(Is there any) reason to do a stand alone MA program in Sociology?

[julesevar]

I have wanted to pursue a Master's in Sociology to see if I would eventually get a PhD. I already have a Master's degree in Public Affairs and work at a non-profit.  I have looked at the various schools I am interested in to see what kind of jobs that PhD's have been getting and it seems that many students at the MA and PhD level are working in government and non-profits in various roles. These roles really don't require a PhD in my opinion. So I have been tossing around various ideas in my head about pursuing a MA. I am also an older student. At 49 years of age I may bee to "old" to do anything with Sociology that I don't already do.  

I have been advised by some people to just go online and take some coursera courses in the statistical realm to look for research positions in state government. Any thoughts for me on this topic?

[cec2021]

I generally think a PhD is too long to be in school unless you really want to do research, get NIH/NSF grants, be a professor, or lead a major research organization. I'm certainly no expert though. Why are you considering a masters in Sociology specifically? I am in a Masters of Public Health program now. It has the advantage of offering an accelerated one year program for mid career students. I also did my bachelors in statistics and worked as a statistician for the federal government, so I have some thoughts on what is needed for government research careers. 

[julesevar]

On 12/26/2020 at 4:46 PM, cec2021 said:

I generally think a PhD is too long to be in school unless you really want to do research, get NIH/NSF grants, be a professor, or lead a major research organization. I'm certainly no expert though. Why are you considering a masters in Sociology specifically? I am in a Masters of Public Health program now. It has the advantage of offering an accelerated one year program for mid career students. I also did my bachelors in statistics and worked as a statistician for the federal government, so I have some thoughts on what is needed for government research careers. 

So what types of statistical knowledge is recommended for research careers? I qualify for state jobs now as a research analyst, but need to work up my skills to pass the written portion of the application/interview as I have interviewed in the past a few years ago.

I would be interested in knowing what you did for the federal government as well- thanks for responding.

[cec2021]

9 hours ago, julesevar said:

So what types of statistical knowledge is recommended for research careers? I qualify for state jobs now as a research analyst, but need to work up my skills to pass the written portion of the application/interview as I have interviewed in the past a few years ago.

I would be interested in knowing what you did for the federal government as well- thanks for responding.

I was a Mathematical Statistician (mostly a survey methoodologist) working in research and methodology of a Federal Statistical Agency. The tools I used most were programming in SAS ( I think still most used in Federal and State agencies, but I think R is catching up), some advanced statistics, knowledge of survey design and error, experimental design, and scientific writing. I could have advanced with those skills pretty far, but to lead the research and write grants for funding, I believe a PhD would have been required. There were also plenty of researchers who had technical masters degrees such as survey methodology, statistics,  and science communication. I was in a very very technical research group. Other research groups had more subject matter experts, and sociologists. I also interned at a state health agency and knew epidemiologists with MPHs and PhDs and DrPHs. 

[julesevar]

Yeah, it is a question I am personally reviewing. I don’t really understand what your link is about. I don’t need help writing a paper at this time. Thank you for responding as I wanted to post this in a sociology grad forum. I pretty much have decided to apply to a ma program where I can work full time and go to school part time due to family obligations I have. 

[SociologyPhD]

I saw a reply in here about MPH...

University of California at San Francisco would be an excellent place for the PhD in Sociology. I have an MA and am going back for my PhD now (hopefully to UCSF). As many people have said, it really depends on what exactly you'd like to do. Having said that, the PhD certainly opens additional doors and also bumps your salary up, even outside of academia. You would be likely to be accepted to UCSF, which is globally ranked for its general programs. It's medical school is usually in the top 10. The entire Sociology program is based on health/illness/medicine, and is a department within the School of Nursing. So i would suggest that program if you're interested in a PhD. They are highly selective, but you would most likely have an advantage given your background. :) 

[Planted]

I'm really glad you asked this question! We have a little bit in common - I'm also mid-30s with a master's in another field (policy), and I work at a nonprofit. I'm looking to shift to sociology and hope to land in a research-focused role in a research center or agency.

It looks like I won't get accepted to a PhD program this cycle, so I am now considering doing a terminal MA program, but only because I still want to do a PhD and I think a master's will give me the best shot at boosting my profile (and only if I can get some funding!). The roles I want don't always require a PhD, but I still want to pursue one because I want the most rigorous research training possible and a part of me thinks I might be interested in staying in academia, so I don't want to close that door just yet. Personally, I don't have the background to get a research job right now, so the only path I see for gaining the research experience that will make me a competitive PhD applicant is doing an MA.

It sounds like with a little skills training you could be competitive for the types of jobs you want, though. If it were me, I would do some standalone courses or a certificate to build the necessary stats skills and stay in the workforce. And if you decided to complete the MA, you'd already have some courses toward the degree. You might be able to transfer some credits from your master's, too. I guess that's basically the advice @cec2021 gave you up thread but I wanted to echo it!

[lkaitlyn]

6 hours ago, Ami said:

I'm really glad you asked this question! We have a little bit in common - I'm also mid-30s with a master's in another field (policy), and I work at a nonprofit. I'm looking to shift to sociology and hope to land in a research-focused role in a research center or agency.

It looks like I won't get accepted to a PhD program this cycle, so I am now considering doing a terminal MA program, but only because I still want to do a PhD and I think a master's will give me the best shot at boosting my profile (and only if I can get some funding!). The roles I want don't always require a PhD, but I still want to pursue one because I want the most rigorous research training possible and a part of me thinks I might be interested in staying in academia, so I don't want to close that door just yet. Personally, I don't have the background to get a research job right now, so the only path I see for gaining the research experience that will make me a competitive PhD applicant is doing an MA.

It sounds like with a little skills training you could be competitive for the types of jobs you want, though. If it were me, I would do some standalone courses or a certificate to build the necessary stats skills and stay in the workforce. And if you decided to complete the MA, you'd already have some courses toward the degree. You might be able to transfer some credits from your master's, too. I guess that's basically the advice @cec2021 gave you up thread but I wanted to echo it!

Rather than go into debt for an MA, find a school near you and email professors asking if they have a need for a volunteer research assistant. If you write a thoughtful (and brief) email and demonstrate the connection between your research interests and the professor's research, you should get someone to bite. Very few people in academia turn down free labor. You can also do internships at nonprofits that do research or similar organizations. While both of these options are likely unpaid, it's better than actively going into debt, which is what would happen with an MA. I'd certainly only recommend considering the MA path if you can find one that's fully funded, and there are very few that are funded.