PhD or Terminal MA in Art History?

[lapomegranate]

Hey everyone, I have had the most difficult days when I got admitted to two programs I really like, one is a PhD and the other an MA. The issue is my age, I am considerably older than the traditional MA or PhD applicant and that is why it is such a hard decision. PhD is funded, MA is not. I like the city where the MA is better, also better for family, even though the city where the PhD is is not bad. If I do the MA I will stop there since I need to start working, but can I do with an MA in Art History? Do I really need the PhD? I am tempted by the PhD because it's funded and because I love research and learning, however I do not want to be a professor. Is it a good idea to give up a fully funded Phd in an city I don't love but still not bad for an unfunded MA in a city I Love with plenty job opportunities, especially in this discipline? Thank you to anyone who takes the times to bring some clarity. 

[Nothalfgood]

Please don't take this the wrong way -- if you "need to start working," then what are you applying to grad school for? I ask this rhetorically because I'm sure it's a complex story with difficult decisions, but what I really want to know is how a PhD and an MA can both be options for the same person. If you obtain a PhD, what will you do? If you have plans for how you would use such a high-powered degree, then go for the PhD! No question. It may be less convenient because of location and proximity to family, but if you have the option to leave with an MA if you change your mind then there's no harm, no foul, and you're not really worse off than you would have been otherwise (plus the fact that funding is taken care of).

As a counterpoint to the benefits of being in a better city versus a worse one: will you have time to enjoy your different job opportunities and the city around you while you're in your program, anyway? Will the distractions make it hard to be productive?

Then, of course, if you applied to a PhD just because you felt an obligation to try, or you just wanted the option, or you don't have any intention of using a PhD even if you had one, then go for the MA! No question. It may not be funded, but you can earn money back. You can't earn years back. If the city life and the job opportunities are important to you, then go get 'em.

As a counterpoint to the benefits of funded versus unfunded programs: the most important thing is what you will be doing after the degree. If it's not a financially responsible decision, then that's probably a sign that you need to ask yourself again why you are applying to grad school. Anyway you slice it, though, there are no bad decisions for you to make. Only good ones.

[lapomegranate]

On 2/15/2021 at 1:05 PM, Nothalfgood said:

Please don't take this the wrong way -- if you "need to start working," then what are you applying to grad school for? I ask this rhetorically because I'm sure it's a complex story with difficult decisions, but what I really want to know is how a PhD and an MA can both be options for the same person. If you obtain a PhD, what will you do? If you have plans for how you would use such a high-powered degree, then go for the PhD! No question. It may be less convenient because of location and proximity to family, but if you have the option to leave with an MA if you change your mind then there's no harm, no foul, and you're not really worse off than you would have been otherwise (plus the fact that funding is taken care of).

As a counterpoint to the benefits of being in a better city versus a worse one: will you have time to enjoy your different job opportunities and the city around you while you're in your program, anyway? Will the distractions make it hard to be productive?

Then, of course, if you applied to a PhD just because you felt an obligation to try, or you just wanted the option, or you don't have any intention of using a PhD even if you had one, then go for the MA! No question. It may not be funded, but you can earn money back. You can't earn years back. If the city life and the job opportunities are important to you, then go get 'em.

As a counterpoint to the benefits of funded versus unfunded programs: the most important thing is what you will be doing after the degree. If it's not a financially responsible decision, then that's probably a sign that you need to ask yourself again why you are applying to grad school. Anyway you slice it, though, there are no bad decisions for you to make. Only good ones.

@Nothalfgood Thank you, I don't take it the wrong way, in fact I need this type of insight. I do not "need to start working" immediately, that is more of a want, I want to be out in the world, and since I am older I feel that I have less time than the traditional student to build a career. However, if I am completely honest with myself, I would love to do a PhD for the research. I love researching, this is what I enjoy the most doing, but it turns me off to know that after I finish a PhD I would have to start looking for opportunities that involve little to no research, or that include teaching (which I do not think I like even if I have not tried it) and the juggling of teaching and research and publication. etc. I have only a BA in art history and I do not think I can get any job with the degree, especially as a grown adult, and that is why I think a graduate degree is of essence. However, I am more and more aware of the fact that the city plays a prominent role in my desicion, since I would not want to spend so many years regretting moving to a better place (I already live in a place I don't like, really any of the two programs would be an upgrade in terms of the place where I would live) and, being an adult, I will also move my family which includes a young child and I think the opportunities he would have living in a place with plenty museums and rich cultural life. Of course, this are, as we call it in my family, "first world problems", and any city would be appropriate for my child, but that is where I am mentally. If the PhD were in the better city then I would not hesitate. So in short, I prefer the program in the worse city and the better city as a place to live for the next so many years. Again, both cities I like, it is just the better one that I think would hold more opportunities for me once I am finished, for my husband and my child. Thank you again!