Apply to Ph.D. before finishing my Master's Program?

[Chizzla]

First-- HAPPY NEW YEAR! Woo hoo!

I have a rather strange situation.

I am currently working on my master's degree in theology with a focus in world religions. I would like to do a Ph.D. in the sociology of religion. I will not finish my master's degree until May of 2013, but I am thinking of starting the Ph.D. application process at the end of 2012. I am thinking of doing this because I don't want to wait a year before entering my next program. Ideally, I'd like to get accepted to a Ph.D. program in the Spring of 2013, finish my master's degree in May 2013 and begin my Ph.D. program in September 2013.

My gut says that it won't matter because there will be applicants who don't have Masters degrees... The bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement-- so it won't matter if I've finished my master's degree, eh?

Now for a curveball: I'm worried about the timing of my applications because my undergrad gpa is very low. I dropped out at 20 yrs old with a 2.10... I transferred to another school a few years later and finished with a 2.98... The average cumulative gpa for the two programs will be around 2.50... (I suffered with severe clinical depression associated with a chronic, disfiguring disease that I still have, but I sought help for my depression at the age of 26 and have developed tools the tools I need to be successful. I'll be hammering that home in my personal statement when I apply.)

My grad school gpa has been consistently around 3.50 (not stellar, but better than 2.10), so I think I'll need to show what I've done in my adult years because it's far better than my performance in undergrad.

Do you think it'll matter if I apply to a Ph.D. program prior to finishing the graduate degree given the obvious weight my new grades will carry in the application cycle?

I understand that it is IMPOSSIBLE to answer questions like these with any certainty, but I figured it might be somewhat helpful to open the topic for discussion among people who may know a little about how review committees may think.

Thanks, and happy new year again.

[Beardedman]

Your right Chizzla, there is no way to answer this question with any degree of certainty. As for my opinion, I don't think it will make much difference. I say apply and don't worry about it. If things don't work out with your applications, try again next year. My guess is that others here will agree.

[coonskee]

I'd say apply!

From what I understand, many (if not most) PhD applications leave room to attach a CV. I'd suggest that you highlight your current Master's GPA in it, as well as relevant coursework etc.

Also, highlight not just your separate undergrad GPAs (to show improvement in second go) but also specific subsets (e.g. if you're applying for an English Lit PhD, you can say 'English Lit GPA' and just calculate your average from courses you took in undergrad specific to that major if it's higher than your cumulative GPA). I guess for you that would mean highlighting courses in, e.g., religion or sociology.

For me specifically, my undergrad GPA was almost a 3.6, but I had a very strong upward trend, and my senior year GPA was a 3.85. For this reason, I had "Undergraduate GPA: 3.6 (Senior year GPA: 3.85)" written on my CV. I had two hiccups in science courses from my first year of college that made my science GPA lower than my cumulative GPA - so I conveniently left that subset grade out. Only display the subsets that will help your case!

[tt503]

Do you think it'll matter if I apply to a Ph.D. program prior to finishing the graduate degree given the obvious weight my new grades will carry in the application cycle?

No, I don't think it'll matter a bit. Most people don't finish the degree they're working on until the spring, so it's not an uncommon situation at all. Your last semester of graduate work is not really going to matter *that* much in deciding your fate (depending on the coursework, I guess). My advice is to really focus on your GRE score to offset that low ugpa (I also have a low ugpa and am applying for a PhD in sociology of religion in the fall of 2012) and really examine your research interests to determine your "fit" with faculty, and apply broadly.

[Chizzla]

Thanks so much, everyone, for your very insightful replies. I will take your advice.

By the way, I have really fallen in love with these forums. There's so much information here. I'm glad to be going through this process in the information age. I think I'd be totally in the dark otherwise. Best wishes to everyone here.