Hersheythepup Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 Until recently I was in a PhD program studying microbiology and molecular genetics. I made the difficult (but right) decision to leave aftr 2 years as wet bench work was absolutely not the career path I wanted to pursue anymore. Mastering out of my program is not possible, sadly. I am transitioning into the counterterrorism/counterintelligence space with the goal of working on CBRN (chem, bio, rad, nuclear) defense. In undergrad I got a minor in global terrorism at the University of Maryland and did an internship working on DARPA Sigma+ which is focused on CRBN-based defense and I loved it. I am really excited to make this transition and am passionate about this new career. I'm applying to jobs that don't require a graduate degree currently, but also want to apply to some MA programs in homeland security/CT/intelligence in case those don't prove fruitful. I think a grad degree would help show commitment to this field change if I can't get some entry-level job just to get my foot in the door in some tangentially related position. I have good letters of rec and a good academic track record, but am concerned about how leaving a grad program will look on my applications. There are only a small handful of these programs so the schools will be along the caliber of University of Maryland (my alma mater), American, George Mason, Penn State World, GW, and Hopkins/ Georgetown at the top end. Should I mention my graduate coursework from my PhD in the applications? I can reframe my time in the microbiology program as "Research Assistant" rather than graduate assistant because I spent all of my time doing research and only took a small handful of courses. How rough do you think this application process will be? Will leaving the PhD be a big enough red flag that I'm in real trouble of not being able to get into a program? Any advice you may have would be great! UG GPA: 3.94 Grad GPA: 4.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richelieu Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 It is already on your list of schools but this program specifically seems like a great fit in your area of research. https://schar.gmu.edu/programs/phd-programs/phd-biodefense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now