[Archaeology Masters - Are You Paid or Paying?]

Your sister is right that in the U.S. qualified students generally receive funding for grad school. In contrast, funding is much more competitive in the UK--and even moreso for an international student. While I would not say the UK programs are bad, there are differences that may make it difficult to get a position at a University in the United States, if that is your intention.

HOWEVER, if you have a reason for studying in the UK (as you seem to), and you are seeking a career path in archaeology outside of academia (as you perhaps are), then attending a UK school may be beneficial. And, if you excel at what you do, perhaps the rare funding and scholarship opportunities will manifest for you. Without a doubt, though, you should be prepared to fund yourself if you go that route, and factor in if you can take on the costs and/or debt before going into the program.  

Just my two cents!  

[History PhD Feasibility?]

4 minutes ago, Sigaba said:

Have you taken the opportunity to do research on this BB IRT any of the components of your path and experiences?

Yes, and in spite of my lurking somewhat frequently through old threads, my situation seemed unique enough to warrant an inquiry.  

[History PhD Feasibility?]

A little background...

A few years ago I graduated with a bachelor's in history from an R1 research university. I had a near 4.0 in the program and was respected by the faculty; I was handily admitted to the Master's program. On the side during my undergrad work I did a few music gigs here and there, but it was never something I even remotely thought of as a possible career path (I had no formal training in music beyond elementary piano lessons and band. Never even took a music class or joined choir in high school). As it turns out, I was given an employment opportunity in the Church. This completely changed my trajectory. I ended up doing a Master's of Music to give myself a foundation in theory, composition, etc., and am finishing up a DMA.

I'm not having regrets about pursuing music as a course of study...but a strong part of me feels regret for having abandoned my first love. As a professional, I've written various articles that have made use of the research skills I learned in undergrad. I founded an education-based non-profit, and am a frequent lecturer on topics pertaining to church and music history. The university I was initially going to do my History graduate studies at specialized in Global History, and had faculty with monographs in areas pertinent to my own research interests (Reformation-era Christianity). I intend to do the research and write one way or another, but think I would benefit from the training I would receive from the graduate program at my original alma Mater.

SO, my question is...would the faculty bear ill-will that I ended up changing career trajectory (or would they even remember me)? Do you think I could apply straight for the PhD program without doing a Master's? The graduate handbook specifies that a Master's in History or a related field is required. Unfortunately, my MM specialization is in Music Education (I ended up working as a k-12 music teacher in addition to my church position, and had no experience in that realm either, so it seemed like the right fit), and a DMA is more performance based. I did study Music History at the graduate level, but it wasn't the concentration.  Do you think this would be surmountable in applying for the PhD? OR should I just endeavor to do the research on my own and not seek further graduate study?  

Thoughts you all could provide would be most appreciated!