Picking a Plan B

[SimilarlyDifferent]

So here is my dilemma. I am waiting on my #1 choice school to get back to me. I won't hear from them until mid or late March. I'm a bit optimistic about getting in, but the school is very expensive so even if I do get admitted, I can't go unless they offer me a nice funding package. I've been thinking about what I would do if I don't get into my top choice, and I have a couple of options.

Option 1:

MA in History from my current school. This school is a state school, but not the biggest, best, or most well known in the state. However, the department knows me and likes me and I also like many of them. I know I would get full funding, but the degree is a terminal MA, and the school doesn't offer a PhD program.

Option 2:

MLIS from state school #1 with a reasonable tuition price for in-state, name recognition, and good reputation.

If I take option 1, I can always apply for the MLIS or a PhD program after I get the MA. I can see where the MLIS leads directly to a career, so on one hand it looks slightly more useful. I wouldn't want to end up with only an MA in History because I really have no idea what one does with an MA in History.

I don't know, what would you do if you were in my shoes?

[space-cat]

I think it depends on what you want to do, career-wise.

If you're really tied to the PhD for a career in academia, then getting an MA in History from your current institution or just waiting and reapplying next year would be your best bet. If you go for the MA, then you'll also keep your access to academia and be able to improve your CV.

If you're interested in being, say, a librarian specializing in historical research, then either the MLIS or the MA would be a good bet. I know an MA isn't necessary for that career path, but I do remember most higher-level academic librarians I've come in to contact with having more than just a BA in their subject area, so it could very well make you more competitive in the job market. Of course, I imagine this depends on the structure of your MLIS program, and whether you think it would be helpful to supplement that degree with one that's more research-based.

If I were you, I'd go for the MA. It sounds like you're not quite sure which path you want to take, and doing the MA would leave more options open.

[qbtacoma]

Yeah, if you want to be an academic librarian you need an MA in any other subject than library science - this is because many librarians (and certainly library directors) on campuses are technically faculty. So taking the history MA could actually work for your library science career.