Going to grad school with family?

[wondercat]

I hope this is the right place to post this. Ive been searching around the internet looking for info but cant find what i'm looking for so i thought id post here to see if anyone could help me.

Im a 23/m with a wife and small child. I graduated college a year ago with nearly a 4.0 gpa. I spent the last year and a half at home to be with my child.

I dont want to get into specifics, but right now my wife cant work and it may be awhile before she can again. Ive just started looking for a job. Im pretty down right now because i hate the process of finding a job and based on what ive seen i dont think i will be happy with anything i find. For a long time ive thought that id like to be a teacher/professor or do research or something and i am confident that i could be successful in that role. I would like to pursue a masters in a social science field. Also, I dont have any debt but i dont have any savings either.

So my question:

Is it realistic financially for me to be able to go back to grad school? Like what options would there be for me so that i could go and still make sure that my family is taken care of? Could i get loans to cover all our expenses, work/study, etc. I just feel completely lost right now because all the information ive seen only applies to individuals.

I would appreciate any advice i can get. Thank you.

[Eigen]

A lot of this really depends on your field. You said social science, but there's a huge difference between psychology and anthropology, for instance.

My stipend was enough to support me and my wife my first year, and it could have supported a child as well. With your wife not working, there's a lot that can be done to help save money that you might not have the time/energy for if you were both working/in grad school full time.

But then I had a good fellowship in a STEM field, so your mileage may vary.

::edit:: Just noticed you said MA- that's going to be a lot harder to do. It's much rarer to get full funding/good stipends for an MA vs a PhD.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Eigen

[ktel]

I'm not sure how American student loans function, but I know in Canada you qualify for more loans if you have dependents (aka a wife and/or children).

If you want to be a teacher/professor, why pursue a Master's and not a PhD? Master's degrees in the States are typically unfunded, but PhDs have funding most of the time.

[bfat]

Hi Wondercat,

You said you'd like to teach--and if you want to be a professor, you would definitely need a PhD, which would take many years and jobs are not guaranteed, especially in the social sciences. If you have a family to consider, I would definitely think about doing a teaching degree, something like an MAT maybe, with a specialization in secondary ed, social sciences. Many of these programs can be done in a single (intensive) year, and there is certainly a need for good high school teachers out there. This would open up the job market for you, and you could then consider continuing on for higher degrees, but you'd have good teaching experience under your belt. The life of a high school teacher isn't for everyone, and maybe isn't as "prestigious" as being a professor, but there are more jobs and many people find it rewarding. Also, being able to complete the degree in a shorter time, you could get loans that would be easier to pay off.

Just $.02, from someone who works at a university with strong focus on education programs.

-b

[wondercat]

I'm not sure how American student loans function, but I know in Canada you qualify for more loans if you have dependents (aka a wife and/or children).

If you want to be a teacher/professor, why pursue a Master's and not a PhD? Master's degrees in the States are typically unfunded, but PhDs have funding most of the time.

I know that to be a professor I would have to get my PhD. But I thought in most programs you have to get your masters and then move on to a Phd. To finish a Phd i think it would be like 4 or 5 years? I might just try to contact one of my old professors or something to see if they can help me out. Maybe if I enter on the Phd tract I could get a better stipend even though I have to get the MA first?

I think the deadline for grad school is like december 1st so I dont have much time and I have never taken/studied for the gre

[ktel]

In the States it's typical to go directly into a PhD, you either get a PhD only or get an MA along the way but are still PhD-track. The PhD route is more often funded than the MA for this reason. In Canada the normal route is Masters first than PhD, and both are typically funded.

[runonsentence]

I'd say that whether or not a master's degree is requisite depends on, first of all, your field of study and secondly your own profile.

It's very common in English to do either a terminal MA program first or an "MA on the way" PhD program. However, it's not unheard of to go straight into a PhD program if one has developed a strong specificity of interest.

[long_time_lurker]

What was your Bachelor's in? That's an important piece of information.

[wondercat]

What was your Bachelor's in? That's an important piece of information.

BA in sociology. I might like to go to grad school for social psychology. I also saw a MA program in community planning that looked like it had interesting coursework but im not sure to what type of job that would lead me.

Thanks to everyone who has given me advice.

[long_time_lurker]

OK I am 32, married, with a baby on the way. My field is part of psych as well. And my wife is underemployed and unlikely to return to her original career. So we're very much in a similar boat.

I'm in a PhD program (I already had a Master's) and my stipend is about 25K. Other schools offered similar stipends. I work another job in the morning teaching high school (which was my original career) to pull in extra cash. So if you think you can do it on around 40-45K, then you'll be ok. Watch out for benefits and keep in mind you may be paying out of pocket for an entire premium. Child care costs too, if your wife won't be home to care for the child. Can you use your degree to get a social services job? Lots of those places are hiring people for part time and per diem work.

Loans are available if you think you'll have trouble making ends meet and/or you think you won't be able to work. I think PhD is the way to go for you if you have interest in academia because you will get a stipend whereas with a Masters you will be footing the bill (most likely).