Chicago MAPSS

[swifteye]

Does anyone happen to know whether the MAPSS program at UChicago is beneficial for poli sci students?

I'm trying to decide if this kind of degree would be helpful for future admission to a Ph.D. program.

[lorinho]

Does anyone happen to know whether the MAPSS program at UChicago is beneficial for poli sci students?

I'm trying to decide if this kind of degree would be helpful for future admission to a Ph.D. program.

Short answer: Yes, MAPSS is good for PolSci types.

Long Answer: MAPSS, and its sister program CIR draw from a lot of different areas of study, so you will see a wide variety of types of people, however, people within the programs generally group together along disciplinary lines. In political science IR and Comparative usually are refered to, or apply to CIR, whereas American and Theory types land in MAPSS. There is no hard and fast rule on that, though, with the exception that pretty much all IR types land in CIR.

After either program, students are very well positioned for applications to top PhD programs. Most people I know who applied after attending either program usually got into at least one top 10 program. Moreover, at the University of Chicago, you will attend the exact same classes as the PhD students, (and many undergrads for that matter). There is really no limitation to what classes you want to take, to include many law school classes, policy, or Business classes. You do need to meet the requirements for the program, so it isn't a total free for all, but there is a lot of leeway.

That said, neither programs is a substitute for a good PhD program, but it can be a gateway to a good PhD program. Neither program greatly increases your chances of getting into the University of Chicago as a PhD student, but there will be plenty of other schools to attend. MAPSS actually actively discourages applying during your year of attendance (not so with CIR, but since you didn't ask I will assume that is not an option) so you should plan on a gap year. There are programs to help you find work for that time, though.

I personally think that it would be better if everyone attended something like MAPSS before going to a PhD program, because it gives you a really good taste for PhD life, and it is only a year commitment. At the end of that time, if you don't want to invest 5-n years of your life for an x/100% are really well positioned for another career as well. Chicago is a great place to do that, too, because the professors are really good about treating the MA students with roughly the same equity as the PhD students, so you get a really great education.

[swifteye]

That's interesting. Where are you getting your information from? (a.k.a. are you a student of either program?)

I hadn't heard about CIR, which is funny because I'm interested in development politics, which lies in the realm of international relations and comparative politics. That'll certainly give me a few questions to ask when I go visit.

Thanks for the advice--I found it particularly difficult to find info from their website.

[Poiesis]

I found the FAQ page to be very informative. The username and password for it is in the decision package, and it was emailed to us a few days later in its own email. Have you tried calling any of the directors or advisors yet? I have been planning on calling after hearing from my final schools...but they continue to make me anguish. Also, I think the admitted students visit coming up should clear up some of our questions, or at least give me another look at the seminary coop.

[readeatsleep]

ive heard from MULTIPLE reliable sources that the m.a. students at chicago are treated like second class citizens, absolutely cannot get any attention from professors, and do not generally have luck getting into top programs afterwards.

however, as a student finishing up an m.a. at a different program and attending a top ten theory program, i agree that doing an m.a. before the phd is a great experience. teaches you what you need to do as a graduate students, how to get ahead, and what to focus on, etc.

[natofone]

ive heard from MULTIPLE reliable sources that the m.a. students at chicago are treated like second class citizens, absolutely cannot get any attention from professors, and do not generally have luck getting into top programs afterwards.

Not true at all. I did the IR MA and had no problem getting personal time from professors, getting letters, etc. Of the other students in my cohort that applied to PhD programs, 4 got into top 10 (and all had multiple top 10 offers to choose from) and 2 got into top 20. Several of those were from students that struck out entirely when they applied the first time.

[readeatsleep]

Not true at all. I did the IR MA and had no problem getting personal time from professors, getting letters, etc. Of the other students in my cohort that applied to PhD programs, 4 got into top 10 (and all had multiple top 10 offers to choose from) and 2 got into top 20. Several of those were from students that struck out entirely when they applied the first time.

CIR is not MAPSS

Edited March 26, 2010 by readeatsleep

[natofone]

CIR is not MAPSS

You didn't specify MAPSS in your statement: "ive heard from MULTIPLE reliable sources that the m.a. students at chicago are treated like second class citizens, absolutely cannot get any attention from professors, and do not generally have luck getting into top programs afterwards." MAPSS may be different, but I never heard any students in my MA program complaining about these things.

[lorinho]

That's interesting. Where are you getting your information from? (a.k.a. are you a student of either program?)

I hadn't heard about CIR, which is funny because I'm interested in development politics, which lies in the realm of international relations and comparative politics. That'll certainly give me a few questions to ask when I go visit.

I graduated from CIR, and am currently a PhD. student in the Political Science Program.

ive heard from MULTIPLE reliable sources that the m.a. students at chicago are treated like second class citizens, absolutely cannot get any attention from professors, and do not generally have luck getting into top programs afterwards.

Whinging is a perennial problem for all programs. Indeed, all you need to do is to check out the popular humor site PhD Comics to see that many people feel ignored by their professors. In general, the people who get paid attention to are the ones who demand attention through good ideas, hard work, and mature behavior. There may be those who are ignored, and rightly so, because they bring nothing to the table. Far more often the case is that people want a lot more help than is either realistic or merited. As an M.A. student I was able to meet with pretty much every member of the department I wanted to, to consult on my thesis. I was usually limited to 10-15 min per professor per visit, but that is plenty for anything you really need to talk about as long as you are prepared when you show up. Preceptors and colleagues are there for other more time intensive work.

CIR is not MAPSS

While true, and there are possibly differences outside of the Political Science dept, since MAPSS crosses more Depts than CIR, they are structured exactly the same and even have the same support staff, and the PolSci faculty do not distinguish between the two, and often confuse which is which so I highly doubt that there is a great deal of difference between the two when it comes to faculty. It is possible that there is a big difference with the preceptors, but the MAPSS Political Science preceptor seems to be as good as the CIR preceptors. In terms of placement I know that MAPSS places at least as many people in top programs as CIR, but it is also a much larger program, so the total percentage may not be as high, but I don't think so. In the end, for the students, I just find it hard to believe that there is a major difference between the two programs.

Edited March 28, 2010 by lorinho

[lorinho]

But can you apply while in the program? I already am getting an MA from my own country and got into MAPSS (but wasn't as successful with PhDs). If I apply while I'm in MAPSS can I still get into good programs?

Yes but I would caution you against spending more money on an MA in the hopes that you can get into a PhD program. If you already have one MA and it didn't help you, I don't think a second one would. You mention you did not attend an American University, so that might factor in. I would talk to the departments you are interested in, because UChicago is not cheap, and to spend another 40k minimum only to not get into a PhD program could be a huge issue. Bottom line: think long and hard before you go to more schooling. Some time away from school with real world experience might be more what the doctor ordered than another MA. (Worked for me)

[lorinho]

Another girl I know was in the same situation as me. She got an MA from the same uni, got rejected from every program she applied to then she went into MAPSS. After MAPSS she got into UMich.

I would say that you might be better off listening to the person that you know, rather than strangers on the internet. But seriously, if that is the case, MAPSS sounds like a good choice, to me.