A different sort of decision to make.

[HiFiWiFi]

I am currently enrolled in an MPH program but have realized it's really not for me. The subject matter is interesting, but essentially the Master's is for people who want to go into practice/industry while my interest has always been more about teaching and research. (I was erroneously under the impression that it was standard for the field to get a credential from the Masters and then get a PhD, it wasn't until I got here and met PhDs without the credential that I realized I was wrong and went down a wrong path.)

Luckily my program manager is amazing and has been talking to professors in the department on my behalf. She has identified several professors with funding to take on a PhD student and she is happy to help me transition to a PhD track instead!

My problem comes from the fact that none of the POIs are really into the same research topics I am interested in. They are all doing tangentially related work, but none of their current projects are what I am most interested in studying. That said, "not what I'm most interested in studying" is the same thing that could be said about my current position, and at least the PhD would be funded (the terminal Master's program is not) and lead to better and more profitable jobs (at the cost of 2-3 additional  years at school). 

So my question is this: Do I pursue a PhD working with a professor on research that I find interesting but am not at this moment passionate about (notably it's due to lack of exposure, I could fall in love with it, or could hate it!) or do I stay put where I'm at and get a less desirable Masters? 

I see it as the Masters program leading to more debt and a less desirable degree for future employment, but it will be simple to complete, while the PhD is better if I can finish it, which is my concern if I don't fall in love with the work.  It's also probably worth mentioning that in all my time in school I have found passionate professors contagious: I can "get into" most anything that someone I look up to is passionate about, so that might play in as well.

[Elephas]

I will say I've been in the same situation with deciding a PhD program and advisor but one thing I would suggest is talking to those professors and seeing how open they are to alternative research. For example: you work on their project, but while you're getting adjusted to that program you define a project and pitch it to the professor. In this scenario you'd want to know if the professor is open to the research, if there is any overlap with their current research(i.e. it would benefit them if you published a paper that is based on some of their research), or if you could write a proposal for a grant etc etc. 

I can't find the proper words but the "if i can finish it" worries me as you still want to go into teaching/research. If you complete the MPH you'll still need to pursue a PhD which externally from your current institution is likely to be another 3-6 years so i'd be thinking about how time commitment could be a  dealbreaker if I were you.

[HiFiWiFi]

12 minutes ago, Elephas said:

I can't find the proper words but the "if i can finish it" worries me as you still want to go into teaching/research. If you complete the MPH you'll still need to pursue a PhD which externally from your current institution is likely to be another 3-6 years so i'd be thinking about how time commitment could be a  dealbreaker if I were you.

Absolutely, and thanks for echoing things I'm already thinking so I know I'm not off the path too much in what I'm considering! I have no reason to believe I couldn't finish it on an individual level, I've just seen so many PhD candidates on reddit and such eventually dropping out of their program and so I felt it was important to put in that caveat. I agree with you: Since I want to teach the PhD will be inevitable (especially with changes to my field, eventually even industry practitioners will need a Masters so institutions will want PhDs to teach them, I imagine) and so it does seem like switching will be the better result for less debt and less time, I just have that niggling fear in the back that my possible mismatch on research might doom me. But like I said, I can get excited about a lot of things in the field. And absolutely I'll ask about alternative research and such, thanks for indicating that's not an impertinent or dumb question!

[fuzzylogician]

If the PhD isn't a passion when you get started, there's a not insubstantial chance that you'll have a hard time completing the degree. A PhD is a marathon; it's hard, even when you're very passionate about the work. It's even harder if you're only doing it because it's some kind of default, or better than your current alternatives. I'd strongly recommend finding out more about your potential advisor and future research directions. Notice: a PhD is a research-based degree. It's not clear to me how much an MPH prepares you for that, nor how much research experience you already have. You should know (as best one can, really) this is what you want going in. 

[rising_star]

Why not switch to the PhD and give it a year? If you hate the research, drop out, work for a bit, and then reapply to PhD programs that are a better fit.