thegradcafebarrista

Thank you!

There's really no need to be so cocky. Instead of talking down to people on the basis of formal credentials, you might want to focus on substance. Yes, I stand corrected. Apparently there is an "emerging branch" of psychology called international psychology (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_psychology). I would venture to guess that a vast majority of doctoral students in psychology would not have heard of this subfield, given its total obscurity.

There's an article in the Huffington Post from 2012 titled "Chicago School of Professional Psychology Sued, Students Call It a Diploma Mill." It's probably much better to play it safe and attend a reputable PhD program at a major research university. A degree from a school like the Chicago School isn't going to allow you to break into academia. (By the way, "international psychology" isn't an actual field; rather, it's something that the Chicago School came up with to lure more students in. And "business psychology" is generally called "industrial-organizational psychology" at reputable universities.)

Would a Master in Public Administration degree be solid preparation for someone who ultimately plans on attending a doctoral program in public policy?

I was admitted into this program, as well, and declined the offer. It doesn't seem like a good investment. This is going to sound crude, but it's something that has to be seriously considered: A large portion of the class body consists of underrepresented minorities. Their job outcomes inflate the overall employment statistics due to the influence of affirmative action. It may be worth it if you (1) have a heavy quantitative background (bachelor's degree in engineering or chemistry, for example), or (2) are an underrepresented minority. Otherwise, I'd be very careful. Consider working in the private sector for a few years and then going on to an MBA.

Hi. I recently graduated from a public university with a B.A. in anthropology and a linguistics minor. I am interested in starting my doctoral studies in the Fall 2016 semester and ultimately becoming a university professor. My question is: Is sociology the right field for me? I have two central fields of interest: (1.) I am interested in how systems of knowledge and the complexity/accessibility of information affect the organization of society and interactions among different socioeconomic/political groups, and (2.) I am interested in criminological theory and urban studies (more specifically, the culture of poverty and crime in major inner-cities.) Here's the catch: I am not at all interested in Marxist analysis/criticism, critical theory, or gender/racial inequality; I don't plan on ever incorporating these sorts of frameworks in my research. For me, the greatest work in sociology came from the field's classical liberal roots: William Graham Sumner, Herbert Spencer, Adam Smith, etc. More contemporary scholars whose work has impacted my understanding of social theory: James Q. Wilson, Edward Banfield, Thomas Sowell, and Charles Murray. Clearly, I am interested in the sorts of issues that sociologists work with. However, I seem to have some very major ideological differences with the average scholar that you'd find working in a university sociology department. Are these differences in methodology and theory reconcilable, or should I just pursue a PhD in political science instead?