS with proficiency then I will be grandfathered into the PhD program. With that being said, you would think that I would take the offer from the school that offered me a MS/PhD joint, but they did not offer me funding regarding my MS.
When I spoke with the Graduate Director, they told me that they cannot offer me funding right now for my MS because they do not have enough funding to do so, but there would be funding upon the completion of my MS for the last 3-4 years.
Overall, here is my dilemma. My undergrad institution isn't exactly known for it's name but there are a few faculty members who are known in the field. I could work with them, gain experience, get more than one publication out of my Master's, and help to launch a project/center that aligns fairly well with my research interests. The negatives to that are that I will have to reapply to PhD programs, and hope that the institution won't carry too much credit. The other institution is offering me a PhD program upon completion of my Master's, a place to study under new minds and learn more than I already have, and a completely new atmosphere to think, grow, and learn. The negative to that is I finished my undergrad with no debt, and is something I was hoping to do with my the majority, preferably all, of my graduate education. The total will be about $56,000 if I were to attend this place, and that is not including housing. I'm out of state, which is the reason that the pricing is so high.
What do you all think?
