Harder to get into Ph.D program with Masters from different school?

[Mharr3456]

Hello everyone (first post)

I am a senior in Sociology at the University of Illinois. The sociology program here does not require us to have a specialization but I am focusing on cultural aspects of immigration and globalization. I am debating with my girlfriend about the prospects of entering a MA program at one school before I enter a Ph.D program in a larger area. Prior to my decision, her professor remarked how his wife obtained her MA at one school and was not able to find another school willing to admit her into a Ph.D program because "they want someone to teach classes for free." Is there any truth to this statement, or is it just a one-off anecdote? tl;dr I want to enter a MA program before my Ph.D at two seperate universities. Is this more difficult than just going for a Ph.D at one university?

Thanks

[sacklunch]

From my experience this is extremely common, at least in the humanities. You might check with some other professors, but I would seriously doubt that one professor is correct. Almost everyone, if not everyone, I know has a masters from another place (from their PhD institution).

[dm242]

I think this is one off. By the way I worked at KAMS for like four years, some of the best times of my life are in that damn town.

Anyway, dont listen to the profs at the U they are old school and the U is weird, most schools are more progressive. In any case think of it like this, if you have an MA you have already proven you can do graduate level work, doctoral programs like that. It breaks down mostly to your ability to coordinate your research with someone in the department you are applying to, not a past degree.