histrybuff

Hey everyone. I'm interested in an MA in documentary film production and studies. Anyone know if there are programs that are funded?

Hi all, So, I have been accepted to a great funded MA program that I'm excited to matriculate to. The thing is, I was also accepted to teach English in France for one year. It'd be a great opportunity to a) polish up language skills b) read more widely/deeply on prospective MA thesis topics c) take a break after undergrad and see the world. Not too worried about funding, because it's relatively noncompetitive. I haven't accepted either because I'm not sure how to do so. If my aim is to get a deferral, should I accept the MA position and then broach the topic of a deferral for the year with the Chair? Or should I speak with the Chair about a deferral before accepting the MA position? The rub? BOTH must be notified on Friday the 15th. Thanks for your thoughts!

@crc21 @klader @TwirlingBlades Hello grad friends!! I just accepted Miami's offer for an MA in History! Very interested in finding a place with other grad students. I got some leads from various students during my visit last week. You both should PM me, maybe we can share some tips! Can't wait to start in fall.

@bibliomancer, I saw your post on another MA thread. I wonder if you have thoughts on my situation? Sounds like you're of the opinion that higher rank is more important than funding? Thanks all for your advice! I do feel enticed by Option 1, but still unsure. best

Neist: It's sadly the latter. They haven't indicated whether or not I'll gain a GAship, much less its duration or level of remuneration. Should I worry about being bound up in a contract if I accept? Editorship would be great, yes!

@Neist @rising_star @TMP @nevermind Hi all! Thanks so much for the advice. You're echoing thoughts I've had myself. A bit of clarification: Option 2 offers one to two year GAships around campus, while Option 1 is a full two year promise. One has to accept Option 2's offer of admission before they tell you what your GA offer is. During admit day, I spoke with students at Option 2 and they told me "There's a good chance that you'll be funded, but have a contingency plan in case it doesn't work out." This is not at all comforting. Option 1's offer certainly is, especially considering its offer of J-term funded research and a funded summer without TA or GA responsibilities. The DGS at Option 2 literally said "No one will throw you in jail if you decide not to come." But if I do accept their offer, will I be in breach of contract if I decide to attend Option 1 after I see Option 2's likely meager offer? I just don't want to regret having not tried. Option 1 does seem pretty safe, but I'm getting really starry eyed at Option 2's shiny brand name, its high ranking, proximity to archives of note, the caliber of its scholarly production, its location. Option 2 has a PhD program, but Option 1 doesn't. Eeek save me from myself!!!!! Yours in research and mounting student debt, histrybuff

Hello all, I'm finishing my BA up and would like to teach some day. My specializations will be 20th c urban American, with minor interest in transnational border cities. I need help deciding on some offers. My offers are as follows: 1) Terminal MA at 80th or so ranked program. Promise of fully funded TAship for two years, as well as funding for summer and J-term research. 2-3 people with whom I would be excited to work. Good record of placement in top 25 PhD programs (Stanford, UCLA, Columbia, etc). Close to home, middle of nowhere. Offer of editorship on journal. No PhD program. 2) Terminal MA at top 25 program. No guarantee of funding, but possible--around 50% funded at any given time. 5-10 people with whom I'd like to work. In a cosmopolitan city I love, refreshingly removed from the midwestern state in which i grew up. No offer of editorship, PhD students likely get most love, but real chance to matriculate there after MA. 3) PhD at 120th ranked program. Guaranteed 5 year package. 0-2 people with whom I'd like to work. In a city close to where I grew up, in state that I'm desperate to escape from. I'm thinking I won't take the PhD offer, though I'm flattered, because I don't think the school has a) enough faculty to work with b. enough of a name to land a job c) the distance from home and the cosmopolitan feel I'm looking for in my PhD. So, should I go with option 1 (good funding, less than a wealth of faculty, middle of nowhere and rural) or option 2 (uncertain funding, lots of faculty, big name, cool city)? Both have one faculty member who'd be great to work with. Help please!!! Thanks in advance.

Hello! Just accepted for MA in History at Miami. I may be joining you @TwirlingBlades!

