gradschoolvoyage

Hi TexasGirl: I think it's best to consider your goal: -Continue working in education and/or working in a non-profit involved in education and/or doing research. As a former middle and high school teacher now in non-profit and will be pursuing grad school this fall, I know what you might be going through. The big question for me was: How do I get the experience and the opportunity to transition? I would explore opportunities to allow you to work in different sectors of education. Seek out professional opportunities like non-academic fellowships or even volunteering opportunities. Maybe you can help conduct focus groups or edit reports. Is a masters from NYU worth getting into so much debt and not being able to save for the next 6 years or so before I begin doctoral study? It all depends on what you want. Why NYU? Do you want more of a practitioner-based degree or a research-based degree? Your answer to this will vary on how you will transition into a doctoral program. If you engage in enough professional research work you can even apply to doctoral programs without the master's degree. You might even luck out an find yourself in a PhD program with full-funding. Long story short, explore and really soul search! Is 35 too old to go for a doctorate? Should I just wait and apply to a doctoral program next year? I say no. The more prepared you are for a doctoral program, the easier it will be to apply to, go through and finish. Another question is, what do you want a PhD for? There are professional not-PhD doctoral programs toward degrees like an EdD.

Terminal MA programs are very separate from PhD programs. If you are admitted into a PhD program, there is MA level coursework and requirements that you need to complete, but the degree ultimately leads to a PhD not a MA. In general, funding for MA programs is scarce. Depending on the school and funds available, schools will tell you even in their website if PhD students are funded.

For the MA program, did any one recieve any more info beyond the initial admit e-mail?