Accepted MA, reapply Ph.D but still attend first year?

[drewm]

Hello everyone.

I've read the forums but have never posted. First time for everything!

I applied and was accepted to a M.A. program in Psych to work with a certain professor. I was interested in the Ph.D. program that was offered but hadn't taken the Psych Gre (required).

Now that I have been accepted, and have taken the Psych Gre, would it be bad to start the first year in one program (2010-11), and apply to the Ph.D program in the same department for the next year (2011-12)? This means, of course, that during the entire first year they would be well aware of my application to the Ph.D program.

I thought nothing of it as far as transfer credits and such go, but I found out that the Ph.D. program only accepts 6 credits from their own masters program (though requirements might be waived). Even if requirements are waived, I would require the total credits of the Ph.D. program. 2 years (M.A.) plus and at least 66 more credits is a bit unnerving.

Any thoughts?

[balderdash]

I would still apply... if anything, the department knows you and your work, and that should help your application. Spending a year to do the Master's will only show that you're more prepared than the average leaving-undergraduate-institution applicant. The absolute worst case is that you finish the year and are rejected for next year's PhD admissions. But if you didn't get in when they know you and you have the extra training of the MA, then you probably wouldn't have been accepted without the MA. If you get in, then you've only spent one year out, you have better preparation, and it may have helped you get in.

[adaptations]

If you know that you want to do the PhD, then it seems smart to apply to it as soon as possible. I don't see much of a reason to wait to apply to the PhD program until after you've completed the MA, which I assume is two years. As for them only accepting 6 - that number is likely to change that much over the next few years, so I would just give it your best shot and see what happens.