MA or no MA when wanting a PhD?

[mcs717]

I'm terribly sorry if this has already been discussed in another thread, if so, would someone mind pointing me to it?

I've had anxiety over whether or not an MA is a smart move only to have my anxiety increase when I saw the many comments about Boston University not looking favorably upon applicants with an MA in hand. This is my first year applying to graduate English programs, and while I applied to a couple PhDs (that are mostly out of reach and whom I haven't heard back from yet), I mainly focused my applications towards a variety of MA programs. My eventual goal is to get a PhD, but the reality that a lot of PhD programs frown upon MAs really makes me question whether it is a good idea to pursue an MA first.

I think a lot of you who comment on here have MAs and are applying to (or are now in) PhD programs, and I would love to hear your take on whether you think it helps or hurts you in the PhD admissions process. What made you decide to get an MA? Would you advise others to do the same? Do you feel like it helped or hurt you in the eventual goal of obtaining a competitive PhD? Is it common for PhD programs to look down on external MAs? Internal MAs?

Thanks so much for your input/help!

Edited February 21, 2012 by mcs717

[Hugh10]

When I applied to graduate school I applied to MA and PhD programs. I got in to all of my MA choices and none of my PhD ones. In hindsight I can see how my application really was more suited for an MA - I expressed interest in my area and had a reasonably strong background in it, but had no real grasp on the major research problems in the field. Now, I might have been able to learn that on my own if I decided to decline the MA offers and take a year to reapply and really immerse myself in the literature, but I didn't go that route so I can't say for sure. What I can say is that upon entering my MA program I became fluent in my field incredibly fast, pinpointed a very specific area of research I wanted to pursue, learned who the major scholars in my field are and their methodology, acclimated myself to academic culture ... and I am sure many more positive things I am probably not remembering right now. Given my undergraduate education -- I went to a very loose, free-form liberal arts school, never wrote a senior thesis, never submitted anything for publication -- I am not sure I could have made up for my academic "weaknesses" simply by improving my SoP and doing some extra reading. In my situation, the MA definitely was the right choice.

As far as what programs think, yes it is true that many Phd programs like to "mold" their students and if you are already too far along in the process they may not want you. Some programs work around this by not granting advanced standing to anyone, so even if you have an MA you will spend the same amount of time under their instruction. Converseley, if there is an institution that perfectly fits the working methods you learned in your Master's program than there really is no reason for them to see your development as a negative. Probably the best way to ensure that what you learn in your Master's and what the PhD programs want you to learn are the same is to choose programs that offer both so that you can be an "internal" applicant, but you shouldn't assume that there won't be an external program that is very similar to where you are doing your MA.

I think essentially it comes down to where you are right now, if you really could be accpeted to a PhD program with just a few more tweaks, or if the MA is your next step, and how the MA programs you applied to compare to the PhD programs you want to get in to down the line.

I hope that helps!

(Edit: One more thing... the LoRs I have received from doing my MA, from influential professors in the field, has also been invaluable! Not to mention meeting the POIs I want to work with through symposia etc... )

Edited February 21, 2012 by Hugh10

[mcs717]

Hugh10--thank you for such a thorough and sincere response, you gave me some much needed perspective tonight and it is great to hear from someone who went the MA path with no regrets. Your points regarding a lack of publications in undergrad and paying attention to cohesion between stand-alone MA programs and PhD programs you are interested in down the road make a lot of sense and are truthfully things that didn't come to my mind. Thanks for taking the time to respond!

[Rupert Pupkin]

I am interested in this too. I have been accepted to the master's programs I applied to and roundly rejected from the PhD programs, so I'll probably be going through this process again in 2 years. I'd love to have a concrete list of schools that don't look favorably upon an M.A. So far Boston seems to be the biggest stickler. I've heard some rumblings about Michigan. Is this true? It's one of my dream programs, and I'd like to reapply there in 2 years if possible.

Also, if you have any anecdotal evidence regarding schools accepting a large share of M.A. holders, I would love to have that info. I found a post claiming that UT-Austin has started taking more M.A. students than B.A. I haven't seen that substantiated.

I really appreciate it.

[straightshooting]

I really don't think that there are too many programs that roundly reject applicants holding master's degrees, especially as a matter of principle. I'm sure that, numerically, the anecdotes of people who used the experience of an MA program to put together a very strong PhD application and get into a top program line up at least roughly with the ones of people getting rejected across the board when applying to PhD programs after getting their MA. The fact of the matter is that if you have an MA, the programs that you're applying to are likely (and justly) going to expect you to demonstrate more professionalization and direction and originality in your research than those coming straight out of an undergraduate program. If you have "MA" after your name, people assume more of you. I should say that it is true that most PhD programs tend to accept more people coming straight out of undergrad than master's holders, but there are also a hell of a lot more people coming out of undergrad than there are people coming out of field-specific master's programs. I suspect the distribution is proportionate more often than not.

That said, while I know that there are success stories and that many will disagree with me, I would strongly advise against accepting an unfunded offer to an MA program. Although no humanities programs really make for the soundest of long-term financial decisions, funded or otherwise, it's really not wise to throw a few dozen grand over two years into a very uncertain chance of getting into a PhD program that may then translation into yet another uncertain chance of getting a job that will pay you enough to live decently and pay off your loans.

For what it's worth, I completed a two-year funded MA at an R1 state university before getting accepted into a top PhD program

[intextrovert]

I am interested in this too. I have been accepted to the master's programs I applied to and roundly rejected from the PhD programs, so I'll probably be going through this process again in 2 years. I'd love to have a concrete list of schools that don't look favorably upon an M.A. So far Boston seems to be the biggest stickler. I've heard some rumblings about Michigan. Is this true? It's one of my dream programs, and I'd like to reapply there in 2 years if possible.

Also, if you have any anecdotal evidence regarding schools accepting a large share of M.A. holders, I would love to have that info. I found a post claiming that UT-Austin has started taking more M.A. students than B.A. I haven't seen that substantiated.

I really appreciate it.

Re: Michigan. About half of my cohort had MAs upon entering, and half had just BAs. I think it's similar for the cohort above me. The cohort below me had fewer people entering with MAs. So it varies, but there's certainly no policy against candidates with an MA. The way I understand it, it's all about the work you produce, so while a committee may expect that someone who has been in grad school for a few years should have a bit more direction or professional sophistication, an MA can actually help you build that. You do have to start over, though - everyone has the same requirements in terms of courses and structure, whether you have an MA or not. I think that's pretty typical, though.