Thank you all! I think I will go for both MA and PhD programs and see what happens. Any advice regarding the Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement? My understanding is that I should give a "why this topic and why this school" as well as a "this will be my methodological approach" for these. The "my 8th grade history teacher..." spiel is, from what I can tell, generally discouraged. Also, is it useful to talk about my archival and public history exp or should I let my CV speak for itself? If you're willing, could you send me some advice via pm? Here goes nothin!

Josh, thanks very much for this advice.

MVL, thanks very much for your reply. I do, I think, have a precise question which I'd like to explore, which has to do with the intersections of political economic ideology and the city. I have been doing lots of reading on this subject and understand the basic contours of the historiography (not going to be too big for my britches on this one). The question is one I'm exploring for my senior capstone, I've done archival research in pursuit of the answer to it, and I've targeted those profs whose work I'm launching off of, have asked them specific research questions via email, and they've encouraged me to apply as I "sounded like [I knew] what [I was] getting into." So glad to hear that my eventual rejection to a top program won't necessarily brand my breast with a scarlet letter. lol. Thanks very much for your advice; I think I'll throw my hat in the ring for both MAs and PhDs.

ashiepoo, thanks very much! Good to know that there's a lot of hoo-ha out there and I'm not completely crazy in thinking that an MA would be beneficial.

turnings, thanks very very much for this advice. I think I will, then, apply for both programs. Here goes nothing! What a relief to know that quant scores aren't really considered!

Hello everyone, I'm a Senior History major at a small college. My goal is to pursue a PhD in the field of 20th c US urban history (intellectual, political-economic, history of capitalism and the city). I have a 3.8 gpa, a full tuition fellowship, have work experience in the field (National Archives, Writing Tutor, History teaching assistant at prep school, Archival assistant at cultural institution), have presented my own senior thesis research at three conferences, and have published two articles in the Archives publication as well as a journal. Some professors have told me to apply to PhD programs, while others recommend an MA. I'm concerned that I will have mediocre GRE scores in Quant. The trouble is that I don't know if I'll get accepted to top PhD programs if I apply this time around. I'm worried about my GRE scores. The admissions rates at the schools at which I've made contact with POI's (a few of whom have urged me to apply) are around 6%. Some people at state schools have told me to wait a year and apply after I've done something "interesting." The ivys, as I understand it, frequently want people coming directly from BA's. At the same time, I'd hate to dash my chances of getting into a top program by being rejected from their institution. I have made contacts at MA programs who have also urged me to apply. These programs have sent their students to top PhD programs and some offer full tuition remission and teaching assistantships to their students. One POI in particular is well respected and is an advocate of my work. I'd certainly learn a lot about historiography and research in an MA program. But should I spend two years at an MA program if my goal is a PhD? I understand that I'd gain more experience, etc., but would an MA be a liability on my PhD application? There's also the option of taking a year off and applying next year, after polishing my senior thesis and getting better scores on the GRE. I have applied to a competitive year long fellowship which would involve teaching, so it would be great to do that and apply next year, but no guarantees that I'll get it. If I do decide to take a year off and am not accepted to the fellowship, a well known scholar in my field is looking for research assistants and has expressed interest in my working for him. As the stress of applications mounts, this option is sounding better than ever. So, the options: 1) Apply to MA and PhD programs and hope for the best. 2) Apply to some more year long teaching fellowships and MA's, keep the conversation with the scholar looking for researchers open, not apply to PhD's in order to preserve my chances at those programs. What should I do?

@apnew thanks for the advice! I certainly will.

Piggybacking on this post, does anyone know of particularly strong programs in the intellectual history of 20th c US political economy and urbanity, with emphasis on post-war era? The ideal program would also have specialists in the history of higher education and university social movements (SDS, Free Speech Movement).

Not to mention ILiADS at Hamilton this August! It'll be a great week of project-based DH learning. http://iliads.org/

http://m.hastac.org/groups/hastac-2015-conference I highly recommend connecting with any of the coordinators/presenters invoked with HASTAC! I just got back from their annual conference, which was at Michigan State this year. MSU's Matrix, CUNY grad center's Future Initiatives are two recommendable DH centers for your consideration. Good luck!

Thanks for that, Catsandscarves! I had my suspicions.... Is this the case at most programs which offer MA and PhD? Is it sound advice to look at terminal MA programs at midsized state schools for funding? Or, if I find a POI at, say, a program like Columbia's, will there be more of an opportunity to gain one of the few funding packages they give out?

Hi, Chianti! So, at the moment, my interests are: modern intellectual history (Euro/US), cultural history French Empire, urban history, US political history, History of US Overseas Territories, history of capitalism: in a few words, lots of things. As well as being a scholar of history, I'm interested in documentary filmmaking, archives and digital humanities. Being near a cultural center might be good for my practice. Also might like to engage in MLS degree, or possibly public history. So far, my list for (possibly) funded MA's reads: IU Bloomington, Oregon, Delaware, UVM, UNH, Utah, UHawaii, Wash State, Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio), Ohio University, UMass, SFSU.... Ideally, everyone in cohort will get funding so that it isn't too cutthroat, but I understand that this is pie in the sky. Really want one that can jettison me into a top 20 PhD program (provided, of course, I do the good research necessary while I'm there). Maybe I should look for POI's, eh? I'd like to get to one of the coasts, if possible, but if not, so be it. thanks!

Hello everyone! Firstly, thanks to everyone who helped out with my previous question (a separate topic); this community is hugely helpful. So, I'm an undergrad with good stats, but I'm not sure which specialization I'd like to go into--nor am I ready to decide. I feel I haven't taken enough methodology or historiography, and also think I'd benefit from some more guidance in regards to publishing. Therefore, I've decided to do an MA before applying to PhD. And I refuse to be some other PhD's piggy bank, so those Cadillac MA's can take a hike! My question: What are the best MA programs which offer almost all of their students funding? I've heard IU-Bloomington and Miami Univerdity thrown around in response to that question, but are there any others which are really good at preparing/placing students at prestigious (top 20) phd programs? Also, are you a student at either Miami or IU-Bloom.? Would love to know what those programs are like! Thanks in advance!

Hi there! I'm a junior at a small liberal arts college with a 3.8 GPA, 4.0 GPA in History, teaching experience, and research under my belt. I'm in need of a bit of guidance. After browsing the forums here and surveying the various strategies people have employed in applying for PhDs, I feel that my application to top-30 doctoral programs would still not be competitive. I've come to the conclusion that an MA is the right next-step for me for several reasons. Firstly, I've not been able to identify my exact locus of scholarship, and am in need of more coursework to do so. Secondly, I believe my application would benefit from more exposure to historiography, theory, and methodology, which an MA might afford me. Thirdly, I might be more suited to study Philosophy, Literature, or Political Economy, given my interests, but I'd like to make sure before making a commitment to History. It also may be that I'm more suited to teaching at the HS rather than at the college-level. However, I'd like to keep the PhD option open. For these reasons, and others, I'm looking for Master's programs in History or related fields which routinely place graduates in funded top-30 PhD History programs. So far, I've identified Chicago's MAPSS (90% placement at first-choice PhD programs, interdisciplinary), Columbia's MA in History and Literature, and Columbia's MA in International & World History as good options. My questions are as follows: 1. Does anyone have experience with these programs and how well they prepare one for life as a PhD candidate? Is it the right decision to pursue an MA before a PhD if I feel I'd benefit by doing so? 2. Do these programs successfully place their graduates at top-30 institutions? I've heard that getting a PhD from any school outside of the top-30 pretty much rules out TT possibilities... 3. My professors received degrees from some of the institutions I'm interested in attending. Will this help in my application as they can speak to my suitability for the respective programs in their recs? 4. What does it take to get into an MA program at a top-30 institution? Is it generally easier to matriculate into a Master's program than a PhD program? 5. Would taking a year off and postponing my application to MA and PhD programs until the next cycle (after, of course, having obtained my 3 LoRs while enrolled) make my applications more or less competitive? 6. Do you know of any other programs which might suit my interests and goals? I like the idea of a 1 year MA... 7. Can anyone speak to how competitive Fulbright, Gates, Rhodes and other international English-speaking fully-funded scholarships for Master's study outside of the US are? What are these programs looking for? Does anyone know of other (less) prestigious but similarly well-respected graduate scholarships which might help me along the road to my PhD in History? I was the recipient of the English Speaking Union post-secondary scholarship after HS and would not be averse to attending school in the UK... Thanks in advance!